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Baton Rouge Riverfront Plan


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Work on two downtown parks, greenway set to begin...plan to link downtown park, museum, square

 

The Downtown Development District plans to extend Repentance Park to better connect it to the Louisiana Art & Science Museum and begin work on turning all of City Hall Plaza into a green lawn.

 

The assistant executive director for the DDD, Gabe Vicknair, told commissioners Tuesday the plan is to finish the Repentance Park work by the end of summer. The work would close the gap between the park and the LASM, turning a 40-foot by 100-foot section of land into a park, while putting a bike path and planting trees in front of the museum. “We want to make it easier to cross between the park and the LASM,” Vicknair said.

 

The greenway will tie into the bike paths at the top of the Mississippi River levee via an access point at Florida Street and River Road. Vicknair said work will begin later this month on the access point. “We’re going to see some projects done that we’ve been excited about for a long time,” he said.

 

While construction is going on at Repentance Park and the greenway, plans will be underway to turn the last section of City Hall Plaza into a green space. The area from the Galvez Plaza stage to North Boulevard already has been turned into a green space. Vicknair said the next step is to do the same for the land behind the stage.

 

“This will give us the same atmosphere as Galvez Plaza,” he said. “But we’ll be able to fit three times as many people for large outdoor concerts.”

 

*rest of article

http://theadvocate.com/home/8098630-125/work-on-two-downtown-parks

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  • 1 month later...

Work on two downtown parks, greenway set to begin...plan to link downtown park, museum, square

 

The Downtown Development District plans to extend Repentance Park to better connect it to the Louisiana Art & Science Museum and begin work on turning all of City Hall Plaza into a green lawn.

 

The assistant executive director for the DDD, Gabe Vicknair, told commissioners Tuesday the plan is to finish the Repentance Park work by the end of summer. The work would close the gap between the park and the LASM, turning a 40-foot by 100-foot section of land into a park, while putting a bike path and planting trees in front of the museum. “We want to make it easier to cross between the park and the LASM,” Vicknair said.

 

The greenway will tie into the bike paths at the top of the Mississippi River levee via an access point at Florida Street and River Road. Vicknair said work will begin later this month on the access point. “We’re going to see some projects done that we’ve been excited about for a long time,” he said.

 

While construction is going on at Repentance Park and the greenway, plans will be underway to turn the last section of City Hall Plaza into a green space. The area from the Galvez Plaza stage to North Boulevard already has been turned into a green space. Vicknair said the next step is to do the same for the land behind the stage.

 

“This will give us the same atmosphere as Galvez Plaza,” he said. “But we’ll be able to fit three times as many people for large outdoor concerts.”

 

*rest of article

http://theadvocate.com/home/8098630-125/work-on-two-downtown-parks

That levee site should have four flag poles instead of the lights: American, Louisianian, French, and Spanish flags, add some heritage downtown.

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  • 6 months later...
  • 4 months later...

Beautification planned for Florida and Lafayette streets downtown

 

Work will soon be getting underway on a downtown beautification project along Florida and Lafayette streets. The project, which is part of the Downtown Development District’s Riverfront Gateway Initiative, will have several components.

 

Along Florida Street, so-called bump outs will be constructed from Fourth Street to River Road. Bumps outs are curb extensions that are landscaped and may include sitting areas.

 

Meanwhile, trees will be planted along Lafayette Street from the IBM facility to the Hilton Capitol Center. A related aspect of the initiative will involve constructing screens to partially obscure the surface parking lots along Florida Street, the largest of which is at the intersection of Florida and River Road.

 

DDD Executive Director Davis Rhorer says design work for the screens has not yet been done but there are several possibilities. “These streets lead up to a grand finale, the end of the downtown greenway,” Rhorer says. “This is where pedestrians and bicycles will go to the levee, and there is no other space downtown like this so I want that streetscape experience to be a great one.”

 

Rhorer says the parking lot screens will be constructed on public, not private, property so the DDD does not need to get permission of the landowners. The projects altogether will cost around $300,000, money that was previously approved by the Metro Council as part of the Riverfront Master Plan.

 

A contract for the bump outs and tree planting will got out to bid later this month. The parking lots screens are still in the design phase and will got out to bid sometime in March. —Stephanie Riegel

 

http://www.businessreport.com/article/beautification-planned-florida-lafayette-streets-downtown

 

*rendering of bump outs

https://d46w5x9vt7qfg.cloudfront.net/businessreport/2015/02/bumpout_per.jpg

 

*screen prototypes used in other cities

Click on that in article...

Edited by richyb83
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  • 5 months later...

They have really done a nice job on the Florida Street Riverfront Gateway(even have the update IBM Residences in background of the pic) ...been meaning to take some pics..

How do y'all like River Road being reduced in width(20'feet) next to the LASM/Old State Capitol?

http://www.downtownbatonrouge.org/downloads/pdf/IDA Submission_2015_Pres_RiverRoad_Finalcombined.pdf

 

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I like the Riverfront Gateway. The only thing I was kind of disappointed with was that I thought I saw a plan to extend the wrought iron fence by LASM to infront of IBM and landscape it.

Also I think they need to extend the seating platform on both sides to be able to include more tables. I just looks a little awkward to only have two tables sitting up there.

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Update: Mayor plans 11 a.m. news conference on Baton Rouge riverfront; some say area’s potential remains untapped          

Original story:

East Baton Rouge Parish is a waterfront community that doesn’t really act like one. It’s an area that desperately wants to be treated like a tourist destination, and yet it has no wharf, pier or boardwalk offering commercial entertainment options to visitors.

It is bordered entirely to the west and southwest by the majestic Mississippi River, and while this has heavily influenced the parish’s industrial economy, it’s only in recent years that planners have gravitated toward commercial projects that embrace the water.

Still, there are several miles of completely undeveloped waterfront property. There are only three entertainment options today for sitting on the river — the three casinos.  

Even downtown Baton Rouge, which is leading the way with entertainment and residential riverfront-adjacent projects, is late to the game compared with other major riverfront cities that have enjoyed the spoils of the prime real estate for decades. The primary reason, planners say, is because of impediments, such as the railroad tracks on the riverfront downtown and the levee system, that complicate construction projects, making them more costly and difficult.

“We have been given the greatest gift a community can have, which is 18 miles of waterfront property that is undeveloped to this day because of both poor practices of the past, the policies of the present and a lack of vision for the future,” said Metro Councilman John Delgado, who recently led a council effort to thwart an industrial barge-cleaning facility from locating on the riverfront near residential neighborhoods. “And yet we build fake lakes all around the parish and live around them.”

One of the concerns raised about allowing an industrial facility like the barge-cleaning operation to locate on the mostly undeveloped riverfront south of downtown was the tone it could set for future development of the land.

While north of downtown Baton Rouge much of the riverfront is commanded by petrochemical industries using the river for transporting products, planners are starting to envision entertainment and commercial uses for the river south of downtown.

“Is it doable? Yes. Is it more expensive? Yes. Is it more complicated? Yes,” said Baton Rouge Area Foundation President and CEO John Davies, whose organization has spearheaded both successful and failed riverfront attraction proposals. “But is it worth it to work on the river, to live on the river, which is a real allure and a real attraction? Absolutely.”

Attracting visitors

For years, the only commercial attractions on the Mississippi River were Baton Rouge’s two downtown riverboat casinos,the USS Kidd and the Louisiana Art and Science Museum. In recent years, L’Auberge Casino and Hotel joined Hollywood Casino and the Belle of Baton Rouge as a riverside attraction at the southern end of the parish. But there are miles of undeveloped land that separate them.

In downtown, there has been a flurry of inland activity adjacent to the waterfront, with high-rise apartments and office buildings offering views of the Mississippi River, and bars and restaurants opening up within walking distance. Pedestrian access, bike paths, lighting and seating on the riverfront also has been built over the years connecting LSU to downtown and attracting more visitors. There are plans in the works to stretch the paths all the way to L’Auberge.

But Baton Rouge still lacks a restaurant that sits on the waterfront or a boardwalk boasting retail, in the way other cities have embraced their waterfronts.

It’s not entirely for lack of effort.

In 2008 and 2009, Mayor-President Kip Holden tried to sell voters on massive tax plans that would have included numerous parish infrastructure projects, including the $225 million Alive riverfront attraction, which called for an aquarium, an outdoor amphitheater and scientific research facilities run by LSU, all tied to the theme of the Mississippi River.

Voters rejected the tax plans both times, with much of the criticism directed toward Alive, which taxpayers saw as a questionable use of public dollars.

Alive would have been on the 16-acre state-owned site south of Hollywood Casino on the batture, which is the land between the river and the levee. At the time, it was estimated that it would cost $40 million to prepare the site for construction by filling the land with dirt to build it up.

Holden did not respond to requests to be interviewed for this story on efforts to develop the riverfront.

“Alive was a great project; it was just ahead of its time,” said Davies, whose organization pitched the project to Holden for inclusion in the tax package.

BRAF and other state and city leaders have since diverted their attention to the Water Campus, a hub for river and coastal development, located along River Road between downtown and LSU. Part of the campus will extend over the river on the old city dock, where BRAF leaders have said they expect to include a potential restaurant or cafe.

River Park, a 50-acre, $600 million proposed development directly north of Hollywood Casino, has been a work in progress for years that has yet to see much in the way of construction.

Developer Pete Clements has promised since 2008 to bring a riverfront boardwalk, restaurants, live music, hotels and residential space right to the river’s edge.

The land itself is some of the most ripe for development on the entire parish riverfront because there’s no levee there and it doesn’t flood, unlike the rest of the batture property, which likely would need to be developed over piers.

Its biggest challenge was the railroad that runs in front of it, blocking access. But Clements built a $14.5 million underpass to provide access under the railroad tracks to his property.

In fall 2013, Clements announced he had secured funding and was preparing to break ground by year’s end. He announced that he’d lined up a variety of tenants, including a dueling piano bar, an Asian fusion restaurant, a beer garden and a tapas restaurant. However, the groundbreaking never occurred, and there has been little activity since.

Clements didn’t return a call for this story, but Davis Rhorer, director of the Downtown Development District, said Clements’ project could be transformative. He said he looks forward to a commercial development that connects downtown businesses to the water’s edge.

Rhorer said the fact that the Mississippi River is a working river in Baton Rouge is something to celebrate and bring to the attention of downtown visitors.

“You can see the barges in it, the tankers coming in,” Rhorer said. “It’s a working river, and it’s fascinating to watch at different times of the year.”

Development challenges

Much of the undeveloped riverfront property south of downtown is privately owned or held by LSU.

Steve Boudreaux, a principal for Stantec who previously has worked on riverfront projects, including L’Auberge, said the two largest challenges to developing the riverfront are the levee and the railroad.

The Canadian National Railway blocks the levee downtown before diverting southeast at the interstate.

Boudreaux said he was engaged to help work on a project to turn the proposed Alive site into a riverfront park during former Gov. Mike Foster’s administration. But, he said, the state couldn’t move forward because it could not come to an agreement with the railroad owners about how to access the park over the tracks.

Patrick Waldron, a spokesman for Canadian National, said the freight line has been there since the early 1880s running between Baton Rouge and New Orleans and serving local industries across southeast Louisiana.

Boudreaux said they had suggested at the time a pedestrian path, where people could simply walk over the tracks, but the idea was rejected because of liability concerns.

If developers want to access land across the tracks and aren’t granted crosswalks, they have to build elevated pedestrian bridges or else underpasses, as Clements did, which are expensive. 
The riverfront land further south of downtown is considered “prime real estate,” Boudreaux said. But, he said, developers who want to access the water will have to contend with the complex permitting process of dealing with the levee, which is overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The primary concern of the Corps is to ensure that the levee isn’t weakened or damaged.

Davies, BRAF’s leader, also noted that development of the riverfront property south of downtown has been hampered by the sewer plant north of McKinley Street, which faces the river.

The unsightly and smelly plant is being decommissioned at the end of this year, as its functions are being transferred to the recently expanded treatment plant in the southern part of the parish.

“The decommissioning of the sewer plant allows for a whole host of opportunities in the area around Nicholson (Drive) to the river,” Davies said.

Chattanooga successes

Chattanooga, Tennessee, was once known as an industrial city, just like Baton Rouge. Legendary broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite in 1969 referred to the river city as the “dirtiest” city in America.

But today, Chattanooga is known for its natural beauty and artistic, up-and-coming downtown scene, which has, in large part, revolved around the revitalization of riverfront attractions over the past few decades.

In the 1980s, Chattanooga leaders created a nonprofit tasked with focusing solely on embracing the river.

Chattanooga boasts a riverwalk, an aquarium and various public amenities that tie the community to the river.

“Our connection and utilization of the river is the crown jewel of our city,” said Amy Donahue, a spokeswoman for River City Company, the nonprofit economic development group responsible for overseeing riverfront improvements. “Chattanooga wouldn’t win all these titles if our community had not invested in the river and the connection to the river.”  http://theadvocate.com/news/13298053-123/baton-rouge-behind-other-cities

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BR Landing (the paper-clips) qualify as a pier!   Here is some more

Holden strikes back at suggestion that Baton Rouge’s riverfront is underdeveloped

Mayor Kip Holden defended his administration’s policies and plans for rejuvenating the Mississippi River waterfront along downtown Baton Rouge, saying at a news conference this morning that the area is one of biggest draws to the Capital City because of the projects and events held downtown, despite some impediments that hinder development along the river.

Holden called the news conference in response to a story that appeared in The Advocate over the weekend about several miles of undeveloped riverfront property stretching south to Ascension Parish, noting the only entertainment options along the river are in Baton Rouge are the city’s three casinos.

“This riverfront is second to none,” Holden said as images of downtown and riverfront renovation projects flashed overhead on the digital screen. “It is not a dormant place by any stretch of the imagination.”

Daily Report has the full story.

https://www.businessreport.com/business/holden-strikes-back-suggestion-baton-rouges-riverfront-underdeveloped-2

 

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I think what the Mayor doesn't understand improvement can always be made to the riverfront. Rail tracks is a problem, but pedestrian bridges can be build over the tracks.  I thought  when they said he was having press conference he was going list what is planned for the riverfront.

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But you must admit that the Advocate makes it seem as though nothing happens by the river, that simply isn't true. Baton Rouge is as active as it can be with the river given the various obstacles it faces. The BR Blue Festival being a brilliant example of the Riverfront coming to to life. 

The article did go a little far to some degree

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The article did go a little far to some degree

And it did point out the true lack of development on valuable land. I wish the site for ALIVE would become home for ALIVE and create outdoor spaces for festivals and create a string of greenery and walk-able development that would stretch from River District to River Park.

Edited by mr. bernham
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Does Baton Rouge really embrace its riverfront?              

Mayor Kip Holden went on the defensive at the outset of this week, calling a press conference Monday morning to remind everyone of all the major improvements in downtown in recent years after a story appeared in The Advocate over the weekend suggesting Baton Rouge is behind the curve when it comes to its riverfront development.

“He missed the point, though,” writes 225 Managing Editor Benjamin Leger in his occasional blog, Smart City. “No one was overlooking how far downtown has come—with the Shaw Center, improvements to the River Center, North Boulevard Town Square, Galvez Plaza, the resurgence of Third Street, several popular downtown festivals, a full-service grocery store and the sparkling new IBM offices, among other things.”

Despite the obvious progress, Leger notes all of the aforementioned downtown improvements have happened across the levee, away from the Mississippi River.

“The truth is, we’re a riverfront city with not much focus on the river,” Leger writes, noting he wrote about this topic back in 2013 when the first renderings of the IBM development were released.

“It was a pretty illustration of a gorgeous modern building. But it was depicted facing some railroad tracks and a slope of gravel down to a muddy river bank,” he writes. “Now that it’s nearly finished, it still has the same sad view. Granted, the designers could only use the landscape currently available to them when creating the rendering, but it was a stark reminder of how little we pay attention to the riverfront.”

Holden and other officials have argued that the biggest obstacles in the way of true riverfront development are the levee, managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, and the railroad, managed by Canadian National Railway. They point to other river cities, like St. Louis, Memphis or Chattanooga, that have been more successful developing their riverfronts because they aren’t impeded by levees and railways.

“Except that’s only true for one of the cities they cite. St. Louis has floodgates along most of its riverfront, and a railroad, too. But the city built up a park for the iconic Gateway Arch and the railroad tunnels directly underneath it,” Leger writes. “Memphis also has a railroad and floodgates standing in the way of its riverfront access, but they found a way around it to develop several small parks and pathways along the river.”    https://www.businessreport.com/article/baton-rouge-really-embrace-riverfront

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I have an idea... perhaps they could build an "outdoor museum" with bronze statues and plaques narrating the history of Baton Rouge, starting the legend of the raising of the red stick and ending with post-Katrina. They could be along the levee walk on the street side so they can be seen from the street and lit at night.

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I have an idea... perhaps they could build an "outdoor museum" with bronze statues and plaques narrating the history of Baton Rouge, starting the legend of the raising of the red stick and ending with post-Katrina. They could be along the levee walk on the street side so they can be seen from the street and lit at night.

Sounds like a good idea its many things they could do first they need to rezone most of the riverfront property.  I love to see a aquarium build on the property that was proposed for Alive, and hopefully River Park finally get done. 

Edited by greg225
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I have an idea... perhaps they could build an "outdoor museum" with bronze statues and plaques narrating the history of Baton Rouge, starting the legend of the raising of the red stick and ending with post-Katrina. They could be along the levee walk on the street side so they can be seen from the street and lit at night.

That's a nice idea. Art is always welcome in urban settings.

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Solid article from the 225 a few days ago...DeSoto Park needs to happen if Alive is not...cut up the thicket..thankfully the pedestrain friendly spaces/Promenade w/lighting; that have extended north tpast LASM to Florida Street will continue up to IBM...Thats when DeSoto park could take effect!  the new mid-rise residences at the 525 Lafayette (& hopefully a re-introduced River Place)do need a better view !

Don't want to Copy/paste entire article..lengthy for the thread..

IBM-Render2

 

They point to other river cities, like St. Louis, Memphis or Chattanooga, that have been more successful developing their riverfronts because they aren’t impeded by levees and railways.

Except that’s only true for one of the cities they cite. St. Louis has floodgates along most of its riverfront, and a railroad, too. But the city built up a park for the iconic Gateway Arch and the railroad tunnels directly underneath it. Memphis also has a railroad and floodgates standing in the way of its riverfront access, but they found a way around it to develop several small parks and pathways along the river.

St. Louis, with yellow arrows pointing to the railway:

stlouiswitharrows

Memphis, also with arrows pointing to the railway:

memphiswitharrows

Chattanooga is the only one that doesn’t face those problems, but that’s due more to the hilly terrain along the Tennessee River than anything else.

Chattanooga, with yellow arrows showing railways on the outer edges of the downtown riverfront:

chattanoogawitharrows

If anything, those example cities show there are ways around the obstacles that we say prevent us from truly utilizing our riverfront. Let’s keep in mind, New Orleans also has a levee and railroad along its riverfront, and it’s doing just fine creating beautiful new urban spaces.

ENTIRE ARTICLE:

http://www.225batonrouge.com/community/smart-city-baton-rouge-really-embrace-river

Edited by richyb83
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They can definitely do something with the land opposite the Pentagon Barracks and the parking lots, but for the rest of the riverfront I just don't see what they can do with the sliver of grass on one side and the fact that the other side is regularly inundated with water. Some of these other cities are really fair comparisons as it seems they had blocks worth of presumably non-flooding land.

Edited by dan326
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