North Boulevard Town Square

[richyb83]

Here's more...really sounds impressive! Hopefully construction starts by early next year! Here is part of their break-down(A-J); additional rendering(not detailed) in article...

Plans for BR Town Square unveiled

Beacon Plaza (B) is at the heart of The Square, the plaza

[richyb83]

Good read from the "Opinion" section of yesterdays paper......the streetscape is gonna be in for a dramatic change! Too long to post entire article...

Our Views: A new vision at the square

The phrase

[richyb83]

Very impressed with this plan! Interesting to see what becomes of the reconfigured streets! Can't wait too see the added water features!! And to to be able to see LIVE sporting events on the 35 foot tall beacon tower!! Would like to see another rendering of the new Central Green...

North Boulevard Town Square, bound by River Road on the West, Fifth Street on the East, and building facades on the North and South of the boulevard, is envisioned as the social and cultural heart of Baton Rouge. Town Square is comprised of three areas.

The Square- is the focus of activity with the Town Lawn, Live Oak Plaza, and Beacon Plaza notable for a 35-foot high multi-media tower located at the Third Street/RiverCenter axis and clad with programmable digital media panels showing upcoming Baton Rouge events, transit and weather information, local news, and televised events. All three spaces will include a sound system and WiFi for outdoor internet access. Reconfigured streets, including North Boulevard, St. Louis Street, and St. Ferdinand Street, provide almost an entire acre of extra public space for pedestrians.

>>Beacon Tower not included in this rendering...click on website below

West Promenade- is a tree lined pedestrian corridor along the widened walkway in front of the Old State Capitol leading from River Road to The Square.

East Promenade- is a pedestrian corridor under the mature live oak trees leading to Fourth Street Plaza and Hebe Plaza.

North Blvd Town Square is the 1st part of the new Riverfront development

Whether gathered together for a large parish-wide event or stopping to relax in the middle of a hectic day, citizens of Baton Rouge will have an amazing place to be North Boulevard Town Square, the Heart of Baton Rouge.

http://www.batonrougeriverfront.com/NBTS_OpenHouse2.html

*Quick Time Player* required to view the Beacon Tower movie; Square; East & West Promenade movies

Edited June 6, 2009 by richyb83

[richyb83]

Here is more from BusinessReport....alot of what has already been said above; but a good article nonetheless! The idea of a median for River Road along the Central Green will be nice btwn River Center & North Blvd! Can't wait to see the media panel tower & water features too!

Hip square to be

The preferred design concept for Baton Rouge

[hagetaka]

[fla_tiger]

Town square is nice and a step in the right direction, I hope they retain all of the beautiful canopy of Live Oaks.....

IMO we really need to "reconnect" with the River, the area along River Rd between LASC and the Capitol seems so barren and uninviting.

I remember the mayor of Atlanta dreaming and commenting with envy a while back...."What we could do if we had this river"............

Edited June 27, 2009 by fla_tiger

[richyb83]

Thanks for the pic LT and for the reply fla tiger

It's good to see BR finally realizing the river as an asset rather than a barrier..like you said reconnecting to the river is a nice start! When in that area I do feel like it is the heart of BR. I am sure they will keep the nice tree canopy; this place would go nuts if anything were to happen...

[richyb83]

Glad to see this for the "heart & soul" of BR...

Federal funds benefit BR projects

Holden said that while some efforts to improve downtown are criticized for being selective, he believes the entire city benefits when downtown thrives.“Without a vibrant downtown, this city will perish,” he said.

The North Boulevard town square received $1.9 million to extend the textured street surface, sidewalks and lighting from River Road to Fifth Street.

Davis Rhorer, executive director of the Downtown Development District, said his office applied for the transportation funds two months ago because existing funding for the $4.5 million town square would only allow the project to incorporate the street portion of North Boulevard into the park between Lafayette and Fourth streets.

The additional funding will extend that by a block in each direction. The plans call for the street to be paved differently from a typical road — as it is on Lafayette in front of the Shaw Center for the Arts. This is typically done to slow traffic and to easily incorporate the street aesthetically into the town square when the street is closed for events. The extended stretch of lighting, benches and sloping curb cuts are more suited to a pedestrian experience and will contribute to that effect as well, Rhorer said.

Work on the town square should begin this spring and take about 12 months to build, he said.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/78841367.html

[richyb83]

Rhorer warns against delaying two-way work

The Metro Council is set to take up the issue of delaying the conversion of St. Louis and St. Ferdinand streets into two-way roads and using the $900,000 set aside for the project to beef up crime fighting. But Davis Rhorer, head of the Downtown Development District, warns that could affect downtown projects. In a letter to John Carpenter, acting chief administrative officer, Rhorer warns that changing the plans to convert the streets could cause delays that would jeopardize nearly $737,000 in Federal Transit Authority funds dedicated to the North Boulevard Town Square. Delaying the two-way work would mean the vehicle parts of the Town Square will have to be redesigned, which would cost $45,000. That would also delay the work by three months, inching the project completion to the start of the American Bowling Congress Championships Tournament in 2012. Rhorer says there could also be access problems to the $1 million drop-off zone under construction at the River Center. Also, Beauregard Town would be impacted by through traffic. The council is set to discuss the two-way project at its committee meeting today; a final resolution could come up at next week's full council meeting.

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/latest

[Antrell Williams]

Im guessing this won't be built along with anything else in BR.

[hagetaka]

Im guessing this won't be built along with anything else in BR.

I was under the impression this was already paid for once complete DT will have a common space & a true connection to the levee, the train is now gone, they should remove the fence and give up a clean path up to the levee.

[Antrell Williams]

I didn't see any progress when I last visited, which was for Thanksgiving. They moved the train? The fence should have been removed. North of the Centroplex River Rd is so underdeveloped and it has much more potential.

[richyb83]

The Town Square should start after the new Courthouse is complete; which should be soon. The only other delay/glitch could come on a "re-design depending on if St.Louis & St. Ferdinand become two-way streets in the original plan?? That should be decided on soon..will keep an eye out

Yeah LT, the fence should be removed...will have to look for a rendering of what should be an open path to the levee coming off North Blvd.

[Antrell Williams]

I hope they do redesign the streets. Isn't 3rd street also to be turned into a 2 way street with the redevelopment?

[buckett5425]

If I understand correctly, the metro council decided to keep redesign of St. Louis and St. Ferdinand as planned, and not redirect the funds. But I am not sure when and where I read that.

[richyb83]

^ I think Third Street will remain one-way...

Town Square coming together

The first Downtown Development District meeting since funding for the new downtown library survived the Metro Council was held today. DDD director Davis Rhorer says the library will be the "perfect civic component" for the improved North Boulevard Town Square. While the library issue caused the greatest stir at the Dec. 8 meeting, the council also awarded a $5.7 million contract to Arrighi Construction for the first phase of the Town Square redesign and authorized a contract with Reed Hilderbrand for the design of Repentance Park. About $3.4 million is secured for implementation of the latter project, Rhorer says. Work converting St. Louis and St. Ferdinand streets to two-way, also part of the Town Square plan, is expected to go out for bid by spring. The Town Square and two-way conversion should be completed by the end of 2011.

Also discussed at today’s DDD meeting:

—Architect Skipper Post is designing a $1.5 million "levee shelter" that would extend from the River Center, where events could be held with a view of the Mississippi River.

—Yookoso, a Japanese restaurant on Third Street at the former site of the China House, is now open.

—The Center for Planning Excellence will continue its work with the Connect coalition in 2011, issuing policy briefs looking at the economic benefits of connecting Baton Rouge and New Orleans by rail. CPEX Vice President Rachel DiResto says the coalition will work with Reconnecting America, a national nonprofit that looks at the link between transportation and community development.

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/latest/

[Antrell Williams]

^ I think Third Street will remain one-way...

Town Square coming together

The first Downtown Development District meeting since funding for the new downtown library survived the Metro Council was held today. DDD director Davis Rhorer says the library will be the "perfect civic component" for the improved North Boulevard Town Square. While the library issue caused the greatest stir at the Dec. 8 meeting, the council also awarded a $5.7 million contract to Arrighi Construction for the first phase of the Town Square redesign and authorized a contract with Reed Hilderbrand for the design of Repentance Park. About $3.4 million is secured for implementation of the latter project, Rhorer says. Work converting St. Louis and St. Ferdinand streets to two-way, also part of the Town Square plan, is expected to go out for bid by spring. The Town Square and two-way conversion should be completed by the end of 2011.

Also discussed at today’s DDD meeting:

—Architect Skipper Post is designing a $1.5 million "levee shelter" that would extend from the River Center, where events could be held with a view of the Mississippi River.

—Yookoso, a Japanese restaurant on Third Street at the former site of the China House, is now open.

—The Center for Planning Excellence will continue its work with the Connect coalition in 2011, issuing policy briefs looking at the economic benefits of connecting Baton Rouge and New Orleans by rail. CPEX Vice President Rachel DiResto says the coalition will work with Reconnecting America, a national nonprofit that looks at the link between transportation and community development.

http://www.businessr...-report/latest/

What is this Repentance Park and where will it be located? Also, this levee shelter? Is this supposed to be part of the Riverfront development or a replacement of it? Also, passenger rail?!!!

[hagetaka]

dated is exactly what it is, I hope they remove some majority of that concrete and just have it as open space. Plant a few small trees, just have it as green space, maybe some benches, just a place to relax, right now, if those fountains stay, it needs a paint job bad. the fountain was repaired, tho, again, not impressive at all.

[dan326]

I was really hoping they would leave Repentance Park alone, its the big water fountain park between the Old State Capitol and the River Center. While I admit it does look a bit dated, it's the "classic" sort of dated to me. I remember when they first mentioned redesigning it, they said they were going to put those ground fountains like in front of the Shaw Center. They look good in the front of a contemporary buidling like the Shaw Center, but I think they would look pretty tacky in place of Repentance park and like the designers were trying to hard to be trendy. Hopefully this designer will come up with a better idea.

[richyb83]

[richyb83]

Groundbreaking was yesterday...I'm stoked about this! In about a year BR's Living Room/Cultural Epi-center will have totally transformed itself!

DOWNTOWN REVAMP STARTS

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/113704419.html#comment-form

*rendering of a remade Galvez Plaza staging area for events

[buckett5425]

I can't wait!

[dan326]

I can't wait either! Hopefully it'll be as open as the rendering suggests.

[itsjustme3]

Yay. A big metal wavy circle thing. What every downtown needs.

[Antrell Williams]

I'm liking this. It is a wavy thing but it is better than what's there now. This is only going to improve downtown.