New Urbanism

[cajun]

Love the last part.

I think the library board members are getting some similar messages in their inbox.

They could always use more...

Got any email addresses that you'd like to PM me? I'd write a letter to them.

[Zackman]

Got any email addresses that you'd like to PM me? I'd write a letter to them.

Cajun, you've got mail.

For anyone else, I'll be glad to PM the email addresses or you can get them at the Library Board of Control Members website.

[richyb83]

Thanks Zackman, glad you liked the way the letter ended! And thanks yall for writing them too Hopefully we will hear postive news about this next week!

Here's a nice take from Rolfe McCollister of Business Report on this subject...

They

[Zackman]

Richyb,

Thanks for the post, I missed that one. I usually scan the Daily Report, but that one is kind of hidden in that article. I wish they would have done a full article with some more detail.

[Zackman]

From the Baton Rouge Advocate Perkins library timeline laid out

"...Spinosa made it clear Thursday he's ready to move on the 119-acre project on Perkins Road near College Drive.

Spinosa said he plans to submit a detailed plan on the project in July and hopes to have approval from the Planning Commission in August.

If all goes well, the city-parish could begin construction on the new library in December, Spinosa said."

This is wonderful news.

[richyb83]

I was just about to post this good news! A library branch in a village-like setting will be nice; not even the Main Library can claim that! Rouzan will be a great development; just look at Perkins Rowe. It has created the vibe of basically being downtown SE BR.

Edited May 16, 2008 by richyb83

[Zackman]

In yesterday's Business Report TND trinity. Interesting article about the increase in TNDs along the I-10/I-12 corridor.

Now if we could only get some good public transit along the same development routes... Maybe in time .

[richyb83]

I think the Capitol Region finally understands smarter land-use + With ga$ prices only going "up"; the TND's/urban villages are going to have to be the trend. Nice list of TND's from SW La. in Lake Charles across Acadiana to the Northshore. So true connectivity is the key! I only wish of a high-speed light rail system between the I-12/ I-10 lanes in each directon..... But we know how much that would co$t. Stretch it out from Houston to Gulf Shores while they are it!

I really be keeping my eye on LaVie; being from near that area all of my life I have a hard time envisioning a project of that magnitude really happening.

Edited May 29, 2008 by richyb83

[BRPJ]

I think Light rail would be awesome for BR. They could start with two simple lines. One starting at the airport, and traveling south to downtown - down east to Bluebonnet. And another line going out from downtown through the heart of the city, and follow up I-12 to at least Sherwood.

[richyb83]

Nice idea BRJP That would be fantastic!!!

[yis2003yis]

I think holden was speaking of it a while back...but i havent heard to much of it lately

[richyb83]

Busy day in the Business Report. This new Southdowns branch library will be a vital componet to the village center of the TND. This is a "no brainer"! When all is said and done the area residents will be glad Spinosa/and others went thru with this quality development; Property values will only $$ increase! That' nice he donated the land for the library.

Some locals refuse to accept their little Baton Rouge is becoming a city; like it or not!

Rouzan development will still feature library

The Planning Commission approved on Monday night the first phase of the mixed-use Rouzan development, but those plans didn't include the public library that was long mentioned as a feature. Mary Stein, assistant director for the East Baton Rouge Public Library, says a 15,000-square-foot facility is still planned for the Perkins Road TND. "We're almost complete with our plans," she says. The library wasn't included in developer Tommy Spinosa's site implementation plan because he's got to donate the land for the building. "We have to know the shape and the size of the building to formally figure out the property lines for the act of donation," she says. After the exact specifications of the building are known, the library will file its own site improvement plan on the land Spinosa donates. "This public-private partnership is a new kind of thing for us," she says. If all goes well, construction on the Rouzan library will begin next year. It should take about 18 months to build the facility, which will feature a quiet room, collaborative study room and meeting spaces.

[Zackman]

Baton Rouge takes another step towards entering the 21st century with the approval of Rouzan's 1st phase. http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/29515579.html

It's too bad that the advocate didn't publish Kathleen Callaghan's other comments, which included her saying something like she thought the opponents arguments were disingenuous. Living in the neighborhood, that's actually an understatement from the comments I've heard from a few of my neighbors over the last few years.

[richyb83]

Good read from front-to-back in Business Report; actually New Urbanism isn't that new. Talks about area architecture, Perkins Rowe and Acadian Village.

Something old, something new

Neotraditionalist, or

[buckett5425]

Robert Zwirn is my studio professor this semester, hes a hoot. I agree with him whole heartedly that these TND's really are just strip malls. They are better then what we have been building for the past 40 years, but they still arnt a solution to our problem...

[richyb83]

Lafayette builder moving into Willow Grove

Lafosse Construction, a Lafayette homebuilder that has built about 150 homes in that city's River Ranch TND, plans to build eight townhomes in The Settlement at Willow Grove. "These will all be located adjacent to the town center," says Lafosse, whose brother, Richard Carmouche, is developing the TND.

There are plans to build more homes in Willow Grove. "We see a future in Baton Rouge," she says. "It's a good, healthy market, and people want the TNDs."

Carmouche built six townhomes in Willow Grove, and he says five of them sold in short order. "They're a popular product out here," he says. Plans are to include 44 townhomes in the TND. So far, about 60% of the homes in Willow Grove have been sold. "It's ever changing," Carmouche says.

[richyb83]

The massive "Edenborne" TND is still in the works after many thought it was dead; even trying to land a Target; which is tougher these days with the recession. BR's 1st TND "Settlement @ Willow Grove" is coming along slowly but surely. Phase I of "Village at Magnolia Square" in Central starts in May. The massive 414-acre "Americana" TND in Zachary has major problems; is in serious jeopardy. Only mention of "Rouzan" was the neighborhood resistance.

Economic development board updated on projects

A 303-acre Gonzales site bought by a Michigan developer in 2007 could still become the $127 million mixed-use development that was envisioned after Hurricane Katrina. Located on the west side of Interstate 10 at La. 44, Edenborne is the brainchild of Quadrants Inc. and its chief executive, William Clark.

Clark once planned construction for 2008, but the economy has slowed rather than canceled plans for building the traditional neighborhood development, where the bulk of the site would be dedicated to residences and green space and the front 107 acres would be developed as commercial space.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/41246517.html

More on the problems of Americana......

http://www.businessreport.com/news/2009/fe...n-dreams-rlet1/

Edited March 15, 2009 by richyb83

[cajun]

107 acres for commercial space....in Gonzales. How much of that is parking? 1/3rd of it will be commercial in Gonzales....and what do you know? They want to put a Target right there! Big box stores are usually not smart growth.

This development is just the same old crap that's been going up in suburban America for a long time. It's not "new urbanism".

Edited March 15, 2009 by cajun

[dan326]

A third Target Baton Rouge must be getting big. And then a fourth for Arlington Creek.

[richyb83]

107 acres for commercial space....in Gonzales. How much of that is parking? 1/3rd of it will be commercial in Gonzales....and what do you know? They want to put a Target right there! Big box stores are usually not smart growth.

This development is just the same old crap that's been going up in suburban America for a long time. It's not "new urbanism".

No doubt some of these so called TND's are "hybrid/wanna-be" TND's...that's also what Magnolia Square looks to be in suburban Central.

In BR, Settlement at Willow Grove and Rouzan look like legit TND's.

[richyb83]

New life for the massive Americiana TND??

Disputed Zachary TND site sold

A 414-acre site on La. Highway 64 west of Zachary has been purchased by a group of investors from a bankruptcy trustee for $7.1 million. Moore says Old Towne wants to go ahead with building Americana, which will be a TND, that will feature an elementary school, a YMCA branch and tied into the planned BREC park next door. "This is a great piece of land that's perfectly situated," Moore says. "Zachary is an attractive community and there's no doubt it will be developed."

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/dai...09/oct/01/1219/

[richyb83]

Good to see all the plans for infil projects adjacent to the downtown core...

Jarreau set to start work on Spanish Town development

Donnie Jarreau's plans to build a TND on Spanish Town Road are on hold due to the tough lending climate. But he is going ahead with plans to build environmentally friendly houses on the land he owns east and south of Interstate 110. Jarreau says he hopes to start work on 13 “green houses” within the next four to six months. He has sold the lots, and the homes are in the design process. Plans are to build 1,200-to-1,500-square-foot houses in the $225,000 to $250,000 range. The houses would be two stories with a garage on the side of each. "These are going to have a different type design and be energy efficient," says Jarreau. According to plan estimates, the houses would cost 25% more than standard stick frame houses but be 50% more energy efficient. "That’s the future," he says. Jarreau says the homes will be a big plus for downtown since there's such demand for housing.

They will be similar those in Nicholson Rowe, a cottage development that Jarreau plans for Old South Baton Rouge, at Nicholson Drive and Oklahoma Street. One difference, however, is Nicholson Rowe will be made up of three-story cottages, each with a garage on the first floor. Construction on Nicholson Rowe will start in the next 60 days.

>>>Eventually, Jarreau would like to put 140 houses in his Spanish Town TND. "There's a lot of vacant land, and it's kind of a dead area,"

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/2010/jan/12/1411/

Edited January 18, 2010 by richyb83

[dan326]

I wonder where exactly those green houses are going?

[richyb83]

The magnitude of this would be colossal!!!! Sounds promising....developer has the right bloodlines... Might take 15 years in phases; but this could be a signature development in the fast growing SE BR...comparable to River Ranch but bigger...

Long Farm set to become a TND

U.S. Sen. Russell Long acquired more than 500 acres of land in south Baton Rouge during the 1960s, with an eye toward developing the property. Russell Long Mosely, Long's grandson, wants to realize that vision with an ambitious TND sandwiched between Airline and Old Jefferson highways. Plans for the 237-acre Long Farm development include office, retail and residential properties at a variety of price points. “I want this to be something really special for Baton Rouge,” says Mosely, a real estate attorney. “My grandfather loved this way too much for it not to be special.”

Experts say the proposed Long Farm development has several things going for it. For one, it’s located in the fastest-growing part of East Baton Rouge Parish, next to busy Ascension Parish, which also is growing. Signs look good for future growth, too, with Woman’s Hospital resuming construction on its campus about two miles north on Airline Highway as well as plans for an Interstate 10 exit at Pecue Lane.

“That is part of the growth side of Baton Rouge,” LSU economics professor James Richardson says. “So if that growth continues, as anticipated, it’s feasible from a 15-year or long-term perspective.”

Mosely also will be offering homes in a highly sought after TND setting at very reasonable prices. Many so-called New Urbanists, who desire a lifestyle that allows for walkable communities with real neighborhoods, can’t afford to buy in pricey downtown or in the few other TNDs currently under construction. Mosely’s homes, by contrast, will start at around $200,000, at least in the beginning.....critical to the success of a TND to develop elements of an entire community simultaneously. To that end, his first phase will include not only some type of residential but also a park, a pond and a fitness center. He is currently in negotiations with YMCA of the Capital Area and hopes to build a facility on the site.

“We need to build the market and start to get things moving,” he says. “That’s how we can build some synergy.

It’s an ambitious project for an overbuilt market in a recession-battered economy. But Mosely is taking a long-term approach to developing Long Farm, and has the luxury of time on his side. Because his family owns the property, he has structured a deal that enables him to acquire and develop the land piecemeal, unconstrained by carrying costs

http://www.businessreport.com/news/2010/feb/22/longs-legacy-rlet1/

http://www.longfarmbr.com/renderings.html

[dan326]

Wow, this looks awesome! B.R. definitely not in a "recession" anymore.