Baton Rouge *Rises

[dan326]

Richy suggested that there should be a thread made about this so here it is.

One for downtown, I'll do the other latter.

DOWNTOWN

Name:19th Judicial Courthouse

Floor Number:10+

Status:Approved

Name: Advocate Site Project

Floor Number:10+

Status:Proposed

Name:II City Plaza

Floor Number:14+

Status:Approved

Name: Hollywood Casino Complex

Floor Number:?

Status:Proposed

Name:Laurel Street Residential Project

Floor Number:6+?

Status:Proposed

Name:RiverPlace Condominiums

Floor Number:30+

Status:Approved

Name:Shaw Center Residential Project

Floor Number:6+

Status:Proposed

Name:Trahan Project

Floor Number:15

Status:Proposed

2 Parking Garages: Tropicana(Belle of Baton Rouge)/9+ stories , State Owned Garage:5+

[richyb83]

Wow Dan, THANKS very impressive stuff once again! I sure appreciate what you do for the BR Forum!!!!

The rendering of the Courthouse shows 9-stories is "pre-Katrina"; due to growth of EBR another floor was added to the base bid; however that may not still be enough; most recent base bid at 11 floors for addition $5.7 million. Looking at the most recent article in the newspaper, they would really like to make it 12-stories. Keep in mind Civic buildings generally are taller per floor than office, hotel, condo, etc.

II City Plaza at 12, 14, or 17-stories will also have an impact on the skyline; II City Plaza and new Courthouse fil in the gaps in the southern CBD between Chase Tower, Hilton Capitol Center and Governmental Bldg.

At night time the BR Skyline is not light up enough. This will change with these new projects! The illmuninating lighting at the Courthouse and lights near the "spire" of II City Plaza will be much needed help lighting-up the CBD!

The Shaw Center for the Arts rendering shows where the first set of residentail lofts will be built; the 6 to 8 story condo's have not been announced yet and would be off the rendering to the right.

I need to write to "Ask the Advocate" about the future plans of their site. Demolition is completed; it's time to get a move on! Those stinkin' hurricanes + China's gluttony for steel as "jacked up" $$prices out the roof; so these projects aren't as easy to pull-off as they once were.

>Hopefully this will be an active thread huh Dan?? I'll do my best to keep this thing rollin'

[richyb83]

This 8-story mid-rise office building in BR's emerging medical corridor is set to begin in July

It will be located adjacent to the 13-story Jacobs Plaza on Essen Lane

[dan326]

Heres are a few screenshots I made of the Trahan Building.

Looking straight

Lower angle

Ara

Street level

[richyb83]

Wow Dan! That's a nice replication of the crazy Trahan "sculpture" building. Wonder what kind of astronomical $price tag something like this goes for??? I think this project is a long-shot at best and would be shocked if this ever happens

[tombarnes]

If it is built, it would shake things up a bit in relatively conservative downtown Baton Rouge! I haven't quite made my mind up about it just yet, but it might be good for the city. I rather hope it happens.

[dan326]

I hope it happend, but I don't think it will.

Also I wll post all the South B.R. rises when I get my printer to work.

[richyb83]

Should be news anyday now at the long-time unfinished dorm eye-sore(right) on Bluebonnet Blvd.(just past the Mall of La.)

Talks are of converting the massive 12-story concrete skeleton into a 300-room 13-story Renaissance Hotel by developer Wampold Companies

This should compliment Perkins Rowe urban village and the expansion The Boulevard at Mall of La.

Two Bluebonnet Apartment towers in the background

^Hey Dan, just making sure you saw my post #3 of the 8-story Summa Office Bldg.?

[richyb83]

If it is built, it would shake things up a bit in relatively conservative downtown Baton Rouge! I haven't quite made my mind up about it just yet, but it might be good for the city. I rather hope it happens.

[richyb83]

LOCATIONS of FUTURE PROJECTS in DOWNTOWN

*(yellow) New Courthouse location at the Municipal Bldg. parking lot; direct axis with State Capitol opposite end of Fourth Street @ North Blvd.

*(aqua blue) New II City Plaza- Convention Street @ Fourth Street

*(navy blue) 30-story River Place condominiums; River Road block w/ Lafayette Street, Main Street and Laurel Street

*(orange outline) The block of the old Advocate site

*(brown) reconfigured Laurel Tower project into sleek condo's; Laurel Street @ Fifth Street

*(magenta) Shaw Center for the Arts Phase II (3 separate sections on Third Street between North Blvd. and Convention Street

*(light purple) Trahan's proposed condo's; Lafayette Street, River Road, North Blvd.

*Not shown- Hollywood property on top left edge along river; not sure of tract of land. Other mixed-use property top of that.

[richyb83]

This is the latest rendering of II City Plaza($70million) set to begin in August

Not a tall as I would like;but will be a large building and create some density in the southern CBD + it will look very nice, esp. at night! We got to take anything we can get in BR! The tip of the spire could have this building Top-out around 200'ft??

>The new Courthouse just a block away from II City Plaza(nearly $100million) is set to begin in a few weeks, was 11-stories in the final site plan according to the DDD website. With a 30,000 sq.ft print; this too will be one large building! This too will illuminate in the nightime sky! The southern-end of the CBD will be filling up with some very nice buildings.

[richyb83]

Going for the "Tri-fecta" for the Renaissance at Bluebonnet

According to Emporis.com this qualifies as a "high-rise" at 12-stories

The "4" Star hotel will have 348-rooms and BR's 2nd Largest ballroom!

Set to begin construction/renovation in August or September! This kicks butt!!!

See Post #8 for location

[dan326]

348 rooms is amazing. I think it's neat how they fit all those rooms in there.

[dinner roll]

Not sure if this is the right place, but Wampold's website lists a 20k square foot addition coming to Chase Tower North. Anybody know how this is going to work?

http://www.wampold.com/images/Commercial%2...20Available.pdf

[richyb83]

Hey diner roll, thanks for bringing that up! I kind of forgot about this. From what I understood, the additional space would go on top of the parking garage; on the side of the office tower. This was awhile back and I have not heard anything else about this.

[twstdndmntd]

Can I just say how extremely excited I am about ALL the new developments for downtown BR. All these projects will bring so much to the downtown area. I feel tho, we need to expand our developments in other areas of downtown and not just along the riverfront. Expand it out towards I110 so that the area will begin to look "full". MORE, MORE, MORE!!!! We need to start looking more like a city if we are to be looked at as a city by others.

[drew6974]

The Central Business District of BR will expand to and past the artificial barrier of I-110 eventually. It will also expand south and north to some extent. Something will be done around the old city dock to the south and there is already talk of a development north of Hollywood casino. I also see that the large tract of land across from the DOTD exit ramp is up for sale. They had talked of possibly a residential, apartment type complex possibly with some commercial for that location.

I think that once the I-110 barrier is broken by some developer, the gates will be open. BR is too large a city now for such a small cbd.

[richyb83]

Welcome to the BR Forum twstdndmntd, good to have you here You are right! It's an exciting time for downtown BR! It's really nice to see, downtown was left for dead, but not anymore!

Yes the barrier that's I-110 is common in many cities and definetly applies to BR too. The North Blvd. between the new R.R. Overpass and I-110 as some potential. And Florida Blvd. near the old Goudchaux's bldg. does too. The property across from the DOTD would be a nice mixed-use infil that could help revitalize the area.

As you said, downtown should eventually extended to the Old Municipal Dock/ Nicholson corridor. There are a few vacant lots near the Atrium that could be better used; as well as the corner of St.Philip and Government. Around WAFB Channel 9 could use a nice mid-rise office building.

Drew, isn't it good to see developers eyeing north of the Hollywood Casino?? They made RiverPalms nicer too.

All the Industry to the north are barriers for nice new development.

I liked seeing the new 5-story 80,000sq.ft LACAP Bldg. just completed go up on Main Street at Seventh! That side of the CBD could use more development like that! More surface parking lots hopefully will be filled up in the CBD. There is still room to grow inside the CBD. About a year and a half ago a propsed 10-story office was planned for a parking lot on Sixth Street between Florida and Convention St. But nothing ever came of it.

[bluff2085]

There is much room inside the CBD to grow. Add Riverplace, CP II, and the courthouse and developers will continue to catch on. Working downtown for the summer and staying there on Friday's after working hours has really allowed me to feel the increasing frenzy of activity, notably in the areas west of the capitol market, bounded by north st. and main st. , then down south along 3rd st., lafeyette, and river rd. B/t North st. to the north, river rd to the west and North Blvd to the south, DT is really starting to solidfiy. It seems like southern growth past north blvd is stifled by the Sheraton/Casino and Beauregard Town, as well as eastern growth because of Spanish Town and the Interstate. The interstate seems like it'll be a barrier for a while, but nonetheless the CBD will gradually give the feel of a larger downtown even with these boundaries.

[drew6974]

I see that II City Plaza is shown as 14 stories on Wampold's website. Is this old info? I thought it had been scaled back to 12 stories?

[richyb83]

That's a good question drew?? We would figure Wampold's website to be updated?? To add to the confusion, WBRZ did story earlier last week and said II City Plaza was going to be 13-stories. If they are going on the latest rendering, it can be tricky....

I had hoped the original 14-story tower would go on top of the 5-level parking; making it 19-stories. And would have settled for the 16 or 17 it was approved for a the City Planning meeting earlier this year. Even only at 12-stories, I guess I won't complain, the southern CBD needs all it can get.

[dinner roll]

*Laurel at 5th:

While not the highrise that was originally planned, I still like the idea. I just wish this spot was being used for a verticle project, though.

"The Brownstones

[drew6974]

That's kind of a let down. It looks like every other building in downtown Baton Rouge. Why does every new building downtown have to look like it was built in the 30's?

[dinner roll]

It looks to be the same people that renovated the Capital House. If so, it should be a nice project.

[dan326]

While it's not what I expected I'm definitly excited about this project. It reminds me of the Huckstables. Actually Drew, I've never seen buildings like that in downtown, but you are right, I do think we need to invest more in modern architecture.