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Baton Rouge Developbits


dan326

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Hey Bryde, what did you think of The Boulevard development itself?? I haven't been there too recently. It's a nice looking place from yesterday's pic; a perfect blend of open-air mixed with the Mall of La. I also like the way it connects the Mall of La. on one side with the Rave Theatre/new power center on the other.

I was there Friday night and it was toooooo cold and wet for me to really take in the sites. I must a agree that it does have a Perkins Rowe feel to it. As I walked through, the thought crossed my mind that many of the stores there would fit good down at the Rowe.

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So I was downtown the other day and noticed the progress of the Belle Casino parking garage. Its got some height to it, its as tall as the Sheraton. I think we are all hopeing though that they do something to dress it up, and not just leave it plane and i think they are going to dress it up. It looked like the were putting some sort of a metal finished material on the elevator shaft. I could be wrong, but i hope not, cause im sure it would look pretty cool. I guess we will have to wait and see, does anyone know when it is supposed to be finished?

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We just can't seem to get any serious downtown housing projects started. <_<

"Brownstones project delayed over cost concerns

Plans to build The Brownstones, a 70-unit downtown apartment building at Laurel and Fifth streets, are being reworked because of cost concerns. Commercial Properties Development Corp., the Baton Rouge Area Foundation's real estate development division, still expects to build housing on the site, but the details won't be known for several months, says Mukul Verma, the foundation's spokesman. "Both the construction and financing part of that project got so expensive, because of what's going on," Verma says. "We're trying to make things more affordable." Commercial Properties had planned to open The Brownstones by the end of 2009, but Verma says the new timetable hasn't been determined. Demolition of the New Richmond Place apartments, located on the site, is continuing. Commercial Properties has been attempting to redevelop the site for a few years now; at one point there were plans for a mixed-use office/retail/parking building on the site. Verma says the latest delay isn't a setback. "We continue to be on track for this. It will just have a new look," he says. Commercial Properties' two other downtown developments, the One Eleven apartment complex and the Stroube's Chop House restaurant are both set to open within the next nine months or so."

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A new store is going up in Siegien MarketPlace. I bet it will be a store like Marshall or SteinMart.

P7060132_t240.JPG

The parking garage at the Belle of Baton Rouge casino continues to take shape. The structure will add 327 parking spaces when it opens in June. MAPP Construction has the contract to build the $10.8 million garage.
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You did.

Ugh.

Ugh.

Apple . . .

Was that a crack at Apple or northwest Arkansas?

Both of them are doing really well now. North West Arkansas is growing like mad, and there is a lot of retail and commercial construction trying to catch up with all the residential growth.

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He's sounds frustrated that SBC hasn't landed an Apple....yet. Hopefully it will happen for them soon too. :thumbsup: That's OK though, the Boardwalk up in Bossier City has a Fuddruckers. BR's was poorly managed an closed; wish they would re-open here.

Yeah NW Arkansas had been booming; taking some of the power away from Little Rock.

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What do yall think of this new parking garage being built for the Belle of BR?? I'm not sure what to think? It's going to be tall; but it's not an actual office building, so it's not as big a deal; it's not all that attractive either. How do you dress up a parking garage??

P7060132_t240.JPG

Good article courtesy of Business Report. Mobile is featured with Chattanooga and Baton Rouge :shades:

What economic slowdown? Some spots still boom

Some communities credit their growth with a more aggressive approach in recruiting businesses. For example, Baton Rouge, La., set a goal of wooing motion-picture studios to make films there. "Not including the actual money for the movie, it has a $75 million impact on the city in the way of hotel rooms, restaurants, equipment companies, and the hiring of people," says Mayor-President Kip Holden. "We were not a major player, and now we are."

Inspired by movie success, the city has also delved into film animation. It hosts the biggest animation festival in the US.

As a result of its more aggressive push, Baton Rouge now finds itself moving up in US rankings for best cities for jobs. "Baton Rouge is a boomtown," says Mayor-President Holden

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0324/p01s05-usec.html?page=2

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hmmm, the parking garage. I think plenty could be done to make it very attractive, but developers simply don't like even spending money on building the garage itself, so they really don't do much to make it look better, either. But you can tell they plan on doing something, but as for how nice it is going to look, not really sure yet. I really like the feel the garage creates between the levee and catfish town though. It really gives a "canyon" feeling on that small road, and kind of makes downtown look more bulky from the bridge, and doesn't really hinder the view.

Also, I was downtown the other day and noticed they had begum framing on the lower levels of II City Plaza. ^_^

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What do yall think of this new parking garage being built for the Belle of BR??

I don't like it that much. Parking garages are usually ugly, esp pre-fab concrete garages like the one at CPII. Riverside property should be something cool looking.

Then again...I' guess it's better than a surface parking lot.

Edited by cajun
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I don't understand why they made a tall, thin one instead of a low, wide one. Do they plan to do something with the surface lot? They already have a hotel. My guess is that they want their expansion to standout so people can see that they are expanding and think that they really care about making a large property.

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I was on my bike on Monday on the levee bike path and the garage is very tall. They could put in those screens that look like window's to dress it up a bit. Why did they need another garage? The one they have never seems to be full. Are they planning to attract retail or other entertainment to the atrium?

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I had heard So Go Live(the warehouse at the end of the atrium) was a very nice venue for bands; with the vaulted ceilings and exposed brick they said the acoustics were great. Is that place even open anymore?? When Columbia Sussex purchased the boat they decided to shut the place down? claiming demograhics the older(50's and 60+ year old people) demographics at the casino would not be a good mix with the younger 20 & 30 somethings at So-Go :dontknow: I thought that was really stupid!

I have seen some good boxing matches at The Atrium called "Rumble on the River". But nothing recent; I miss those.

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  • 2 weeks later...

"Several years ago, the Coleman Family purchased property at the southeast corner of Airline Highway and Coursey Boulevard. Parcels of this site have been sold off over the years to different banks and convenience stores. The remaining parcel has now been sold to Strategic Restaurant Acquisitions, a Burger King franchisee. The 0.7307-acre site, with 123 feet of frontage on Coursey, sold for $520,000, or about $16.35 per square foot. The seller was Sylvia Jones-Coleman, and the sale closed on March 27, 2008. The sale was brokered by Charlie Colvin at Beau Box Commercial Real Estate. Burger King is building a restaurant on the site."

"Construction to begin on OLOL clinic

Work should start in the next few weeks on a 3,700-square-foot building at Lee Drive and Highland Road that will serve as an after-hours medical clinic and rehabilitation center. The building will be shared by Lake After Hours and BRPT-Lake Rehabilitation Center, says Steve Sellars, president of Lake After Hours. Once the clinic opens later this year, it will be the seventh after-hours clinic for Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. "We're trying to reach out to as many areas as possible, and the Highland and Lee area is very busy," Sellars says. The area has two growing markets: LSU students and residential neighborhoods. The clinic will be located behind the Exxon station at the corner, near the Wal-Mart Neighborhood market. Plans are for Lake After Hours to hire about seven people, while the physical therapy clinic will have up to four employees. The clinic may have extended hours and stay open until 11 p.m. to provide non-emergency medical treatment, Sellars says."

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I'd love to see them turn the atrium into a mini-mall. They could put a large department store like in downtown New Olreans. I think a Nordstrom would be great as there is not in one in Louisiana.

Thats a great idea. They need to upgrade the atrium and give it a fresh look, turn it into a mall and add a major anchor like Nordstrom's or Saks. Its probably the best location for a downtown mall.

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  • 2 weeks later...

They have started constrution on the elevator shaft, I'm pretty sure I saw an elevator mold, so it will be made of "real" cement as Richy says. Also they went depper into the ground to make the foundation than Cambria did, so hopefully it will be taller. I know it will be a least 6 stories from looking at a rendering. :)

Anaheim prototype

disneyland_2_138.jpgimage_hotel_exterior_frontview_1.jpg

Edited by dan326
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I have a feeling something good is going to go into the empty Esplanade tenant. They are completely guttinh it. I rode by there today and saw three big garbage bins fille with insulation and other stuff.

Edited by dan326
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How did I miss this?? :huh:

That Anaheim protoype looks nice! At 9-stories that would be perfect across I-10 from the Marroitt!!! Doesn't look like the largest tract of land; so maybe they go more vertical?? How many rooms does the Anaheim hotel have?? The new one here in BR should have a 143 rooms?? I forgot.

To answer cajun's question from the hotel thread; Esplanade is part of the old Corporate Mall. Which is in Corporate Square. Corporate Square is between College Drive & Citi Place.

Dan, that would have been cool to connect Marriott with an east tenant.

Dave & Buster's would be a good choice; wonder where the new Avenue E bowling alley will go?? That would make a nice choice too and a nice entertainment complex.

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I have a feeling something good is going to go into the empty Esplanade tenant. They are completely guttinh it. I rode by there today and saw three big garbage bins fille with insulation and other stuff.

It's extremely visible and it's right next to Clicks, Hooters, and Fox & the Hound.

It's going to be some kind of entertainment place.

The Esplanade Mall reminds me a little of the Memorial City mall in Houston (Gessner @ I-10).

Edited by cajun
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The Summa Tower should begin finally. :D

"The Louisiana Public Facilities Authority has completed a $20 million bond sale to build an eight-story, 90,000-square-foot Class-A office building off Essen Lane for Summa Associates LLC.

Spatz Development, which is managing the project, is building the energy-efficient building using environmentally friendly construction techniques.

Summa Associates is financing the project with bonds issued by the LPFA and sold under terms of the Gulf Opportunity Zone tax-incentive program."

Also:

  • A strip mall is going up on O'Neal Lane in front of the new Camden Lake Apartments
  • A large building is going up in by the former Kornmeyer's, maybe a car dealership?
  • A 2-3 story building is going up in the business portion of the Towne Center

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I was at my 2nd Job yesterday and i saw a truck carrying a big sign on it goin down Burbank...i seen the letters roxy but it was hard to make out from the side i was on...so later that night i had to go to my bank downtown to do a night deposit....and i passed down 3rd street....it was a new Sign for the Roxy House Club......3rd street is really starting to Light up......with the Coke sign, the pizza place , Roxy House anda few others

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