Baton Rouge Developbits

[twstdndmntd]

Did anyone see the article in the Business Report on the future Knock Knock Childrens Museum? It had alot of renderings on the building as well as the play areas inside. It looks like it would be alot of fun for kids. I think it would be a great asset to BR.

[richyb83]

^Yeah twistd, the Children's Museum is a great idea, long overdue in BR. Those renderings look really cool. My one year old should be old enough to enjoy that once they complete this.

Thanks for the update yis; was that for the Roux House?? Can't wait to see some more signs/lights on Third Street.

Hey Dan; besides the Residence Inn ain't it nice to see Towne Center Business Park build something other than a bank branch?? That area needs more multi-story office buildings. Hopefully more on the way?? Those Enclave condo's are really dense on the other side along w/ the parking garage.

* While driving on I-12 you can now see the 3-story steel frame going up over the sound barrier at the new Cardinal Hill office bldg. off Jefferson Hwy. And driving on I-12 at the Airline Hwy. overpass you can see one of the studio's at the Celtic Media Centre rising thru the trees.

[dan326]

It sure is. This is sooo exciting!

I was just about to post the thing Media Centr and the office building.

Construction should start in the next month on Barringer Crossing II, a retail-office development at Airline Highway and Barringer Foreman Road. The 61,000 square foot building is being developed by MIE Properties-Louisiana, which did the Barringer Crossing next door. The center is set to open in November. Acadiana Builders of Gonzales, MIE's in-house builder, will handle construction.

B.R. ranks low for foreclosures

Baton Rouge ranks near the bottom of a report that measured first-quarter foreclosure activity in the 100 largest metro areas. The city finished 94th in RealtyTrac's report despite a 41% jump in foreclosures from the last three months of 2007. There was one foreclosure for every 889 households in metro Baton Rouge, far below the national average of one for every 194 homes. Stockton, Calif., had the highest foreclosure rate, with one out of every 30 homes being seized. Allentown, Pa., had the lowest, with one foreclosure for every 12,328 homes. RealtyTrac says foreclosures went up an average of 23% from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the first quarter. In the state rankings, Louisiana was 37th, with foreclosures happening on one out of every 944 houses. Nevada once again led the list, with one foreclosure for every 54 households.

Downtown CC's set to open in summer; Kress getting tenants

A CC's Community Coffee House should open in the Dean Plaza building in early summer. John Schneider, president of Cyntreniks of Baton Rouge, says the coffee chain is working on the location in the old Atelier Hair Salon on North Boulevard. Schneider also said he'll soon announce the first retail tenants in the Kress at Third & Main building. The mixed-use building will house retail, office and residential units. "We're giving personal tours right now, and we have a solid list of prospects," he says. The Kress at Third & Main building is scheduled to open in September. Plans are to have 16 residential units for rent and three condominiums for sale. The building will have 30,000 square feet of residential space, 20,000 square feet of retail space and 15,000 square feet of offices.--Timothy Boone

Edited April 30, 2008 by dan326

[dan326]

I've got exciting news. I passed by The Grove site the other day and I saw to very good things. One was that there were vehicles that were continuing to level the land. And number two, the creek that runs through the development was a little higher than before and was moving. Seeing as it hadn't rained recently when I saw it, it could only mean water was being pumped into creek! ! I've said it before and I'll say it again, of all the projects, I want this one to get done the most.

[richyb83]

Good deal; thanks Dan for that news :thumbsup:I thought you would a revved up the Grove thread again?? I'll have to check it out. The Grove sure is one HUGE development; esp. when you add the new Power Center now going up+ Rave Cinema+ The Boulevard that's hooked onto the Mall of La. They spared "no" trees at The Grove.

I still think my propsal of a waterway with water taxi would be cool connecting The Grove with Perkins Rowe. That would compliment the BREC bike trails too.

Edited May 9, 2008 by richyb83

[buckett5425]

This is certainly promising news. I am really excited to see the plans and hear the details. He seems seriously about moving this project forward unlike river place, which said they would release a new statement within sixty days, and that sixty day marker came and went three weeks ago....

Master plan complete for riverfront project

Developer Pete Clements says the master plan is complete for River Park, his mixed-use development on 36.3 acres next to Hollywood Casino. Mayor Kip Holden and Clements will announce the details at Tuesday's 8 a.m. meeting of the Downtown Development District at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum planetarium. Clements declined this morning to discuss specifics of the plan before Tuesday, but has indicated the development could include condos, office and retail space, a hotel and a restaurant.--David Jacobs

[dan326]

• The new Holiday Inn has started putting up the walls
  
• Possibly the last floor of City Plaza II has finished, now time for the crown and spire !
  
• The lights were on in the empty tenant of Esplanande Mall, they must be working around the clock, but for what ?
  

[richyb83]

Hopefully by looking at the rendering, II City Plaza will have a mechanical floor(like a 13th floor). Wonder what the height is "per floor"?? The spire will definetly help what it lacks vertically. Can't wait to see what it will look like at night! Bet it will look great!!

The Holiday Inn on Constitution?? That's cool! It will look nice between all the other hotels. Just making sure your not talking about the other new Holiday Inn(Express) off Siegen?? That probably will be 4 stories; not more than 5.

Can't wait to find out what's going on at Esplanade?? Maybe Dave & Busters or Avenue E ???

[dan326]

I was talking about the one on Constitution.

I don't think it will be an Avenue E. If I'm not mistaken, it said it would have an arcade romm with 100 games and if you look at the Don Carter's bowling alley, they are going to need a lot of space. I have a feeling it will go in Siegen MarketPlace.

Edit: It said they will range from 40-50,000 sq ft, which is slightly smaller than 1 floor of JcPenny's or Sears at the Mall of Louisiana.

Edited May 12, 2008 by dan326

[cajun]

I was talking about the one on Constitution.

I don't think it will be an Avenue E. If I'm not mistaken, it said it would have an arcade romm with 100 games and if you look at the Don Carter's bowling alley, they are going to need a lot of space. I have a feeling it will go in Siegen MarketPlace.

Edit: It said they will range from 40-50,000 sq ft, which is slightly smaller than 1 floor of JcPenny's or Sears at the Mall of Louisiana.

Sounds like a Dave and Busters to me. I went to the one in Cinncinatti...it's got lots of arcades and it's about that size. I couldn't imagine a better location for one in Baton Rouge.

Edited May 12, 2008 by cajun

[dan326]

I was talking about the one on Constitution.

I don't think it will be an Avenue E. If I'm not mistaken, it said it would have an arcade romm with 100 games and if you look at the Don Carter's bowling alley, they are going to need a lot of space. I have a feeling it will go in Siegen MarketPlace.

Edit: It said they will range from 40-50,000 sq ft, which is slightly smaller than 1 floor of JcPenny's or Sears at the Mall of Louisiana.

No, all of these things apply to the Avenue E bowling alley, not Dave and Buster's or the building. Altough I would really like a Dave and Buster's as there is so much enthusiasim.

[richyb83]

Not sure where to post this??....A great article from the 225 Magazine about the Arts & Entertainment District...not all these projects are in the district; some on the northern fringes of downtown.

[dan326]

"Town Square work to begin in May

Construction of the North Boulevard Town Square project, which will link downtown Baton Rouge with the riverfront and serve as a gateway to the arts and entertainment district, is scheduled to begin in May. Dana Brown of Brown + Danos, which is leading the project, told Downtown Development District commissioners this morning that the project should be finished in February 2010. Brown says the contract will be submitted to the city-parish today, and the first open house for the preliminary design will be in September. The Town Square runs from River Road to 5th Street and includes Galvez Plaza. Some spots in that area will be redesigned significantly and some not at all, she says. Other topics discussed at this morning

[dan326]

"Third PJ's in the works

A PJ's Coffee shop is planned for the Kenilworth Shopping Center in the space previously used by Tigre

[dan326]

"Teen fashion retailer to open two-story Mall of Louisiana store

Forever 21, one of the top teen fashion retailers in the U.S., will open a nearly 27,000-square-foot store in the Mall of Louisiana. Plans are to open the two-level store by Nov. 1 in the Macy's wing of the shopping center. AT&T and Aveda are moving to make room for Forever 21. Because of its size, the store will basically serve as another anchor retailer for the mall. This is the first Baton Rouge location for Forever 21, which sells casual clothes and accessories, with just about every item under $30."

"Acadian-Perkins Shopping Center adding tenants

Two home furnishings businesses are opening in the center, at South Acadian Thruway and Perkins Road. The Foyer is scheduled to have a grand opening Friday. The business, which sells antiques, interior design objects, art and gift items, is locating into the old Montage location. The Foyer will also have a small restaurant, selling po-boys, soups and salads, says Jon Claitor, one of the partners in the Acadian-Perkins Shopping Center.

Meanwhile, Tuesday Morning will open a 7,000-square-foot store in the old Amazon Imports space. Ty Gose of NAI/Latter & Blum, says Tuesday Morning should open by October. This will be the fourth Baton Rouge location for Tuesday Morning, a closeout retailer of upscale home accessories, housewares and gifts. Gose says he's still trying to lease 13,000 square feet between Tuesday Morning and Juban's Restaurant."

Edited June 17, 2008 by dan326

[dan326]

I'm sure ya'll are all sick of hearing about it, but I think I've finally got some "closure" on the issue.

'Q: I heard that the Mall at Cortana and all its outparcels were for sale with the intent of demolishing the site and redeveloping the property. Is this true? I sure hope not, as it would be a great loss to the city.A: Rebecca Rainer, a spokeswoman for the mall, said in an e-mail response:

[buckett5425]

ha ha, what a funny lady....

"...unique retail offerings like none other in the city."

-If by "unique" she means gold chains and grills, then yes, Cortana is VERY unique. When looking at the store directory for Cortana, it has some great stores, and more stores then many malls in Louisiana. But when you visit the mall, you get a completely different feeling, that the mall is in decline, and has been for sometime. I actually drove by Cortana today while taking a long detour, and drove around the loop road. I am just amazed by the mall. I can only imagine what it must have been like to go there in the 70's. The mall itself is just massive and has some great architecture, and doesn't even feel like it belongs in baton rouge, more like Florida or something. The mall of LA doesn't even command such a presence. You can tell, that when Cortana was built, it was top of the line, in everything it could be, and yet, while the mall of LA is a very nice mall, it wasn't built to be the best a mall could be, just newer then Cortana. I just get this feeling when I'm around Cortana, that i don't get when around the mall of LA. Which is why i think i like Cortana as a whole, i feel like when i visit it, or that side of BR, for that matter, that I'm almost traveling back in time, to one of the great malls of the south, which is why it sucks that the mall is in the shape its in.

The developers of Cortana are content. That place has long been paid for, and they have enough tenants to keep pulling probably quite a large profit for years to come. Only when they lose a huge share of those tenants(and i doubt they will, Cortana is still the shopping mecca for north BR, and its particular demographics) will the developers begin to redevelop the mall to bring it into the 21st century. Until then, Cortana will remain a 1970's monument to urban sprawl, cheep land, and the enclosed "maze" shopping mall. I honestly think i will regret the day Cortana is remodeled, because i feel we will be losing a huge architectural piece of our past.

[dan326]

I thought I might have been the only one to notice the architectural merits of Cortana. Like you said it has a more comanding feeling to it and is built the best a mall could be in the mid 1970's. While the MoLA has nice shops, it is a plain building. I've been to a few malls in Dallas and the NorthPark keeps popping up in my mind as what a 1970's mall in the 21st century could be. If only they hadn't built Mall City.

I was thinking the same thing.

ha ha, what a funny lady....

"...unique retail offerings like none other in the city."

-If by "unique" she means gold chains and grills, then yes, Cortana is VERY unique.

Edited June 20, 2008 by dan326

[BRPJ]

Cortana should never close. There is always a market there for a mall.

[cajun]

Cortana should never close. There is always a market there for a mall.

In retail, you have to spend money to make money.

Cortana needs a major investment to attract new customers, because the ones they have now are apparently not spending enough at the mall to merit the rent for many tenants.

Of course, Cortana is a huge mall so it's going to cost a fortune to properly update the place....

[richyb83]

Lots of new development activity on Airline Hwy. between I-12 and Siegen....

*I'm guessing a new shopping center is going up at the old Plantation Inn

*Further down Airline the Lousiana Culinary Instute started the groundwork for a new 30,000 sq.ft. building

*And something new at least a 2 stories steel shell(or more?) at Jefferson Hwy.

* On Siegen the new 3-story Bristol Apt complex w/ parking garage is massive; and a Palm Tree line street entrance

* And the 4-story Holiday Inn Express(behind the Old Smokey Bones) is next to Bristol...suprised to see them building a Hotel that far from I-10; wonder what will go in place of the old Smokey Bones??

Edited July 3, 2008 by richyb83

[nquint1]

I read something a few days ago about an alarm company moving to the corner of Siegen and Airline Hwy. They bought the former Exxon site and will build on it. They're currently on Coursey.

[richyb83]

New Circuit City concept to open at Mall of La.

Circuit City will open its new location at the Mall of Louisiana site on Thursday, part of a new concept for the consumer electronics chain that dubs stores

[drew6974]

Just a small note. I was on 3rd Street today and the doors were open on the building at 3rd and Florida. (The building with the Coca-Cola sign on top.) It looked like some cleaning out of trash was going on. Maybe in preparation for construction soon. This is a prime site downtown and really needs to open back up soon as some sort of restaurant/entertainment venue.

[nquint1]

Just a small note. I was on 3rd Street today and the doors were open on the building at 3rd and Florida. (The building with the Coca-Cola sign on top.) It looked like some cleaning out of trash was going on. Maybe in preparation for construction soon. This is a prime site downtown and really needs to open back up soon as some sort of restaurant/entertainment venue.

I agree. I hate to see that property vacant. It's such a great location, and it's very well know because of the Coca-Cola sign.