Louisiana State University

[cajun]

It really is incredible to me just how much  money LSU has. I didn't really believe they'd be able to build the engineering addition, but not only are they doing that, but they're also completely renovating and reskinning Patrick Taylor. I mean, there's a lot of things, I've never heard of but who has every heard of reskinning a big ole building like CEBA??

"In April of 2015, LSU will begin the renovation and expansion of the Patrick F Taylor Hall. This project includes a 130,000 square foot expansion of the existing 300,000 square foot LSU College of Engineering. The scope of work includes the conversion of the exterior courtyards into interior “collaborative engineering workshops”. In addition, the existing building will receive a renovation/retrofit complete with new finishes and new mechanical and electrical systems. Because this project is the first phase of a multiphase redevelopment of the southern portion of campus, the existing 1970’s modernist façade will be removed and replaced with an architectural precast concrete façade which complements the historic architecture of LSU."

 

I'm guessing this is on the converted courtyards.

http://www.cparch.com/portfolio_detail.cfm?gal=70&galcat=6

I'm glad the exterior of the old Patrick Taylor Hall will compliment the rest of campus instead of sticking out like a Texas A&M-style disposable building.

 

That is the exterior of CEBA right?

[dan326]

^ Yeah, I think that's the side facing the field between it and the Business School.

[greg225]

Another apartment complex on Burbank Drive aimed at LSU students set to open in July, developer says      

Construction has begun on the latest LSU-area apartment complex aimed at students, the 204-unit Wildwood of Baton Rouge at the intersection of West Lee and Burbank drives, and its Athens, Georgia-based developer is aiming to have it open by next July.

The 18-building complex should be open in time for students to begin moving in for LSU’s fall semester, says Dovetail Development CEO Dave Mulkey.

The 204 fully furnished units will include 24 two-bedroom units that will rent for $740 per bedroom per month; 60 three-bedroom units that will go for $695 per bedroom; and 100 four-bedroom units at $650 per bedroom.

There are two floor plans: flats and townhouses. The flats will be on the first floor and feature an open floor plan, while the townhouses will take the second and third floors in each building.

The 18 buildings, which range in square footage from 6,729 to 24,546, will be built around the centralized courtyard with amenities such as a pool and clubhouse.

Dovetail Development purchased the 30 acres where the complex will sit for $3.7 million in last October. Wildwood of Baton Rouge sits near another Dovetail Development student housing project, The Woodlands, a 291-unit complex on Ben Hur Road that opened in 2012.

Mulkey says the two complexes will be similar in many ways, but Wildwood will have a more urban style and the courtyard will look different.

Dovetail Development has no immediate plans for additional student housing projects in Baton Rouge, Mulkey adds.

Upscale apartment complexes aimed at LSU-area students have been hot in recent years. As Business Report recently highlighted, there were no student housing developments on Ben Hur Road between Nicholson and Burbank drives just six years ago. Three mega-complexes have popped up since then, and more housing is on the way. The three existing complexes—The Woodlands, The Cottages of Baton Rouge and The Exchange of Baton Rouge—have 977 units combined between them.

Aside from the Wildwood project, Capstone Collegiate Companies is developing a 179-unit student housing complex called Arlington Townhomes and Manors near The Cottages.

And already this year, the University Edge apartment complex at 650 W. McKinley St. was sold for $32.5 million just two years after being built. Last month, The Standard apartment complex at 740 W. Chimes St. was sold for nearly $108.6 million after opening in August. The deal amounted to one of the largest sales of Baton Rouge commercial property in recent history.     https://www.businessreport.com/article/another-apartment-complex-burbank-drive-aimed-lsu-students-set-open-july-developer-says

[greg225]

Two finalists chosen for Nicholson Gateway project; contract will be awarded this spring  

Two nationally recognized master development firms have been chosen as the finalists for LSU’s Nicholson Gateway Project, a public-private partnership to design, build and operate a mixed-use retail and residential project on 28 acres along Nicholson Drive between Skip Bertman Drive and West Chimes Street.

The firms—Austin, Texas-based American Campus Communities, and Valdosta, Georgia-based RISE Real Estate—will both enter into negotiations with the LSU Property Foundation, the arm of the LSU Foundation that handles property matters. One developer will be selected for the project next spring.

“American Campus Communities and RISE Real Estate are recognized leaders in this industry,” Rob Stuart, chair of the Nicholson Gateway Development Project Committee, says in a prepared statement. “We appreciate the opportunity to work more closely with these firms and will ultimately choose the best partner to bring this exciting project to fruition for the benefit of the LSU community.”

Both firms have proposed partnering with multiple Baton Rouge companies to assist in their plans, but the final composition of the teams may change.

American Campus Communities has proposed bringing on Baton Rouge-based Coleman Partners Architects, Lincoln Builders, Saurage Rotenberg Commercial Real Estate and Provident Resources.

Other companies proposed for the Texas-based company’s team are Shreveport-based Shreve Land Constructors, as well as Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas & Company and RBC Capital Markets.

The team proposed by RISE Real Estate includes Baton Rouge’s Remson Haley Herpin, and Provident Resources, and two companies with offices in Baton Rouge—The Lemoine Company and Stirling Properties. Other firms include Niles Bolton Associates, Stantac and RBC Capital Markets.

Ten firms responded to a request for qualifications issued for the project during the summer and from those 10, five were asked to submit a request for proposals.

LSU officials visualize more than 1,600 beds in a mix of apartment- and suite-style units. The project will include residential lounge, study, community and food service spaces, as well as between 30,000 and 50,000 square feet of new retail space.

“The Nicholson Gateway project, focused on the largest underdeveloped tract of university-owned property that is adjacent to the campus core, will turn what has traditionally been the back of the campus into an exciting new gateway district,” the university says in a news release. https://www.businessreport.com/article/two-finalists-chosen-nicholson-gateway-project-contract-will-awarded-spring

[cajun]

On 9/10/2015 at 2:13 AM, mr. bernham said:

New Orleans has Loyola and Tulane, some of the most prestigious schools in the South. 

That's sarcasm, right? 

[Antrell Williams]

Tulane is certainly one of the most prestigious in the south. Prestige only refers to the reputation.

[cajun]

13 hours ago, Antrell Williams said:

Tulane is certainly one of the most prestigious in the south. Prestige only refers to the reputation.

It's not even Kudzu League.  I wouldn't even rank it ahead of Florida or A&M. 

[greg225]

Construction can begin on 280-unit student housing complex near LSU South Gates        

New York-based Park 7 Group received the green light Monday to begin construction on Park 7 Apartments, a 560,442-square-foot, six-story student housing apartment complex at 222. E. Boyd Drive.

The construction permit for the $41.6 million project indicates the complex will comprise 280 units and feature three inner courtyards, a pool and party deck on the sixth floor. It will wrap around a parking garage on two sides.

Attempts to reach a representative with Park 7 Group for a construction timeline were unsuccessful by this afternoon’s deadline.

The group purchased the 2.6 acres of land outside the South Gates of LSU for roughly $9.3 million in four separate deals in May. The complex will sit across from Dantin Bruce Development’s 333 Flats development, bordered by West Parker Boulevard, East Boyd Drive, Swire Avenue and Dodson Avenue.

Park 7 Group has developed and managed a 16,000-bed student housing portfolio, according to its website. The company has previously announced Duplantis Design Group is handling the design and engineering work on the project, while Dallas-based Humphreys and Partners is the architect. https://www.businessreport.com/article/construction-can-begin-280-unit-student-housing-complex-near-lsu-south-gates

[richyb83]

Drove by there a few weeks ago...the large swath of land had already been cleared...this large development will surely transform West Parker Blvd (& Boyd) btwn Highland & Burbank...giving it a viable urban look near the LSU Campus...

[greg225]

Investors looking to buy entire block of West Chimes Street for mixed-use redevelopment    

A group of investors is interested in acquiring the entire block of West Chimes Street between Lake Street and Highland Road, and redeveloping it into some sort of mixed-use development outside the North Gates of the LSU campus.

Four individual property owners on the block confirm to Daily Report they have been contacted by real estate agents Walt Ketchings and John Buzzell from NAI/Latter & Blum and asked if they are interested in selling.

“They approached us about selling,” says Snappy Jacobs, whose firm manages the property at 166 W. Chimes St., which formerly housed Chinese Combo King. “But the building’s owners are not interested in selling at this time.”

Inga Kim, who owns the building at 284 W. Chimes St. that houses her sandwich shop, Inga’s Subs, also was approached about selling. Kim says she was told by the agents that a group of investors is involved in trying to make the project happen but she could not provide additional details.

Ketchings declines to comment. Buzzell did not return a call seeking comment.

At least two other property owners, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirm they, too, have been approached about selling. One says he was offered a price for his building and is ready to sell. He says he was told the project will be a mixed-use development with a combination of student housing, parking and retail.

“They made me a fair offer, I’m excited about it and I’m in favor of it,” this property owner says.

A fourth property owner says he spoke only in general terms with the agents and that no one made him a firm offer, though he says he likely wouldn’t sell anyway.

“The neighborhood has problems,” he says. “But I would like to see our problems solved more organically than just to clear the slate and tear down the buildings.”

West Chimes Street, which is part of the historic North Gates neighborhood, is Baton Rouge’s second-oldest commercial neighborhood, dating back to the 1920s, when the university was developed. It’s also one of the most iconic, known to generations of those who bleed purple and gold and love the area—formerly known as Tiger Town—for the establishments they frequented back in their day.

But for retailers and restaurateurs the neighborhood is something of a double-edge sword. The student population is seasonal. Parking is extremely limited. And a smattering of more than a dozen individual property owners, some of whom are absentee landlords, has thwarted any sort of cohesive cleanup or redevelopment effort over the years.

Real estate appraiser Wesley Moore, who is not familiar with this particular project, says a mixed-use development may ultimately be the best use for the area. But he says the developers have a long and difficult road ahead of them.

“They’re going to have a lot of legal and PR headaches,” says Moore, of Cook, Moore & Associates. “But some of the most expensive real estate in Baton Rouge is near the LSU campus, and this is as close to campus as you can get. So if they can make it work at the right price it could be a really good deal.”   https://www.businessreport.com/article/investors-looking-buy-entire-block-west-chimes-street-mixed-use-redevelopment

[richyb83]

Taylor Opportunity Program for Students helps fuel LSU apartment boom, real estate market

The neighborhoods around LSU are in the middle of an unprecedented apartment construction boom that developers and real estate experts say is being fueled, in part, by the TOPS scholarship program.

Since 2007, more than 2,400 apartment units have been completed in the areas around LSU, said Wesley Moore, of Cook, Moore and Associates, a longtime tracker of the Baton Rouge apartment market. That figure includes 786 units that opened in 2015 around the start of the fall semester.

Another 663 units are in the pipeline, with developers getting permits or buying the land needed for the apartments. “These are all being built by solid, capable developers, so I expect they will come to market,” Moore said.

The apartment building boom is being driven by rising enrollment at LSU. In fall 2010, there were just under 28,000 students attending the university, a low point following the years of attendance swollen by students displaced by Hurricane Katrina after 2005. In fall 2015, more than 31,500 students were attending the school, the second year in a row enrollment had risen 2 percent.

The state-funded Taylor Opportunity Program for Students has been one of the factors in boosting LSU’s enrollment because the scholarships cover tuition costs for qualifying Louisiana high school graduates. Moore said the program has worked alongside the rising enrollment standards at the state’s flagship university.

*rest of article*

http://theadvocate.com/news/business/13516366-123/taylor-opportunity-program-for-students-helps-fuel-lsu-apartment-boom-real-estate-market

[cajun]

On 1/13/2016 at 10:02 PM, richyb83 said:

Drove by there a few weeks ago...the large swath of land had already been cleared...this large development will surely transform West Parker Blvd (& Boyd) btwn Highland & Burbank...giving it a viable urban look near the LSU Campus...

Kind of wish there was street parking and wider sidewalks....but that can be added later. 

[greg225]

.

Baton Rouge developer proposes 18-story student housing complex behind Southgate Towers

 

 

Developer R.W. Day is proposing an 18-story high-rise with 455, six-bedroom units of student housing that would be located on a 5.4-acre tract behind his Southgate Towers mixed-use development on Burbank Drive.

If approved next month by the city-parish Planning Commission, the Summit at Southgate, as the project would be called, would be among the tallest buildings in the parish and also among the densest.

Day, who submitted the plans to the Planning Commission earlier this month for consideration at its April meeting, did not return a call seeking comment, and his project engineer declined to comment.

Given its size and density, the Summit at Southgate would be one for the books—even in a market that has seen record-high prices for student housing complexes over the past year, as well as the addition of hundreds of new, high-end units.

The idea for the project, though, isn’t a new one. When Day first submitted plans for his Southgate development in 2000, they included a 15-story high rise. In 2013, he submitted a revised concept plan that increased the height of the high-rise to 18 stories. Both times the Planning Commission gave him the OK.

It is unclear what the agency might do this time. The Planning Commission staff is currently reviewing the developer’s plans and hasn’t yet issued a recommendation, according to Assistant Planning Director Ryan Holcomb.

The Planning Commission will take up the matter at its April 18 meeting.  https://www.businessreport.com/article/baton-rouge-developer-proposes-18-story-student-housing-complex-behind-southgate-towers

 

[dan326]

Neat! I figured this one was dead.

[richyb83]

My as well make the most of the rest of the small parcel remaining...yeah remember them touting this...where the top floors you'd have a view inside Tiger Stadium LOL    Does this 18-story tower really happen??  Looking forward seeing a rendering!

Rumor has it the old Kirby Smith Hall will be demolished one day??  Wonder what might go in it's place??

Edited March 22, 2016 by richyb83

[Antrell Williams]

Waiting to see a rendering and plans for the added traffic this will cause. Connecting W Parker to Nicholson might help. 

[greg225]

Hoping they allow them to build this building it definitely will enhance the skyline. Hopefully they still building the 19 story build at the Water Campus.

Edited March 23, 2016 by greg225

[cajun]

6 bedroom units?   Not sure I like that aspect of the plan. 

 

Was there a prelim of the 2013 plans released?

On 3/22/2016 at 4:50 PM, richyb83 said:

My as well make the most of the rest of the small parcel remaining...yeah remember them touting this...where the top floors you'd have a view inside Tiger Stadium LOL    Does this 18-story tower really happen??  Looking forward seeing a rendering!

Rumor has it the old Kirby Smith Hall will be demolished one day??  Wonder what might go in it's place??

I don't think they were being 100% truthful about being able to see the field in Tiger Stadium from an 18 story building that far away.....and it's certainly impossible now that the new south side expansion is complete.  Still, this will be vastly taller than anything in that area, and more than twice the height of the Staybridge hotel and the existing towers around Southgate.   I'm kinda hoping they still have terra cotta roofing and a similar style to Southgate.  

It's about time for some of the lower costs student housing on Burbank to get upgraded or replaced.   I'd like to see that street between Gourrier and Boyd be more pedestrian friendly and include more street parking with retail oriented towards the street.   Perhaps even with lofts above.    It needs a rework similar to what is being proposed on Government IMO.

Edited March 24, 2016 by cajun

[richyb83]

This new upscale student housing could be reaching the saturation point soon...and with TOPS program in limbo & changing...this 18-story tower remains a big question mark...developer should have done this a few years ago instead?

An 18-story student housing complex proposed for Burbank Drive is the latest of several projects in a market nearing a saturation point

the market is far different than when Day’s architects first started sketching plans for the Summit at Southgate. Today, there’s a veritable glut of new student housing in the shadows of LSU, and more is on the way.

In 2015 alone, 826 units of student housing in three new complexes were added to the market. By the end of 2017, three more complexes are slated to go up, adding another 663 units to the market, according to appraiser Wesley Moore at Cook Moore and Associates.

That’s a total of 1,489 units in three years, not counting the Summit at Southgate’s planned 455 units.

As a point of reference, the average absorption rate in the local market is 850 units per year.

“You don’t need that many units in general, much less student housing units,” Moore says. “The numbers are ridiculous.”

Then, there’s the LSU Nicholson Gateway Project, a mixed-use development that the LSU Foundation is planning to develop on Nicholson Drive. It calls for a total of 1,600 or so units of student housing, the first phase of which is scheduled to be completed in 2018.

Given that Texas investors in 2015 paid $108.6 million for The Standard, a 287-unit student housing complex just outside the campus gates, it’s understandable that developers are bullish on the market. But those who are late to the table may have missed the feast. There’s arguably more new inventory than the market needs, to say nothing of the thousands of units in older properties near campus.

What’s more, the state-funded TOPS scholarship program, which has inadvertently upped students’ standards of living over the years by enabling them to afford relatively luxurious apartments, is in danger of being cut by the Legislature. At the same time, LSU is facing budget cuts that could negatively impact enrollment and, at the very least, increase student fees.

https://www.businessreport.com/business/18-story-student-housing-complex-proposed-burbank-drive-latest-several-projects-market-nearing-saturation-point

 

[cajun]

I have to agree.   I think the developer is at least 5 years late for this.  

[dan326]

Planning Commission staff recommends denying proposed 18-story high-rise near LSU

The final development plan for a proposed 18-story high-rise student housing complex on Burbank Drive set to come before the Planning Commission today has been recommended for denial by the Planning Commission staff.

In its report, the Planning Commission staff recommends denial based on “inconsistencies with the concept plan, the Unified Development Code, expansion of the area proposed for development into areas not advertised, and inconsistencies between sheets submitted by applicant.”.

When Day first submitted plans for his Southgate development in 2000, they included a 15-story high-rise. In 2013, he submitted a revised concept plan that increased the height of the high-rise to 18 stories. Both times the Planning Commission gave him the OK.

The regulatory problems indicated by the staff include only 609 parking spots in the plan while 1,341 are required, and that the concept plan was approved for six stories of retail space and the final plan calls for nine stories.

Day could not be reached for comment as of this morning’s deadline.

https://www.businessreport.com/article/planning-commission-staff-recommends-denying-proposed-18-story-high-rise-near-lsu

 

[richyb83]

^None of this is really surprising....BR has a small town/city mentality....if BR can't pull off a prime riverfront residential high-rise...don't expect Southgate's of LSU to pull off an 18-story tower or anywhere else in town for that matter....

The Fact that the hideous Catholic/Presbyterian apts & dinosaur- Kirby Smith Hall are BR's tallest residential buildings speaks volumes...the reason places like Austin & Nashville are leaving BR in the dust....but at least 525 Lafayette/IBM Block is a start.(Commerce bldg & Cap One bldg. have been nice redevelopments)  Even Little Rock has a new from the ground-up 18-story residential tower on their riverfront...

BR has had some nice new buildings  .....but nothing over 12-floors since since 1989...12 has been the popular number...this is not an knock on the human scale buildings 4-8 floors; they are nice too....it's just that BR is vertically challenged

Edited May 17, 2016 by richyb83

[dan326]

Well, the logical side of my brain says we don't really need this but the other side wants to see this happen.

 

Planning Commission defers action on 18-story high-rise near LSU, asks for updated traffic study  

During a busy Planning Commission meeting Monday, the board deferred voting on a proposed 18-story apartment complex near LSU, spiked plans for an assisted living facility on Highland Road, green-lighted the site plan for a proposed Highland Road office building and approved rezoning 14 acres within the Baton Rouge Health District.

The board put off for 90 days a vote on the final development plan for the high-rise complex on Burbank Drive, called The Summit at Southgate, to allow developer R.W. Day and engineer Chad Stevens to update a 2013 traffic study and clear up some inconsistencies between the concept plan and the architectural design.

In an interview this morning, Stevens says the major issue will be to update the traffic study from 2013 to account for new buildings. That study, conducted by LSU engineering professor Brian Wolshon, will be updated and turned into the Planning Commission staff in plenty of time to allow for review before the Aug. 15 meeting.

https://www.businessreport.com/article/planning-commission-defers-action-18-story-high-rise-near-lsu-asks-updated-traffic-study

[richyb83]

LSU nutrition center to be built in Tiger Stadium; plans for separate facility scrapped amid state budget concerns

http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/15903104-128/lsu-nutrition-center-to-be-built-in-tiger-stadium

[cajun]

On 5/26/2016 at 0:30 AM, richyb83 said:

LSU nutrition center to be built in Tiger Stadium; plans for separate facility scrapped amid state budget concerns

http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/15903104-128/lsu-nutrition-center-to-be-built-in-tiger-stadium

That thing was almost completely funded by private donations.....not a good move.

Edited June 10, 2016 by cajun