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Baton Rouge residents air a mix of delight, dread at prospect of Government Street ‘Road Diet’                         There was a mix of both excited anticipation and fearful dread at the first meeting for the public to hear the plans to reduce the number of lanes on Government Street — a congested and dilapidated roadway that serves as the main artery of Mid City Baton Rouge.  

Opponents of the plan say they just can’t understand why state and city planners would want to reduce Government Street from four lanes to three — one in each direction with a center turning lane — when the street already is the scene of frustrating traffic jams.

Advocates of the plan say they’re ready for a change and want to see an upgraded Government Street turned into a destination, dotted with thriving local businesses.

Thursday evening’s meeting, hosted at Our Lady of Mercy Church, drew hundreds of people who talked to — and sometimes argued with — project managers and representatives from the state Department of Transportation and Development.

“Right now, there’s traffic backed up five blocks back, and if we go to Lala Land like these people want and make these changes, it’s going to be 10 blocks back,” said Karen Kean, a Richland Avenue resident. “Sure, it’ll make it prettier, and I’m all for that, but this is not realistic. It’s idealistic.''

A so-called “Road Diet” has been floated among city planners for more than a decade, but the project became a reality in early 2014, when East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden announced the plan would be implemented. Primarily, Government Street will be reduced from four lanes to three, and bike lanes will be added along the sides. The busted up roadway will be repaved, curbs will be fixed, the sidewalk will be improved and grassy medians will be placed throughout the turning lane. DOTD also recently unveiled plans to build a roundabout at the Lobdell Avenue intersection.

But as plans have crept forward, more residents and business owners have come forward to express their concerns.

“I live off Lobdell, and it takes me 15 minutes to get to downtown (on Government Street),” said Janice Evans. “What’s it going to be like when you’re compressing all that traffic to just three lanes? I just don’t see that happening.”

Other residents and business owners say they’re concerned about the impact on side streets. Will relieving traffic on Government Street just push more cars onto residential side streets and onto thoroughfares like North Boulevard and Claycut Road?

Planners say that’s not the expected result. The turning lane is intended to smooth out the jerky stop-and-go traffic on Government Street, caused by an abundance of drivers blocking traffic by trying to make left turns. Bike lanes and sidewalks are expected to improve the livability of the area and draw in more shops and restaurants.

Kathleen Callaghan, who lives on Drehr Avenue in the Garden District, said she’s already pleased with the types of business that have opened on Government Street as a result of the announcement of the project.

“I’m disappointed that so many people are having a knee-jerk reaction to change and relying on emotions instead of facts,” Callaghan said. “I’m already seeing an improvement in the new businesses coming to Government. We’ve only had pawn shops and tattoo parlors up until now.”

Billie Alost, a cyclist who rode her bike to the meeting from the Bocage neighborhood on Jefferson, said she’s looking forward to having a safe way to get around Government Street, which is improving the overall connectivity of the city.

“I like the idea of having more safe places to cycle in Baton Rouge,” she said, adding that she and her husband often cycle from Jefferson Avenue to downtown Baton Rouge. “It feels crowded now. It can be so dangerous; there’s so much traffic.”

Beaux Jones, who splits his time between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, said he recently moved a block off Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans — a street that similarly received a road diet in recent years, going from four lanes to two lanes, with bike paths.

“Not only from a safety standpoint, but from a usability standpoint, it has revolutionized the experience of traveling from City Park to the (French) Quarter,” he said. “I see mothers with children, I see bike tours, all riding down and experiencing a part of the city they never experienced before.”

The Government Street project, estimated at $10 million to $13 million, will be funded with federal dollars. DOTD officials say they don’t know yet when they’ll break ground. http://theadvocate.com/news/14319590-123/baton-rouge-residents-air-a-mix-of-delight-dread-at-prospect-of-government-street-road-diet

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One of the hottest areas for development is one of Baton Rouge’s oldest districts: Goodwood         

Mike-Hogstrom-DK.jpg?q=70&fit=clip&w=808

(Photography by Don Kadair: Michael Hogstrom of Onsite Design + Development)

In the center of Baton Rouge, where the money is as old as the trees and ZIP codes 70806 and 70809 merge at Towne Center, young families are moving in and old families are staying put, creating the perfect storm for a development boom.

This desire for two generations—the millennials and the baby boomers—to live, work and play in the same metaphorical sandbox has created a surge of residential and commercial infill development. It’s happening now in the Goodwood Boulevard, Jefferson Highway and Lobdell Avenue area, where there is a lot of money but limited land.

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Developers, restaurateurs and realtors are reaping the benefits, pre-selling subdivisions that have yet to break ground, opening high-end eateries with long waiting lists and closing on homes quickly in neighborhoods with limited inventory.

“The main socioeconomic factor driving this development is that millennials and baby boomers, for the first time in a very long time, are aligned in their lifestyle choices,” says Mike Hogstrom, owner of Onsite Design + Development, an architecture and development firm in Baton Rouge. “They travel, they entertain, they’re health conscious, they don’t mind walking and they want a home easy to maintain.”

The millennial generation includes people born between 1981 and 1994 while the boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. The boomers and the millennials make up the largest number of people in the world, with 75 million and about 65 million, respectively. While opposing political views and workplace etiquette have created tension between the two generations, their lifestyle choices are similar.

“We don’t see a whole lot of difference in what these two generations want in a living space,” says David Ellis, vice president of Birmingham, Alabama-based Arlington Properties, who is developing a 124-unit luxury apartment complex off Jefferson Highway behind Panera Bread. “They want amenities, location, mobility and lack of maintenance in a home. We do a tremendous amount of demographic research and have found that both generations are attracted to the same thing.”

This intergenerational harmony has expanded developers’ customer base. Nearly all three of the high-end housing projects Hogstrom’s firm has recently developed, slated to break ground in March, are pre-sold. They are Overton Walk on Old Hammond Highway, between Tara Boulevard and Brentwood Drive; Township at Old Goodwood at Lobdell and Lasalle avenues; and Adelia at Old Goodwood, 7307 Goodwood Blvd. The price tags attached to these homes range from $230 per square foot to $290 per square foot.

Hogstrom’s first development project, E’tage Gardens on the corner of Government Street and Croydon Avenue, will be completely built out by the end of the year, with eight homes, each priced at $200 per square feet.

While there are challenges developing in an area of town that has limited land continuity, he says the pros far outweigh the cons.

“It is literally and figuratively the epicenter of the city. People living in the middle of Baton Rouge are making a conscious choice to stay in the city,” Hogstrom says. “They are sick of sitting in their cars in traffic for two hours per day. They want to be a part of their communities and live and work and send their kids to schools here. And this area has really strong community ties.”

Brian Moscona 2 (Photo by Brian Baiamonte) Brian Moscona

It’s a trend that Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School Principal Brian Moscona has also noticed.

“I’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth and development in this area that has resulted in a tremendous amount of growth in our school,” says Moscona, who lives in Old Goodwood within walking distance of the school. “We have waiting lists on many levels, and we’re seeing a lot of young families moving back into the area.”

Student enrollment has increased 14% over the last three years, up from 787 students at the beginning of the 2012-13 school year to nearly 900 students this school year, he says.

“Once you start to see young families, that’s the tipping point for a community,” Moscona says. “And that’s where we are at now. The Old Goodwood and the Jefferson area are the hot places to be.”

THE CATALYST

Councilman Ryan Heck, whose District 11 covers the Old Goodwood and Jefferson area, says Towne Center was the catalyst for attracting more population and more infill development to the area.

“We have connectivity around here, which is nice,” says Heck, who lives in Old Goodwood. “We have traffic problems like everyone, but in general it’s pretty easy to move in and out of here and there are 20 restaurants within a three- or four-minute drive.”

He says while land is limited, developers love the area because the infrastructure is already in place.

“We have sewer, water and a traffic grid,” he says. “We have the capacity for development, and we already have resources and infrastructure here.”

Residential and commercial realtors say the demographics of the area attract high-end businesses, which in turn attracts more population and a surge in development.

(Photo by Brian Baiamonte) Barbara Anne Eaton (Photo by Brian Baiamonte) Barbara Anne Eaton

The homes surrounding Towne Center are some of the most expensive in the city, with nearby upscale neighborhoods such as Jefferson Place-Bocage, Bocage Lake and Old Goodwood. Barbara Anne Eaton, a broker with Coldwell Banker One, says the average price of a home in the area is $500,000. However, in the area of town that includes parts of Perkins Road, Stanford Avenue, Staring Lane and Kenilworth and Southdowns neighborhoods, the average home price is $280,000.

“Retail is following population,” Eaton says. “All you have to do is go through Towne Center and see what’s there—Whole Foods, Adler’s, Lee Michaels. That is what is driving new development.”

Joey Canella and Steve Legendre, commercial brokers with Sperry Van Ness-Graham Langlois and Legendre, say the business community is also moving out toward the Towne Center area because business owners want to relocate their offices closer to where they live and now have the money to do it.

“We didn’t see a whole lot of growth in 2007 and 2008,” Legendre says. “Until the last 12 months, we were just hanging on. But now you’re starting to see people piggy backing off the success of Towne Center because financially, they’re able to.”

Stephen Hightower says he opened City Pork Brasserie and Bar on Jefferson Highway in the old Dempsey’s site about a year ago because he knew the potential a local restaurant would have in that area.

“I knew there were lots of new office sites that were on the horizon,” he says. “And in the Towne Center area, there was a huge platform that had already been set—it had been the center of commerce.”

While he says business is better than he had imagined, the biggest challenge of opening in an infill space was the other four restaurants that opened within nine months of City Pork.

“I knew we had to be good at what we did,” he says. “We are doing really well, and I realize at some point you can’t cut the pie into that many pieces, but if this becomes an area where local restaurants are located and we become part of that local culinary scene, I welcome it. We want people to know that this is the best part of the city to eat the best food in.”

HOMESPUN BUSINESS

Ann and Paul Connelly are developing Studio Park—which will include an art gallery, Sherwin-Williams Paint store, fitness studio, farm-to-table café and additional retail design businesses—at the corner of Jefferson Highway and Lobdell Avenue. Ann Connelly says she hopes to bring more culture and creativity to the area.

“This is the center of town where we work, live and play, and we are very much in the mindset of having a homespun business in the center of community,” she says.

Location, multigenerational interest and connectivity are all driving forces for the development boom in the heart of Baton Rouge. Now it’s time for the city to keep it all moving in the right direction with its 20-year FuturEBR plan, says Elizabeth “Boo” Thomas, president and CEO of the Center for Planning Excellence.

The plan outlines a framework for accomplishing its goals through housing, economic development, transportation, land use and urban design.

“Millennials and boomers both want to simplify their lives and save themselves car trips,” Thomas says. “When you make a neighborhood more walkable with crosswalks and sidewalks, you take away blind spots and reduce crime by 70 percent. When you put good restaurants and businesses in those walkable areas near homes, it becomes the most popular area in town.”   https://www.businessreport.com/realestate/one-hottest-areas-development-one-baton-rouges-oldest-districts-goodwood

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Excellent summary/breakdown of what we mentioned here on UP back in early October!  Very nice to see  Towne Center has been the catalyst for the new residential enclaves & businesses.....

Amazing how much difference one floor can make changing the look of a residential project...Tapestry Park at 4-floors will give the area a bigger city feel..than that of the run-of-the-mill 3-story condos that dot the landscape...also like the new condo's by Domain Companies at The Grove( east of Mall of La.)...the 4 story condo's just look good:shades:

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No solution in sight for Baton Rouge neighborhood divided over bike lanes                    

More than three months after controversy erupted over the enforcement of bike lanes on Glenmore and Hundred Oaks avenues, a committee of neighborhood and city representatives trying to hash out a solution has yet to come up with one.

City-parish Chief Traffic Engineer Ingolf Partenheimer, whose office has a representative on the committee, says a couple of options were discussed in two meetings held last fall. One of those solutions included creating an additional traffic lane in each direction out of the existing medians on the two streets. But with an estimated $1.5 million price tag, that idea proved too costly.

“At this point we’re still looking for a solution—one that is economically feasible,” he says.

The bike lanes became an issue in September, after cycling enthusiasts demanded that the Baton Rouge Police Department enforce the no-parking regulation that applies to bike lanes. That angered many longtime residents of the two streets, who said they try to respect the bike lanes but want the option of allowing visitors or work crews to park in front of their homes.  

A petition to remove the bike lanes began circulating in the neighborhood and two heated public hearings were held before the district’s Metro Council representative, C. Denise Marcelle, formed the committee.

Partenheimer says the committee met twice and has been trying to schedule a third meeting, but nothing is yet on the calendar. In the meantime, tensions in the neighborhood have eased as neighbors from the opposing factions have attempted to work together.   https://www.businessreport.com/article/no-solution-sight-baton-rouge-neighborhood-divided-enforcement-bike-lanes

Grimball Holdings, PVS Investments buy office suites at 6700 Jefferson Office Park              

An engineering firm and investment company have moved into neighboring office suites in Don Joffrion’s 6700 Jefferson Office Park that’s under development near Towne Center.

The sale closed just before Christmas.

Grimball Holdings, represented by Ross Grimball, bought the 2,192-square-foot Suite A in building four for $405,520, while PVS Investments, whose sole member is Paul Saltaformaggio, purchased the 2,144-square-foot Suite B for $396,640, according to sale documents filed with the parish Clerk of Court’s Office on Dec. 23. They are the second and third companies to buy offices in the park after law firm of Dampf, Thibaut & Hessburg paid $700,941 for a 3,813-square-foot building in early December.

Mathew Laborde, a commercial real estate broker with Beau Box Commercial Real Estate who is marketing the property, says both companies approached Joffrion about buying the suites around the same time and wanted to close before the end of 2015.

“It came out of nowhere, and we put it together real quick,” Laborde says.

Since Joffrion purchased the 4.6-acre site on Jefferson Highway for the office park last January, two buildings have been completed in the first phase of the project, which is to include six buildings total. Construction permits are currently being reviewed for three additional buildings as part of the initial phase.

Of the three buildings in permitting, one will be leased to a home health company, while a purchase agreement has been signed for another. The third is a spec building that is already drawing some interest

“With all the demand, we have a lot of interest, a lot of people are talking about it, talking to us about it,” Laborde says.

A company that has a few more years left on its current lease elsewhere has purchased the final pad in phase one, but Laborde says construction there will not begin for at least another year. The purchase agreement states that Joffrion’s company will construct the building, which the company—whom Laborde declines to identify—will also buy.

Design is underway on the second phase of the project. Preliminary site plans call for buildings measuring 13,000 square feet over two stories.    https://www.businessreport.com/article/grimball-holdings-pvs-investments-buy-office-suites-6700-jefferson-office-park

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OLOL acquires old Brian Harris Jeep site on Florida for neighborhood clinic                          

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center has acquired the long-vacant property at 6815 Florida Blvd. that previously housed Brian Harris Jeep, and has preliminary plans to develop a neighborhood clinic on the site.

In a deal that closed earlier this week, OLOL acquired the six-acre parcel, which is located between North Ardenwood Drive and North Donmoor Avenue, for $750,000.

A hospital spokesperson says plans for the clinic are still in the very early stages so no details are available. However, the hospital issued a statement noting the increasingly valuable role neighborhood clinics play in providing care to the community.

“Patients have responded to the availability of neighborhood clinics and urgent care in our community, using these locations for nonemergency walk-in care as opposed to local ERs,” says CEO Scott Wester in the statement. “The Florida Boulevard property is ideal and helps us create additional access to care in a new, modern, and efficient-design environment.”

OLOL, through its subsidiary LSU Health, is the state’s partner hospital to provide care to the indigent and uninsured in the Capital Region. It currently has five clinic and urgent care locations, including the North Clinic and Urgent Care on Airline Highway adjacent to the old Earl K. Long Charity Hospital, and the MidCity Clinic, Urgent Care and Pharmacy on North Foster Drive.

The Florida Boulevard location is less than two miles from the MidCity Clinic. It is unclear whether OLOL would replace the MidCity clinic with the newer facility on Florida Boulevard or continue to operate them both. A hospital spokeswoman says hospital officials are evaluating the options.

https://www.businessreport.com/article/olol-acquires-old-brian-harris-jeep-site-florida-neighborhood-clinic

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Demolition of old gas station at Jefferson and Claycut will make way for 2,570-square-foot retail center             

A longtime Mid City eyesore will come down in the next few weeks when workers demolish the old Exxon station that became a windshield repair center at the corner of Jefferson Highway and Claycut Road to build a small retail strip center.

According to the construction permit, the center will contain two suites: a 1,224-square-foot space and a 1,309-square-foot space. Construction is expected to cost about $416,000.

The address for the strip center will be changed from 754 Jefferson Hwy. to 750 Jefferson Hwy.

Beau Box, founder of Beau Box Commercial Real Estate, is representing the property owner, Morris Harper of Houston. “He has great faith in the location and great faith in the economy,” Box says of Harper. “That building has become an eyesore.”

Demolition will take a few weeks and construction of the new structure is expected to start within 30 days and will last about six months, Box says.

The owner’s representatives are in talks with prospective tenants, but no contracts have been signed. Box says the owner would like to recruit a restaurant and retail business into the two suites.

According to the permit, Baton Rouge-based Charles Carter & Company is the contractor.

https://www.businessreport.com/article/demolition-old-gas-station-will-make-way-2570-square-foot-retail-center

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On 1/21/2016 at 10:34 AM, greg225 said:

OLOL acquires old Brian Harris Jeep site on Florida for neighborhood clinic                          

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center has acquired the long-vacant property at 6815 Florida Blvd. that previously housed Brian Harris Jeep, and has preliminary plans to develop a neighborhood clinic on the site.

In a deal that closed earlier this week, OLOL acquired the six-acre parcel, which is located between North Ardenwood Drive and North Donmoor Avenue, for $750,000.

A hospital spokesperson says plans for the clinic are still in the very early stages so no details are available. However, the hospital issued a statement noting the increasingly valuable role neighborhood clinics play in providing care to the community.

“Patients have responded to the availability of neighborhood clinics and urgent care in our community, using these locations for nonemergency walk-in care as opposed to local ERs,” says CEO Scott Wester in the statement. “The Florida Boulevard property is ideal and helps us create additional access to care in a new, modern, and efficient-design environment.”

OLOL, through its subsidiary LSU Health, is the state’s partner hospital to provide care to the indigent and uninsured in the Capital Region. It currently has five clinic and urgent care locations, including the North Clinic and Urgent Care on Airline Highway adjacent to the old Earl K. Long Charity Hospital, and the MidCity Clinic, Urgent Care and Pharmacy on North Foster Drive.

The Florida Boulevard location is less than two miles from the MidCity Clinic. It is unclear whether OLOL would replace the MidCity clinic with the newer facility on Florida Boulevard or continue to operate them both. A hospital spokeswoman says hospital officials are evaluating the options.

https://www.businessreport.com/article/olol-acquires-old-brian-harris-jeep-site-florida-neighborhood-clinic

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RDA seeks to rezone Entergy site in Mid City for mixed-use development   

Moving forward with plans to redevelop the former Entergy Corp. site at 1509 Government St. in Mid City, the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority has filed an application with the East Baton Rouge Parish Planning Commission to rezone the 6.1-acre property from light industrial to mixed-use.

The change, if granted, is needed because the vision for the project—a complex of shops, apartments and restaurants—is incompatible with the existing zoning classification, says Gwen Hamilton, interim director of the RDA.

“For the type of mixed-use development we want to see there the existing zoning is very limiting,” she says.

Plans for the long-vacant property, which was donated by Entergy to the RDA nearly two years ago, call for the development of between 120 and 150 housing units and up to 19,000 square feet of office, retail and restaurant space. Planners hope the site will be the catalyst for a much larger urban redevelopment effort through downtown east and Mid City.

In late March, the RDA plans to issue a Request for Expression of Interest, or RFEI, from potential developers. Their initial responses will be due May 1. After a two-month review process, the RDA will invite a select group of developers to submit more formal proposals for the project. Hamilton hopes to select a final development team by Aug. 30.

As for the how the project will be financed, Hamilton says that will be up to the developer chosen.

“We will be looking very carefully at that in the proposals they submit,” she says. “We own the land so we will be looking for a development partner. We’re not interested in selling the land to anyone. We will be looking for an opportunity that will be beneficial for us and for the developer.”

In October, the RDA selected Portland, Oregon-based Fregonese Associates to write a request for proposals from developers to transform the site.    https://www.businessreport.com/article/rda-seeks-rezone-entergy-site-mid-city-mixed-use-development

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Hogstrom purchases Goodwood Plantation, surrounding land for Adelia development      

Developer Mike Hogstrom moved one step closer Wednesday toward realizing an eight-month dream of developing a small community around the Goodwood Plantation by finalizing the purchase of the plantation and 17 acres surrounding it.

Hogstrom, through the Adelia Development Company LLC, paid $8.5 million to Thomas Babin and Anna Babin Neal for the home at 7037 Goodwood Boulevard and the adjoining property, according to sale documents filed with the city-parish Clerk of Court’s office Wednesday afternoon.

“We are over the moon,” Hogstrom, owner of Onsite Design, says. “This has been eight months of work for me that came to fruition yesterday morning.”

Hogstrom and co-developer Charles Landry of Fishman Haygood law firm plan to create a 46-lot subdivision called Adelia at Old Goodwood centered around the 165-year-old Goodwood Plantation.

A preliminary plat for the subdivision has been filed with the Planning Commission and will be heard at the Commission’s March 14 meeting. The property will retain its A1 residential zoning.

Hogstrom has waited to file construction plans with the city-parish until receiving the green light for the project from the Planning Commission.

Hogstrom’s plan is to break ground during the summer; he hopes to have the first wave of homes under construction before year’s end.

“We would be moving very quickly on this project,” Hogstrom says, adding that he envisions three to five years of construction to complete the project.

This development will be different from other Onsite Design projects in that other architects will be allowed to design some of the homes. Hogstrom says Onsite normally designs all the homes in its developments.

So far, 35 lots have been reserved at an average price of $330,000, with 11 lots remaining available, Hogstrom says.

“The project has done very well in a short amount of time,” Hogstrom says.

Before moving forward with the restoration of Goodwood Plantation, the company continues its research into eligibility for tax credits for the project as well as the potential for the home to be registered on one or more register of historic places, Hogstrom says. The developer says he wants to get some of the homes built and establish a community before turning his attention to the plantation.  https://www.businessreport.com/article/hogstrom-purchases-goodwood-plantation-surrounding-land-adelia-development

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Communal food hall announced as first Square 46 tenant

An urban gourmet food hall featuring about 10 different food vendors and a full-service bar has been announced as the first tenant in Square 46, the long-awaited mixed-use development at 4646 Government St. in Mid City.

White Star Market, the brainchild of local asset management firm head Clark Gaines, will sit in a 5,900-square-foot space along Government Street. Gaines says the concept is similar to St. Roch Market in New Orleans or the popular Gotham West Market in New York.

Each vendor will serve different delicacies, with no overlap in cuisine, and customers will have everything from tacos to oysters to choose from, Gaines says. Less than half of the vendor spaces are left for lease. Gaines is leasing the space from Square 46 developer Joshua Hoffpauir, and the vendors will sublease from Gaines.

The response from both nearby residents and chefs looking to rent space has been overwhelming, Gaines says.

“The first reaction has usually been ‘Thank God’ or ‘Thank you,’” Gaines says, describing Mid City residents’ reactions when they hear about the business concept.

Each vendor will cook their food in a communal kitchen in the back, and seating will be available in the market for customers.

Gaines says he got the idea for this business after moving back to Baton Rouge from Ohio, where he and his family lived for eight years.

“After moving back here, it was kind of something we missed and we wanted to open one here,” Gaines says, adding that putting the market in Mid City was a “no-brainer” for he and his wife.

Gaines says he cannot reveal who the vendors are, but may start doing so next week.

“White Star Market was tailor made for Square 46 and Mid City Baton Rouge,” Hoffpauir says in a statement. “Every great city is known for its food has this concept. This will put Mid City Baton Rouge on the culinary map.”

The 25,000-square-foot Square 46 development will sit on the site of the old Giamanco’s restaurant and will contain commercial, office and residential space. The project was announced in November 2014, but Hoffpauir held off construction on the project while waiting to see plans for the Government Street “road diet.” Groundbreaking is set to begin in the next few months, and construction is expected to take nine to 12 months.

https://www.businessreport.com/article/communal-food-hall-announced-first-square-46-tenant

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On 1/27/2016 at 10:41 AM, greg225 said:

Demolition of old gas station at Jefferson and Claycut will make way for 2,570-square-foot retail center             

A longtime Mid City eyesore will come down in the next few weeks when workers demolish the old Exxon station that became a windshield repair center at the corner of Jefferson Highway and Claycut Road to build a small retail strip center.

According to the construction permit, the center will contain two suites: a 1,224-square-foot space and a 1,309-square-foot space. Construction is expected to cost about $416,000.

The address for the strip center will be changed from 754 Jefferson Hwy. to 750 Jefferson Hwy.

Beau Box, founder of Beau Box Commercial Real Estate, is representing the property owner, Morris Harper of Houston. “He has great faith in the location and great faith in the economy,” Box says of Harper. “That building has become an eyesore.”

Demolition will take a few weeks and construction of the new structure is expected to start within 30 days and will last about six months, Box says.

The owner’s representatives are in talks with prospective tenants, but no contracts have been signed. Box says the owner would like to recruit a restaurant and retail business into the two suites.

According to the permit, Baton Rouge-based Charles Carter & Company is the contractor.

https://www.businessreport.com/article/demolition-old-gas-station-will-make-way-2570-square-foot-retail-center

So they are replacing an eye sore with another eye sore...go Baton Rouge Mid City.

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Plan for Adelia at Old Goodwood, rezoning of former Entergy site on Planning Commission agenda

Mike Hogstrom’s Adelia at Old Goodwood development and the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority’s renovation of the former Entergy property on Government Street are among the several projects up for vote before the Planning Commission at today’s meeting.

The Planning Commission will vote on whether to approve Hogstrom’s subdivision application to divide the 17-acre property into 46 lots surrounding the 165-year-old Goodwood Plantation.

Hogstrom, through his Adelia Development Company LLC, purchased the land for $8.5 million last month.

The Planning Commission staff has recommended the board approve the project based on compliance with minimum development regulations and compatibility with surrounding land uses. Hogstrom’s plan is to break ground during the summer.

The board will also vote on a proposal to rezone property at 1400-1500 and 1509 Government St. from M1 light industrial and C2 heavy commercial to LC3 light commercial. The rezoning would allow the RDA to place a mix of between 120 and 150 housing units and up to 19,000 square feet of office, retail and restaurant space.

The Planning Commission staff recommends approval of the project based on consistency with FuturEBR, compliance with ordinance requirements and compatibility with the surrounding land uses.

Other items up for a vote today include rezoning the El Tio restaurant to allow for the sale of alcohol; an updated site plan for The Office Park at the Reserve; and approval of the proposed 204-unit multifamily development at Nicholson Drive and Gardere Lane called the Meadows at Nicholson. Planning Commission staff have recommended approval for all three.

The Planning Commission meets today at 5 p.m. on the ninth floor of City Hall, 222 St. Louis St. See the full agenda.    https://www.businessreport.com/article/plan-adelia-old-goodwood-rezoning-former-entergy-site-planning-commission-agenda

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Ducote to bring Louisiana-style tacos to White Star Market in Mid City      

When Clark Gaines and his wife began developing the concept for White Star Market—which is expected to open early next year in Mid City—one of the first people they consulted was local chef Jay Ducote.

Gaines wanted to discuss the food hall concept with Ducote and see if the former Food Network Star finalist would be interested in helping to promote it. Ducote’s initial reaction was that it sounded like a very cool concept and a good way for people to get into the culinary business at a reasonable startup cost.

But Ducote says he soon realized that the concept would be a good way for him to test out his gourmet taco concept, dubbed Gov’t Taco, and he’s now signed on to be one of the 10 vendors in the market.

“Tacos are certainly something I love,” Ducote says. “I think a lot of people have a lot of affection for tacos.”

Gaines and his wife are opening their food hall concept—which has found success across the country, including at the St. Roch Market in New Orleans—in the mixed-use Square 46 development in Mid City along Government Street.

https://www.businessreport.com/article/communal-food-hall-announced-first-square-46-tenant

“This gourmet food hall concept is pretty trendy around the country right now, but something I feel has some staying power,” Ducote says.

Gaines says getting Ducote to sign on with the market is significant because of Ducote’s local celebrity status, which he’s cultivated over several years through his Bite and Booze blog, his social media following, a radio show on 107.3 WBRP-FM and, most recently, his run on Food Network Star.

“It’s a great get,” Gaines says.

Ducote says his menu will be different from the traditional Mexican taco offerings, and will be an amalgamation of his signature dishes, his favorite flavor profiles and food he has tried in his culinary travels.

“Every ingredient on every taco is going to be there on purpose and it’s going to be designed to compliment those flavors,” Ducote says.

The menu will be small, featuring a handful of signature tacos—like a BBQ taco with his Jay D’s Louisiana Barbecue Sauce—and rotating daily specials. He says people can follow his recipe testing and development on social media in the next 10 months before White Star Market opens.

At White Star Market, each vendor will serve a different delicacy, all being made in the communal kitchen in the back of the 5,900-square-foot space. Gaines is leasing the space from Square 46 developer Joshua Hoffpauir, and the 10 vendors will sublease from Gaines.

Gaines says he has still has three food vendor spots left. He has more than 40 applications for those final spots, but says he is still hearing pitches for the spaces.

Read a recent Business Report feature on Ducote.                  https://www.businessreport.com/article/ducote-bring-louisiana-style-tacos-white-star-market-mid-city

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  • 1 month later...

^The tenants continue to fill up the White Star Market...just have not been updating all of them

Eight teams show interest in redeveloping Entergy’s Mid City site on Government Street

http://theadvocate.com/news/business/15668486-123/eight-teams-show-interest-in-redeveloping-entergys-mid-city-site-on-government-street

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Lafayette specialty coffee shop coming to White Star Market

The specialty, micro roasting coffee company founded by Nathanael Johnson is the newest tenant announced for the burgeoning gourmet food hall set for the mixed-use Square 46 development in Mid City on Government Street.

He plans to have a pared-down menu in Baton Rouge, but customers will be able to get the regular types of coffee they are used to buying, like a latte or cappuccino. Johnson and his team have been perfecting a nitro iced coffee for about a year, and that will be on the menu along with teas. He plans to rotate the menu frequently to give people different options.

https://www.businessreport.com/article/lafayette-specialty-coffee-shop-coming-white-star-market

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Thanks for posting Dan326 :thumbsup:  Hopefully they will introduce cold brewed Nitro coffee to the BR Market soon....stuff is supposed to be jack'd up! They cant make it fast enough up the east coast...It's now in Houston...next time i'm there will have to get some of that

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  • 5 weeks later...

Can see the "Pro's & Con's" to the Government Street road diet along the spine of Mid City....however the stretch btwn South Foster & Jefferson Hwy will remain 4-lanes; simply too busy adjacent to BRCC

http://theadvocate.com/news/15971383-129/government-street-road-diet-plan-changing-shape-as-project-start-date-remains-uncertain

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Government Street revitalization sparks Puryear IT’s move

The IT managed service provider made the move to 1779 Government St. on June 17 after it purchased and renovated the historic property earlier this year.

The property was transformed into an operations and customer service center. It’s located near the Dufrocq School and The Market at Circa 1857.

“Government Street is a gentrifying area. There is a lot of buzz around it and downtown Baton Rouge,” Puryear says. “That’s one of the reasons that we purchased and renovated this building for our new office here in Baton Rouge.”

Government Street has experienced a resurgence in recent years as efforts to revitalize it have picked up.

Architect and developer Joshua Hoffpauir is planning the mixed-used development Square 46 at 4646 Government St. The development will include a mix of residential, retail and restaurants.

Meanwhile, the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority has tapped Weinstein Nelson Development to redevelop the former Entergy site at 1509 Government St. The project is expected to be a catalyst for further redevelopment of Mid City and downtown.

https://www.businessreport.com/article/government-street-revitalization-spurs-puryear-move

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