tallbored

OK, not to be weird....that tiger stadium shot reminds me of something. Maybe it is an LSU thing or a Baton Rouge thing...but the girls in this town are very good looking. I spend a lot of time in Houston and Tampa and they just don't compare. Anyone else notice that? Must be something in the water.

This may light a fire under Richard Preis to start his condo tower finally. I am starting to think Riverplace may not ever happen. This proves the demand for that kind of thing. Every new building downtown proposed includes residential spaces (except for city plaza 2). So who owns the parking lot bordered by lafayette street, river road, florida street, and laurel street? One the south side of this block, the new Capitol House Hilton was just renovated (200 rooms- avr 35%- 55% occupancy = 50-100 ish people per night), to the north it will have his new development with a mix of residential and commercial space. two blocks north will be Riverplace Condos (which I predict to have 200-300 residents). Two blocks east is the nightime playground that third street has become, and the site of the proposed Laurel Street tower, which is said to have 100 condo units. This block will probably be the most valuable piece of property downtown, and perhaps in the city in the near future. If it stays vacant while all this development happens around it...then I predict it is a matter of time before a mega-structure is proposed there. I would love to own that piece of property right now. That is a very hot area- and will only get better if these new projects actually get off the ground. What happens when property becomes that valuable? That developer has to build up to put as many units (be it hotel rooms, offices, or condos) in one building. I always thought that the BR skyline would move east and south from its current location. I guess the future is the riverfront and river road. I'd invest in property downtown right now if you have the money (if you can get it at a good price).

http://www.businessreport.com/dailyreport.html BREAKING NEWS: Chamber, Foundation looking at old Advocate site The Baton Rouge Area Chamber, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and Commercial Properties Development Corporation are looking at moving their offices into a mixed-use building on the site of the old Advocate building downtown. Plans are in the works for a 25- to 30-story building that would serve as a "vertical neighborhood" with condominiums, retailers, office space, restaurants, parking spaces and a health club. Stephen Moret, chief executive officer of the Chamber, says the building would catalyze an entire block of downtown, as well as serving as a hub for economic development by consolidating some of the region's major players in one building. "Finally, the building would offer a substantial expansion of downtown housing -- one of the key components to continuing downtown revitalization." Richard Manship, whose family owns the site on Lafayette Street between North and Main streets, says the project would "create a special place in downtown Baton Rouge" and would offer easy access to the core of downtown and Capitol Park.

Bluebonnet: more fitting of a riverside park than a casino. In fact, its more fittting for a supertarget or wal mart than a casino...at least that way the nearby residents can shop there. Major Drawbacks: 1. There is nothing thre but reisdential....so the casino patrons will drive through it. The Casino will have its own restarant, bar, and hotel. It will sustain itself. 2. It would probably generate more useful traffic (pedestrian and otherwise) if it were placed downtown or old south Baton Rouge....or even off of Court Street in Port Allen. 3. Chances are, it will put the Belle of Baton Rouge out of business. This will only hurt downtown. Bluebonnet doesn't need help with development. Downtown still does. I plan on writing to every person of government I know to block the Bluebonnet Casino. I am not against a third riverboat....just against one right there. I'd advise you to do the same. Riverboats (and adult entertainment) should go Downtown. Bluebonnet already has a huge amount of retail and commercial development on the way....but this is too far.

Good job...but Riverplace is one block north of where you have it (I think). That little red building there on the left of your rendering is the old Advocate structure. Riverplace is goint to be in the parking lot across Main street. edit: nevermind. I think that is the right location.

Sure hope not. St. Francisville and New Roads are some of the nicest small towns in Louisiana. A worker already died during construction (a 19 year old at that) already. A small crane collapsed while they were driving piles on the New Roads side. They had better get their act together quick. It used to be that on large projects you would lose a few workers.....that shouldn't happen any more ever in the US. Office space in New Roads is kind of scarce now....lots of bridge people leasing it up for the next three years.

It will never ever happen...not in Baton Rouge. Both residents and proposed residents would have to vote. EBR already has a consolidated government. There is no city council, but a metro council. No mayor, but a mayor-president. I could live in my own school district (Central, Zachary, or Baker) and vote for mayor. The city government already is the parish government. (Notice the Green Light plan is for EBR not just BR). Your property taxes are pretty much the same throughout. No benefit unless you want city police patrol (that is no benefit at all over sheriff's patrol) and no chance of separating from EBR public schools. Think about it....it is a better system if you are working class with children. If anything, I see the unincorporated areas becoming incorporated, but as separate cities to creat their own school system. Zachary, Baker, Central, and I see unincoporated portions of South BR creating a new city to get out of the BR school system, taking Woodlawn High with them. If central goes through (and it will on appeal, as the NAACP seems to be judge shopping as usual). expect Baker's district to expand, and parts of unincorporated South Baton Rouge follow suit. Never underestimate parents voting for their children's education. Turnout would be high and in favor of the new district. If I was a homeowner in South Baton Rouge in Shenedoah or something, I would vote to create a new town if I could. Eventually, get a neighborhood school system. With that, there is a chance of your children getting a decent education and still live in EBR without paying tuition. People don't like paying property taxes on school districts that suck. This is probably East Baton Rouge's only hope to get mass residential development that keeps going to ascension and livingston. If Central and eventually South BR succede from the school system, I can see East Baton Rouge jump to 600,000 to 650,000 people in a mater of a decade. The Central Thruway combined with a very good school system will cause a huge jump in population. It might be too tempting for Broadmoor and Sherwood residents....the grass will be that much greener across the river. What we should all be watching is West Baton Rouge. There are at least three proposed 300-400 home subdivisions between Port Allen and Brusly ....and it is because their schools have been steadily improving over the last 10 years. Not to the greatness of Dutchtown or Woodlawn (if you consider that great), but very good still...and the parochial schools there are solid while very affordable. That will help downtown and the LSU area a lot. It would be easier for those folks to shop at inner city malls or downtown, as they are only a few minutes away. You have to distribute population better than Baton Rouge to have a healthy city center. That will be happening shortly. Hopefully, Ponte Coupee will get the picture. Livonia is growing fast because it has the only decent high school in the parish. Livonia is only about 25 minutes from downtown BR. I wouldn't be surprised if in 2010 it is larger than New Roads. Yes, Baton Rouge is destined to be a huge city...but it will develop a lot like the Tampa Bay area. Tampa is only about 300,000 people are so, but there are three cities there. Clearwater, St. Pete, Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, and Largo are all in the mix (and still probably smaller as a whole than Houston)...making Tampa much bigger than places like New Orleans, probably more comparable to Austin. Metro populations are a better measure of population nowadays. I see New Orleans growing more toward BR and Hammond...BR growing a lot toward the south...then you have a huge megalopolis like the Baltimore-Washington DC area. There are a few things that have to happen, though: 1. Better freeways...the city is getting more and more spread out. I 12 needs to be 6 lanes between O'Neal lane and Walker. I 10 needs one more lane in each direction between LA 415 and Prairieville. 2. Interstate loop, probably a Northern loop. To anyone that travels across the south often, Baton Rouge is the number one traffic jam between Jacksonville and Houston (and Houston is not that bad if you take the northern beltway). It takes at least an hour to get from LA 415 in WBR to the Livingston parish line most weekdays....I'd gladly pay 4 and 5 dollars for a toll loop that would save me a half our to 45 minutes. I do it every time I go to Conroe, Tampa, and Atlanta. 3. Better police protection. BRDP is too small...and the EBR sheriff needs more and more money for expansion.

Is mid-city really getting any better? I notice some progress, but most of the new businesses seem to be pay-day loans and pawn shops....I don't consider that progress. I consider those businesses, especially payday loans, to be dishonest and filthy. Oh, and are there any plans to add a smaller movie theater in North BR?

It wouldn't hurt...but Casinos tend to be self sustaining. They put their own restarants, parking, shopping areas, and Hotels. A lot of people say that the casinos in Baton Rouge have helped downtown so much, but other than the immediate block or two (and cleaning up Catfish Town), I don't think they have done their part. Baton Rouge desperately needs a new Hotel in Downtown- if it means we have to get a Casino, then fine. I hope they tear down the municipal dock south of the bridge and put a nice riverboat there. Its just a matter of time....so close for someone to come out with a really hot club, or some kind of destination (River center is too far south). It would take a number of people Downtown to keep those kinds of late night businesses open and running. I think that there should be a huge push to get LSU students out there. SoGo and Spanish Moon do this. The problem is that they are the only ones on their block. There should be a strip- of businesses like that. Third Street is ripe for that kind of thing. The clubs there just can't seem to stay open. (Parrot Beach/Reachouxs have changed names a dozen times in four years). Maybe this football season would work better. A Walk-On's type sports bar would work well... What else would help downtown and old south? Get some of those West Baton Rouge land owners to sell their land to residential developers. Get more people driving to town in that direction. BR is a weird shape, and that is why Corporate/ College is such a hotbed...because it is the center of the city. If we could get LSU students or faculty to move across the bridge, I think that Downtown would flourish. No night life whatsoever in WBR....Downtown is only 5 minutes away, LSU is another 5. Baton Rougeons are afraid of that bridge. When you think about it, there are 5 or 6 major retail stores not a mile outside of downtown. There is your support right there. Throw in the proposed super wal mart on LA1- and it would be easier for LSU students to drive there than to College drive. More traffic in old south and more traffic downtown....traffic usually means development.

I have noticed since I have been in BR that downtown is pretty much dead after 8pm most nights....except for some activity at the Shaw Center (Tsunami-but what good is it for local retailers to have everyone 12 stories up). There are exceptions, but not many. 3rd street is nice, but it bothers me that its only a fairly warm destination one or two nights a week. Spanish Moon is a hot spot....but it is not downtown. Even some kind of call center office that is open at night would work (those workers need coffee breaks, take out food, and office supplies)- they seem to stay in the Essen Lane, Sherwood Forest areas, though. Any plans for a new Hotel other than the Hilton? Baton Rouge needs another couple of hundred people in the 3rd street area every night if this development is going to continue. A hotel is probably the easiest way to do that. Something has to sustain the areas Monday-Thursday. Even a really hot ground level steakhouse or restarant would work (Superior, TJ Ribs types) for the young proffesional types. The condo developments will help, but I still haven't seen any construction yet at RiverPlace. I'll believe the 36 story development when they start building it. My friends were looking for loft type spaces downtown- couldnt' find anything. There is huge demand for that, but no one seems to supply. I think in order for older residents to move into downtown, you need to have a major grocery store chain somewhere in Mid-City or Old South BR. You could get college students there easily right now, but prices are just too high, and parking is too difficult. Mr. Holden needs to go through a very public campaign of walking police officers in the residential areas downtown. It needs to gain a reputation of being safe, well-lit, and affordable at the same time. It just doesn't seem to be any of those now. I feel like the Baton Rouge police department is almost an absentee land lord when it comes to downtown. Make a presence there, old south, and mid city... To seal the deal on Downdown development would mean making an attractive, safe neighborhood out of Old South. Trying to get students and middle and upper class African Americans there...good citizens that will call the police if something happens, and drive that crime element out. Get some LSU students and younger proffesionals living closer to Downtown, and it could be as successful as Lafayette's. You can barely drive through downtown Lafayette on school week nights and on weekends because of all the pedestrians. Now that is what Baton Rouge needs. Forget blocking drink specials- bring on the casinos, bars, comedy clubs and adult playgrounds. Business during the day, fun after dark....that would be cool. Baton Rouge will be in a boom this next decade...and if old south and mid city is not clean or safe, then much of the development will skip over downtown in favor of Sherwood Forest, Essen Lane, or Bluebonnet (or worse, Houston). They are on their way, but it isn't happening fast enough. The Mayor should be making a big deal out of fighting crime in these areas.