nquint1

I'm not sure exactly sure what the volunteers do. I'll be working in the children's village, and I've been told not to expect any help because they're so short-staffed. I can tell you the volunteers would've watched the tent while I went to the bathroom. Now I guess I have to wear Depends

Where is Westport? Do they mean S Westport Dr. in Port Allen?

If anyone is interested in volunteering for Fest for All please do. I know they are really short-handed this year. Kind of strange because it feels like more and more people are volunteering these days

Wow, DDD is WAY underfunded. They certainly do a lot with the money they have.

Renaissance Park, I believe it's called, is being occupied right now. I think it's FEMA? It would be nice if it was redeveloped. Especially since you can see it from Florida.

I posted about this in the Acadian Village thread, but Cornerstone Glass has moved to the corner of N. Ardenwood and Florida. That whole shopping center is getting a much needed makeover. The progress has been really slow, but once it's done that area should look much better with BREC's hq across the street.

Richard Preis will be on Jim Engster tomorrow(Wed.) morning. It's on fm 89.3 and starts at 9am. Maybe he'll have good news about River Place! At any rate, it's a good oppurtunity to call in and ask him questions about both Howell Place and River Place.

Glad to see things moving forward with this development

Yes they will be replacing the existing married housing. They're looking at redeveloping all the land on that side of Nicholson from the south gates to Skip Bertman Dr. I was just thinking how cool it would be for the restaurant to house the Andonie Museum. They could also leave home plate in it's original location and make it part of the museum.

I know that other universities have bars on campus. The one that comes to mind is Rice. LSU is so money hungry that I'm sure they'll let a bar/grill open at the old Alex Box. It's a perfect location being near the athletic facilities and parking lots. I always thought they should open a bar in the basement of Johnston, Hatcher or one of those other buildings that back up to the east side of Tiger Stadium. When they redevelop this area I'd like to see the buildings closer to Nicholson with the parking alond the railroad tracks behind the buildings.

Thanks for posting about this! I went to Notoco a week ago and was surprised to see the shopping center nearly complete. I think the new Party Time is going up behind this shopping center???

The building on the corner of 7th and Convention has been demolished. I guess work on the park will begin soon.

Say hello to downtown's newest resident. I got a great little one bedroom apartment on North Blvd. I can barely make out the new courthouse and II City Plaza from my windows! On a side note: The sidewalks downtown are terrible. I've worked downtown for a few years but never noticed this until I rode my bike to work. In a lot of spots tree roots have caused the sidewalk to be badly uneven.

The concepts from Brown + Danos are listed on the Riverfront Masterplan website. I'm EXTREMELY pleased with them! The Arpents and Currents concepts are a really interesting way of looking at the space. Placing a smaller stage at the end of Lafayette St. is a great idea! The library will certainly be more noticeable when everything is finished. It'll be interesting to see what the plans are for that building. The best part about this is the team who is working on the Town Square is made up of people who work downtown. It's great to see what the talent in downtown Baton Rouge can produce! http://www.batonrougeriverfront.com/

Will anyone be going to any of the events downtown tomorrow? I can't wait to see what Kress at 3rd and Main looks like, but I won't be able to make it. I'd love to hear from anyone who is able to go!

I heard a commercial on the radio today for The Big Leagues of Baton Rouge. They said they have facilities on Siegen and Burbank. Did they buy Hardt of Champions?

Last I heard, the financial crisis was affecting The Renaissance. What a shame because of all the proposed hotels in Baton Rouge this one was the most exciting(that is until more pop up downtown!). I'm sure it'll get done at some point. It will just be delayed for awhile.

Singing River Mall remake receives support Jackson County is on board to help Gautier secure the redevelopment of Singing River Mall. A subsidiary of a development corporation headed by cardiologist and real estate developer Bharat Sangani of Sangani Boulevard retail fame in D'Iberville is proposing buying the mall and making big changes to the tune of $100 million. A piece of the puzzle would be for the city and county to issue special bonds and pledge a portion of the taxes that such a redevelopment would generate to paying off those bonds. They are called TIF bonds - tax increment financing - a type that Sangani, D'Iberville and Harrison County used to develop the Sangani Boulevard retail area. http://www.sunherald.com/local/story/817651.html This has the potential to be huge for Jackson County. In addition to what's mentioned in the article, I'd like to see them convert the enclosed mall into an open-air mall and add some residential units to the property.

Jarreau Cos. begins Perkins renovation Donnie Jarreau Cos. has filed a $1.3 million permit to renovate and rebuild the former Perkins Hardware site that burned in late 2006. Jarreau will complete a 13,400-square-foot project in the Perkins Overpass District that calls for two to three ground-floor restaurant/retail spaces and two to four adjoining apartments. The project, called the Perkins Renaissance Development, should be completed in the first quarter 2009, said company spokeswoman Sage Roberts. Jarreau has a

A good example of a development that could be much better with better connectivity. Here's a link to their site. They have some maps of the property there. http://www.jamestownatoldperkins.com/index.htm Perkins development pre-sells 30 homes Alvarez Construction has pre-sold 30 homes in its sprawling, 100-acre Jamestown at Old Perkins development at Perkins Road and Pecue Lane. Developer Jairo Alvarez said Wednesday that construction is set to start next week on the homes in the Lakes at Jamestown, the residential part of the larger project. The houses will range from 2,000 to 2,400 square feet. Prices will be in the $250,000 range. After buying the 108-acre tract for $8.3 million in January 2007, Alvarez unveiled plans for a mix of residential, commercial and retail development. The project includes the rerouting of Pecue Lane on the north side of Perkins so that it forms a direct connection on the south side. http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/27535624.html

Acme Oyster House opening Sept. 5 Just in time for LSU football season, Acme Oyster House is opening Sept. 5 on Perkins Road at the former Acadian Village Shopping Center, a manager at the New Orleans restaurant said today. The opening date is the Friday before LSU

Between this article and the one that ran a few weeks ago about bioswales, Woman's Hospital has gone above and beyond what I had imagined. Woman's outlines project Development would include housing, offices Woman

I am very excited about this property as well.

Anyone have Shaq's number? Maybe he can help jump start a residential boom downtown. How about building something in Baton Rouge? Former LSU basketball star Shaquille O'Neal is getting in the real estate development business, The New York Times reports. O'Neal plans to build a 25-story condominium tower in downtown Newark, N.J., a $90 million project that would be the first luxury residential project in the city in four decades. "I

It sounds like the plans for the Wyndham Harbor Pointe have been scratched. A Hyatt is impressive, but I would have rather had the Wyndham. There are plenty of great locations for a Hyatt. Maybe the Wyndham Harbor Pointe will move to the old Broadwater site!