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Two Spanish Town apartment buildings to be bought in December, developer says After nearly two years of trying to make the numbers work, developer John Schneider is finally ready to buy two historic but badly dilapidated apartment buildings in the 600 block of Spanish Town Road. Schneider says a late December closing is set for the sale of the 1920s-era buildings that were the subject of a showdown about three years ago between preservationists who fought to save them and property owner Stuart Nixon, who wanted to raze them after a fire ravaged one of the two. Schneider says the deal has taken longer than expected to come together because the price of properly restoring the architecturally significant structures is so high—even given $250,000 of state historic tax credits he is expecting to earn in the renovation process. "It will take $800,000 to renovate them, and the buildings only appraise at $650,000, so that has been the challenge," he says. "The easiest thing to do would be to tear them both down and start over." But Schneider, who has a track record of renovating historic properties downtown, says he wants to help the neighborhood and believes in the long run the risk will have been worth taking. "You hate to say this is a loss leader, but that is pretty much the approach we are taking. You are doing something that will help bring you the next project," he says. Schneider says he has two equity partners in the deal; he declined to divulge the agreed upon sale price. —Stephanie Riegel Businessreport.com

Third Street building slated for renovation The roughly 4,000-square-foot building at 336 Third St. in downtown Baton Rouge that, until a week ago, was home to Riverside Patty for the past 30 years, is slated to undergo a significant renovation as negotiations with potential new tenants get under way. "It needs some work. So we’re going to go in there and kind of gut it to a large extent, and then, depending on the tenant, renovate it to suit their needs," says building owner Gordon LeBlanc Jr. "We plan on beginning the renovation in the next month or two and getting a new tenant in there a couple months after that." LeBlanc says a wall that currently divides the interior will be taken out to "open the building up a little and give people a better feel for its possibilities." A number of potential tenants have already expressed interest in the location, LeBlanc says. "We’re open to a number of uses, and we have been talking to a couple people who are interested, but we’ve not reached an agreement with one." Riverside Patty owner Nader Tahmasebi closed his original downtown restaurant (a second location off Siegen Lane is still open) on Wednesday, Nov. 21, because he couldn’t work out a new lease deal with LeBlanc. Also, he says, revenue had been siphoned off in recent years from the increase in competition from food trucks. You can read more about Riverside Patty’s closing from Daily Report here. —Steve Sanoski Businessreport.com

Venyu expanding data center Venyu, which operates a massive, 17,000-square-foot data center on Florida Boulevard, is in the process of adding another 10,000 square feet to its facility, CEO Scott Thompson says. The investment could be worth as much as $20 million, he says, noting that the company is also considering adding another 10,000 to 15,000 square feet to the 10,000-square-foot facility it has in Bossier City. "We have the only two commercially available data centers in Louisiana," he says. Thompson says the data center in Baton Rouge meets Tier III industry standards, which generally guarantees better than 99.9% uptime. "That means that we have redundancy at every critical path of infrastructure," he says. "We usually have two or more of what is required to provide the services that we do." Though Thompson asked that the Baton Rouge data center's users not be mentioned by name, he says several of the region's most high-profile firms store their information with Venyu. —David Jacobs Businessreport.com

Turkoyz jewelry and home furnishings coming to Towne Center A jewelry store and home furnishing store, both based in Jackson, Miss., are moving to Towne Center by early next year. The owners, Alan and Fran Weeks, say they plan to open both Turkoyz and Turkoyz @ HOME near one another in January or February. The jewelry store, Turkoyz, will be located near Mignon haget. Alan Weeks says Turkoyz will not be in direct competition with the fine jewelry store. "We're more fashion jewelry," he says. Turkoyz @ HOME will be located next to American Eagle Outfitters and RussoRoss. Alan Weeks says Turkoyz has eyed an expansion into the Baton Rouge market for a while because college towns have proven to be a valuable market. Turkoyz is also located in Hattiesburg and Oxford, Miss., as well as Covington and Memphis, Tenn. The first store opened in Jackson six years ago. Turkoyz @ HOME is making Baton Rouge its third location, with other stores in Jackson and Memphis. The stores carry small furniture, picture frames, candles, and about 10 different pottery lines that are mostly based in Mississippi among local craftsmen and artists. Good store managers, says Alan Weeks, have led to the success of Turkoyz's expansion, and the stores will attempt to do the same in Baton Rouge. "We're definitely looking for people," he says. —Adam Pearson Businessreport.com

Acadian Perkins Plaza is filling up Leasing activity is picking up at Acadian Perkins Plaza, the Claitor family's newly renovated shopping center on the corner of Perkins Road and South Acadian Thruway. John Claitor confirms he is negotiating with two national restaurant chains interested in moving into the center, which was heavily damaged in a New Year's Day 2010 fire, as well as with local Subway franchisee Andy Kimball. "There are a lot of people in that area, and there aren't a lot of places to eat," says Kimball, who owns more than a dozen Subway restaurants in the area. "The location makes sense." While the Subway deal is still in the works, two other tenants have recently joined Burger Smith, an AT&T store, a skateboarding shop, and a belly dance studio in the center: Girly Cute Boutique and Euphoria Nails. Both have opened in the past month. Claitor declines to identify the national restaurant chains he's in talks with but says he's trying to be selective with prospective tenants, especially considering the higher-end strip center across the street—Commercial Property's Acadian Village, which has both a Galatoire's Bistro and a Trader Joe's under development. "We want to make sure we make the right choice with our tenant mix," says Claitor. "We don't want to just jump at the first thing that comes along." —Stephanie Riegel Businessreport.com

Downtown stage sculpture should be complete by year's end The stainless steel sculpture that will double as a canopy for the Town Square stage now has a name: The Crest. DDD Executive Director Davis Rhorer says the pieces are being shipped to Baton Rouge, and on-site construction is expected to begin Nov. 26 and be finished by the end of December. "It's a very unique thing," Rhorer says. "It will certainly be an iconic piece for the city." The structure was the source of some controversy among Metro Council members dating back to last year, largely thanks to its $900,000 price tag, but it ultimately got the council's blessing. Also discussed at the DDD's monthly meeting today: —Rhorer says some downtown business owners have been complaining about food trucks making noise, parking close to bricks-and-mortar restaurants, and not obeying the two-hour on-street parking limit. "They need to be respectful of our existing businesses who pay market-rate rent," Rhorer says. "I personally love food trucks, but there's a place for them at special events and at times when some of the existing restaurants are not open." —Commission member Van Mayhall Jr. has asked the DDD to research the possibility of branding Baton Rouge as the "literary capital of Louisiana." —The Jimmy John's restaurant in the state garage building at Third and Convention streets is shooting for a Dec. 18 opening date. —Design work for the Commerce Building renovations is beginning; people can give input and sign up for a newsletter at commercebldg.com. —BREADA will hold a special pre-Thanksgiving farmers' market on Wednesday, Nov. 21, behind Pennington Biomedical Research Center, where the Thursday market usually would be held, from 8 a.m. until noon. —David Jacobs Businessreport.com

Frankie Marcello's restaurant slated for Perkins Road and Essen Lane A family-style restaurant serving Italian fare, seafood and steaks is slated to open early next year on Perkins Road at Essen Lane, according to a business partner involved in the project. The site, which most recently housed a short-lived Mexican restaurant, was originally a Calendar's Restaurant. Frankie Marcello's, as the new eatery will be called, will feature favorite Louisiana dishes that blend Sicilian-style Italian cuisine with local seafood, according to Bunkie Hughes, who has partnered with a Mandeville-based restaurant family in the project. For the past two weeks, work crews have been preparing to begin extensive renovations to the 3,600-square-foot space at 7520 Perkins Road. Renovations are scheduled to be complete in time for a January opening. Frankie Marcello's will also offer full-service catering. —Stephanie Riegel Businessreport.com

Blount breathing new life into stalled Walker subdivision An 18-lot subdivision on Peak Lane, just off Florida Boulevard in Walker, has been purchased by Blount General Contractors and is once again under development after having stalled out and been foreclosed on by American Gateway Bank in recent years. Blount purchased the undeveloped lots from Gateway in July, says the firm's managing member, John Blount, and has since begun constructing homes on five of them. "We've already sold four of them and we've just gotten started, so we're pretty pleased with the response so far," Blount says. All of the homes in the subdivision, which will be called Park Gardens, will measure from 1,300 feet to 1,500 square feet and will be priced somewhere around $140,000 to $160,000. Blount says he hopes to have the entire subdivision built out within 12 to 18 months. The project began in 2010, he says, but was foreclosed on about a year later by American Gateway, which then completed some unfinished drainage and other site work before selling to Blount. The subdivision will be built along one road with a cul-de-sac, Blount says. "It's a great setting. There's a little lake on the property, and it's just three minutes from the interstate," he says. The Walker-based firm has previously developed many subdivisions in Livingston Parish, including Spring Lake, Cross Creek and Cross Creek Gardens. The purchase price of the subdivision was not disclosed. —Steve Sanoski Businessreport.com

There has to be demand somewhere for BR to be getting these hotels built and proposed. Glad to see it nonetheless.

Wampold buys site near Marriott for a hotel and restaurant Developer Mike Wampold has plans for a new hotel and restaurant on a 2.5-acre tract he purchased Wednesday across from the Marriott Hotel at 5500 Hilton Avenue. Wampold paid $1.35 million for the property, which extends from Corporate Boulevard all the way back to Bankers Avenue, after eyeing it for a long time. The property was owned by the T.D. Bickham Estate and only recently became available. "I think it's a great potential restaurant and hotel site," Wampold says. "That site has great visibility from the interstate and from Corporate Boulevard, and there is not much land left. I just saw it as an opportunity." Wampold says he would like to see a restaurant along the lines of upscale casual dining chain Houston's get developed on the site, adding that he's not in negotiations with any specific restaurant chain at the moment. A hotel is not likely before 2014, he says, though a restaurant could open sooner. —Stephanie Riegel Businessrepot.com

N.O. tech and professional services firm opening B.R. office GCR Inc., a New Orleans-based technology and professional services company, today laid out its plans for a recently opened Baton Rouge office at 5153 Bluebonnet Blvd., suite B. The company, which also recently opened a new office in Los Angeles, says it intends to recruit from a pool of qualified professionals in the Capital Region to fill the Baton Rouge office and support its growing international client base. The new offices are part of a growth strategy developed by the company's new CEO, Joseph Doherty. "Employees based in the Baton Rouge office may find themselves working for clients based in this region or as far away as Asia, Latin America or Bermuda," Doherty says in a prepared statement. Five employees are currently staffing the Baton Rouge office, and Doherty says he expects that number to grow to 20. GCR currently employs a total of 130 professionals in its various offices. Its client base includes those in the fields of aviation; elections; federal, state and municipal government; law enforcement; nuclear power; real estate; and law. Businessreport.com

CF Industries announces $2.1B expansion CF Industries, a major fertilizer maker, is planning to build a $2.1 billion expansion at its nitrogen complex located next to the Mississippi River in Ascension Parish. The capital improvements project is expected to create 93 new jobs with an average salary of $56,500 plus benefits, state economic development officials say. "CF Industries could have invested in another state, but they chose to expand here because of our strong business climate, abundant supply of natural gas, world class infrastructure and incomparable workforce," Gov. Bobby Jindal says. Based in Deerfield, Ill., CF Industries operates seven nitrogen facilities in the U.S. and Canada, and the Donaldsonville site is the largest nitrogen complex in North America, the company says. To land the deal, LED is providing the company an incentive package that includes a $3 million Modernization Tax Credit, payable over five years; a performance-based $2 million Economic Development Loan Program award that is forgivable if the company meets payroll targets; and the services of the LED FastStart workforce development training program. Businessreport.com

JuJu's Boutique to move into old Bellue's location on Jefferson The void left in the Pearson's Travel World Luggage shopping center, on Jefferson Highway, by the departure of Bellue's in July will be filled in February with the opening of JuJu's Boutique, says JuJu's owner Sherri Duplantis. Jerry Pearson, owner of the shopping center, says he is renovating the 2,300-square-foot space that had been home to the Cajun delicatessen for the past seven years and could have it ready by Thanksgiving. But Duplantis, who opened her first JuJu's in Houma in October 2007, says she prefers to wait until Feb. 1 to open her first Baton Rouge location. She says it's more about waiting for the short winter season to pass and getting beyond the deep discounts shoppers expect after the holidays. "I just thought it would be better to start off with the spring merchandise instead of winter," says Duplantis. JuJu's also has a four-year-old location in Lafayette and on Thursday is opening a new location in Mandeville. Duplantis says she is a shopper of Towne Center and feels JuJu's will be a good fit in Baton Rouge at the nearby Pearson's Travel World Luggage center. Pearson agrees. "I feel very comfortable that JuJu's customer base will shop with us," Pearson says. Duplantis says JuJu's is a one-stop women's boutique with shoes, clothing and accessories, which makes customer service a high priority. "We try to be your stylist when you come in," Duplantis says. The store doesn't have a website, Duplantis says, but can be found on Facebook here. —Adam Pearson Businessreport.com

No problem richy! I heard they are having disputes whether to build the library or not. Permit issues i believe. Just wouldnt be the same without it IMO, but i believe spinosa will find a way to fit it in there eventually! Cant wait until this complete! Going to be nice!

Woodlake Drive bridge construction to take 275 days, yet start date unknown When Mayor Kip Holden proposed his $900 million bond issue in 2008, one project on the list was to replace the bridge on Woodlake Drive crossing Jones Creek for a projected cost of $1.5 million. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development closed the bridge in May; it is now projected to cost $2 million to replace. David Guillory, interim director of the city-parish Department of Public Works, says a construction timetable for the bridge is 275 days. But construction won't begin until the utilities—electricity, sewer—that it hoists are rerouted. "It wasn't easy just to start taking it down," Guillory says. He couldn't say how soon construction could start. There are more than 100 bridges that have been propped with wood and creosote poles for decades that need replacing, Holden noted in a mayoral forum earlier this month. Voters rejected Holden's $900 million proposal. Guillory says the Woodlake bridge was repaired with timber a couple of years ago—which "bought us some more time"—but the DOTD later closed the deficient bridge. For three years now, White Oak and Shenandoah residents have been navigating other Green Light Plan projects in the vicinity: on Harrell's Ferry Road, Jones Creek Road and O'Neal Lane. Guillory says the 220-foot, two-lane Woodlake bridge will include sidewalks when completed. —Adam Pearson Businessreport.com

Two specialty boutiques move to Highland Place Highland Place, the upscale shopping center on Highland Road near Perkins Road, has two new tenants—and they are both locally owned, specialty boutiques. Elle Apparel & Accessories, which caters to tweens and juniors with fashionable yet affordable dresses and apparel, opened earlier this week in a 1,038-square-foot space. Lukka, which will sell high-end women's shoes, clothing and accessories, is opening next month in a nearby 1,400-square-foot space. "The entrepreneurial spirit is still very much alive and well," says Mark Hebert, of Kurz & Hebert Commercial Real Estate, who inked the deals. "That area is particularly attractive because within a five-mile radius of that area you have the highest household income in the state." That demographic is, in part, what attracted Elle's owners, friends Debi Grymes and Laura Maestri, to the site. Grymes previously owned The Little House in Towne Center, which has been closed several years, while Maestri owned The Enchanted Closet on Lee Drive, which ceased doing business earlier this year. "This has been a dream of ours. It's something we've always wanted to do," says Grymes. "We think people will come to this location. We hope they will." —Stephanie Riegel Businessreport.com

Draft report shows Rouzan traffic impact The draft of a 2011 traffic impact analysis on Rouzan obtained by Daily Report shows that the planned traditional neighborhood development adjacent to Southdowns could make some of south Baton Rouge's most congested intersections even more gridlocked. Among the most adversely affected would be College/Lee Drive and Perkins Road, where the delay per vehicle during evening rush hour would increase from an average of 74.5 seconds—an E on the industry's A-F grading scale—to an average of 98.9 seconds, an F. However, Rouzan developer Tommy Spinosa says he is working with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development on several proposed improvements to the area that will mitigate Rouzan's impact on local traffic. "We will invest over half a million dollars on infrastructure improvements to address existing traffic congestion and mitigate the impact of new trips associated with Rouzan," Spinosa says. "This will include turn lanes on Perkins Road, modifications to signalization, and a new right turn lane on Glasgow to address an existing need." —Stephanie Riegel Read full story here. Businessreport.com

Two more subdivisions proposed for Hoo Shoo Too Road area When the 90-home gated community of Mallard Park was proposed north of Hoo Shoo Too Road in May, the city-parish Planning Commission denied the development because the developer refused to connect it to outside streets. The Metro Council gave Mallard Park final approval anyway, overriding the Planning Commission. Now come proposals for 239 more homes in the same area. Oak Ridge Estates would be a 149-lot development south of Elliott Road, a little more than half a mile northwest of the intersection of Elliott and Hoo Shoo Too; Mallard Trails would be a 90-lot development in the 22250 block of Hoo Shoo Too, east of Wood Duck Drive. Both developments appear to have extra connectivity rather than one entrance and exit, says Planning Commission spokesman Ryan Holcomb. "I think we'll be able to get the approval," says Mallard Trails developer George Robinson, declining to give details about the 56-acre subdivision. Applicant Brandon Dodson could not be reached for comment on the proposed 66-acre Oak Ridge Estates. Holcomb says details about both developments could be on the Planning Commission's website by Nov. 2. The commission could hear the proposals Nov. 13. —Adam Pearson

Famous Dave's BBQ chain looking at B.R. for first Louisiana locations Saying it plans "to have a very strong presence in the area" in the next few years, Minnesota-based BBQ franchise Famous Dave's is eyeing Baton Rouge to make its entry into the Louisiana market. "I can't give you an exact timeline yet, but we're working very, very hard to finalize our group of franchise candidates," says Brett Larrabee, director of franchise development for the chain. "There's going to be several [restaurants], and we're planning on going to Baton Rouge because it's a great market, a great demographic, full of people who love great food and great barbeque." Larrabee says the New Orleans market is also being considered. Famous Dave's currently owns and operates 53 restaurants, and franchises another 133 across 35 states. "There's a few in Texas, and one that's open and another that's being built in Florida right now, but the Southeast has kind of been the region that we've chose to develop last," Larrabee says. Famous Dave's has both full-service, casual dining locations and a smaller, fast-casual concept. —Steve Sanoski

BASF breaking ground on new Geismar production plant today Global chemicals firm BASF will break ground today on a new formic acid production plant in Geismar that the company says is the first of its kind in North America. A 2 p.m. groundbreaking ceremony will take place to mark the start of construction on the plant, which is part of a roughly $300 million expansion of BASF's Geismar facilities on La. 30. The plant is expected to become operational in the second quarter of 2014. When it does, BASF says, it will allow the company to better serve strategic markets in North and South America, as well as provide applications for pharmaceuticals, energy, animal nutrition, leather and cleaning products. Formic acid is used in a wide range of ways, from de-icing roads and airport runways to industrial cleaning and shale gas exploration. It can even provide protection for animal feed. BASF currently operates two formic acid plants in Germany and China.

Smart growth residences planned in Mid City Where most Baton Rougeans only see an empty field at Government Street and Croydon Avenue, Michael Hogstrom sees the future of smart-growth development in Baton Rouge and eight new residences for Mid City. Last April, the developer quit his job at URS to form Onsite Design. The 35-year-old had secured three lots comprising the 1.4-acre property to begin designing a community he's calling E'tage Gardens. Each of the eight homes he envisions will measure about 5,000 square feet in size—single-family housing that the city-parish's new land-use plan says "should be permitted." "This is kind of the poster child for FuturEBR, I think," Hogstrom says. Earlier this month, Hogstrom submitted an application to the Planning Commission to rezone the residential property to infill/mixed-use, small-planned unit development, or ISPUD. "This project is designed to promote views in/out of site, pedestrian walkability, community connectivity, historic preservation, and high-quality residential housing," Hogstrom says in the application. He says he has discussed the potential development with neighbors and drummed up interest among retiring baby boomers and empty nesters. "My phone has been ringing off the hook," Hogstrom says. In about three weeks he plans to host an open house at the site. As far as Hogstrom has been able to determine, the lots have only been used as farmland in the past. "It's not often you see empty lots," he says. —Adam Pearson

Lipsey's readies site for new, larger B.R. headquarters Lipsey's Inc. is preparing to break ground in early December on a new 80,000-square-foot warehouse on the corner of Reiger Road and Exchequer Boulevard that will house the offices and distribution center for the wholesale firearms distributor. Lipsey's purchased the 5.5-acre lot—the last vacant parcel along the industrial strip—from the Casemore family in July. If all goes according to schedule, the company will move its headquarters, currently located about 200 yards away on Exchequer, to the new site in December 2013. "We have grown so extensively in the past few years, we have just run out of space," says Lipsey's founder and CEO Richard Lipsey. "We have no place to put our merchandise." The expansion will give Lipsey's more than twice as much space as it currently has; the company's existing headquarters is located in a 30,000-square-foot warehouse. "We are just packed in here," says Lipsey, who notes sales this year are up 30% over 2011. —Stephanie Riegel

Car auctioneer says it will employ 100 at BTR by end of 2013 By January, the Baton Rouge Metro Airport could begin flying dozens of car salesmen in and out of the city on a weekly basis. That's when ABC Baton Rouge plans to open the bidding process at used-car auctions in the Aviation Business Park at BRT. The car auctions could initially move up to 600 cars a week to dealerships in the Gulf Coast region, with a projected start in mid-January, says ABC Baton Rouge managing partner Butch Royall, who estimates the Capital Region could see as many as 35,000 cars auctioned off by the end of next year. "We can't believe this city does not have an auction," says Royall, who has spent 48 years in the business, mainly for ABC's nationwide parent company, Auction Broadcasting Co. "Somehow the industry hadn't noticed Baton Rouge. It's sort of a long, overdue process." The Baton Rouge Metro Airport is clearing 20 acres of woods on the north end of the airport to make way for a $2 million, climate-controlled warehouse for ABC Baton Rouge. "It's part of one of our first developments for the Aviation Business Park," says Jason Wilson, an administration and development manager at the airport. The bulk of cars that ABC will auction are those that were leased for about two years by car-rental companies, banks, and real estate and pharmaceutical companies, Royall says. The auctions will be open only to licensed car dealers. —Adam Pearson Read full story here.

Hey guys im back, I wanted to post here becuase I was driving on coursey blvd, and saw where they building on 2 sites! one by the dollar general near walmart and one by the walmart on market st. Interested in seeing what will be at those sites. Also they are clearing all the trees along and near the road between Coursey and Tiger Bend, Probably about to widen Jones Creek if you ask me.

Panera Bread looks to break ground in B.R. by June A long-planned Panera Bread franchise in Baton Rouge is nearing fruition, says franchisee Tom Krings, who estimates a Corporate Boulevard land lease will be completed in the next 30 days and construction will begin in about two months. "We think we're on the final leg," Krings says. "We're as anxious as anyone else to get things rolling down there. Unfortunately, at this point, we don't have an anticipated opening date." The Baton Rouge location, which is planned to be built next to MidSouth Bank, will be the first Panera Bread in Louisiana. Krings, who has 19 Panera Bread franchises in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina, says he would eventually like to see Baton Rouge with two franchises and several others throughout south Louisiana. "In the next two to three years, I'd like to see about 15 locations in the area, between Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles and the New Orleans area," he says. Based in St. Louis and founded in 1981, Panera Bread has more than 1,500 restaurants in 40 states. According to industry analyst Technomic, Panera Bread revenue grew 10.1% in 2011, with sales of $3.3 billion, making the café-bakery chain one of the fastest growing in the country. A planned Baton Rouge location was first reported back in November 2010. Businessreport.com