Baton Rouge City Profile

[itsjustme3]

The article is silly. Of course the workforce in EBR is large. There are more people in EBR than Ascension and Livingston. Fact is "working" people and families are moving to the suburbs.

Edited March 10, 2013 by itsjustme3

[buckett5425]

The article is silly. Of course the workforce in EBR is large. There are more people in EBR than Ascension and Livingston. Fact is "working" people and families are moving to the suburbs.

 

Working? 

[Antrell Williams]

Sounds like he's suggesting that mostly unemployed people are moving into the city.

[cajun]

The article is silly. Of course the workforce in EBR is large. There are more people in EBR than Ascension and Livingston. Fact is "working" people and families are moving to the suburbs.

To clarify...."Working" middle class families are being squeezed out of the city for a number of economic and political reasons. Plenty of productive people remain in the parish and the city.

It's Baton Rouge....not Detroit.

Edited March 12, 2013 by cajun

[cajun]

Sounds like he's suggesting that mostly unemployed people are moving into the city.

It sounds like he's drawing a conclusion that more productive people are commuting, which the article reports.

There is no data saying that there has been a loss of productivity. In fact, I seem to remember reading that productivity for the region is up.

It's an indication that more working families are choosing the suburbs today. Economically, it's good that jobs are being maintained or added, but for some reasonably are choosing to commute in, which is no secret.

A constructive debate (one without labels and name calling) would be to discuss why someone would choose any part of Livingston over East Baton Rouge, since the jobs are apparently still in EBR. Suburban growth still a common trend nationwide.

Edited March 12, 2013 by cajun

[Antrell Williams]

It sounds like he's drawing a conclusion that more productive people are commuting, which the article reports.

There is no data saying that there has been a loss of productivity. In fact, I seem to remember reading that productivity for the region is up.

It's an indication that more working families are choosing the suburbs today. Economically, it's good that jobs are being maintained or added, but for some reasonably are choosing to commute in, which is no secret.

A constructive debate (one without labels and name calling) would be to discuss why someone would choose any part of Livingston over East Baton Rouge, since the jobs are apparently still in EBR. Suburban growth still a common trend nationwide.

The fact is, they can get a larger house in a quiet subdivision with good schools and be "30 minutes" from Baton Rouge. Some people like that, I don't (except schools of course). I'd rather a little more infrastructure and to be closer to amenities. Also traffic is a huge factor. I absolutely hate traveling from or to Prairieville during rush hour, the lack of infrastructure slows traffic down just that much more. Traveling to downtown or south Baton Rouge from Mid-City for example is much less stressful and much cheaper.

[cajun]

http://theadvocate.com/home/5490547-125/br-councilwoman-looking-at-annexation

One council member wants to annex already developed parts of the parish.

I fail to see any reason Gardere would want to be annexed...unless they wanted BRPD to patrol their area (which will costs the city more).

EBRSO has cracked down in that area since the new substation was built. I think they are doing a fine job.

Seems like a lose-lose situation for both parties.

I really think we need to merge EBRSO and BRPD and leave the city limits alone. The metro-parish government is fairly efficient compared to having a separate setup.

Edited March 21, 2013 by cajun

[Antrell Williams]

We really need metro police with parish-wide jurisdiction. Maybe the ploy to annex Gardere is secretly trying to annex L'Auberge and the area around it to try and get more tax dollars from the growing area.

[itsjustme3]

Let me guess, this new area would encompass the new Harveston neighborhood, with its 200+ homes valued at 3-400k?

Money grab.

[richyb83]

Incorporating Towne Center makes sense...it's an island...hard to believe it has stayed unincorporated for so long....

[Antrell Williams]

Let me guess, this new area would encompass the new Harveston neighborhood, with its 200+ homes valued at 3-400k?

Money grab.

I don't think they would try to go that far south.

Actually I'm surprised that the mayor didn't try to consolidate all of the unincorporated parish with a plot to tempt citizens to vote yes with the promise of less crime with a single police department. With crime being a top issue here, I think it would work.

[cajun]

I'd rather see an elected Sheriff run the parish wide police force than another appointed bozo. Just have the EBRSO cover the whole parish.

The mayor's track record on appointing police chiefs is a disappointment. Who knows how a future mayor would make appointments?

I think an elected sheriff is more appropriate for the merged metro-council government. I honestly see BRPD as a small town police force that is in way over their heads. It's time to pool resources parish wide, IMO. I think the voters would honestly do a better than any one elected official.

I'm very concerned about the prospect of EBRSO no longer patrolling the Gardere area. They've made significant progress there.

Edited March 22, 2013 by cajun

[cajun]

Let me guess, this new area would encompass the new Harveston neighborhood, with its 200+ homes valued at 3-400k?

Money grab.

Annex unincorporated, undeveloped land would make sense.

This council woman is only targeting a high crime area with a very poor tax base. I think it's more of a voter grab, if anything.

Edited March 22, 2013 by cajun

[itsjustme3]

Considering they want the land around the casino I doubt they wouldn't go for the Harveston area. Nowhere in the article (unless I overlooked it) does it say the boundarys of the area.

The area will explode with development and they want the $ that's going to come with it.

Edited March 22, 2013 by itsjustme3

[itsjustme3]

Just read a new article on BusinessReport and Marcelle is quoted as saying its a way of increasing property tax revenue.

[Antrell Williams]

I'd rather see an elected Sheriff run the parish wide police force than another appointed bozo. Just have the EBRSO cover the whole parish.

The mayor's track record on appointing police chiefs is a disappointment. Who knows how a future mayor would make appointments?

I think an elected sheriff is more appropriate for the merged metro-council government. I honestly see BRPD as a small town police force that is in way over their heads. It's time to pool resources parish wide, IMO. I think the voters would honestly do a better than any one elected official.

I'm very concerned about the prospect of EBRSO no longer patrolling the Gardere area. They've made significant progress there.

With BRPD chief-less, it's a good time to begin the merger.

[cajun]

Just read a new article on BusinessReport and Marcelle is quoted as saying its a way of increasing property tax revenue.

Ah...so they are chasing their tax base.

That always works out perfectly.

With BRPD chief-less, it's a good time to begin the merger.

I agree. If there was a good time for one, it's now.

Edited March 22, 2013 by cajun

[richyb83]

Nice pic of the new Medical Tower at OLOL Hospital

 

BR, N.O. rank above average for jobs in or near downtown....Region bucks trend of sprawl

 

A report on the shift of jobs from downtowns to suburban areas shows that Baton Rouge and New Orleans rank above the national average for the percentage of private-sector employment either inside or just outside the central business district.

 

Nearly 54 percent of workers in Baton Rouge work between 3 and 10 miles from the city’s downtown, compared with an average of 34 percent for the 100 largest U.S. metro areas, according to a report issued Thursday by the Brookings Institute’s Metropolitan Policy Program. At the end of 2010, 165,517 people were working in the 3- to 10-mile range of downtown Baton Rouge, a 10.6 percent increase over 2000.

 

Davis Rhorer, executive director of Baton Rouge’s Downtown Development District, said the Brookings numbers don’t fully illustrate what is happening in downtown Baton Rouge.

The effort to consolidate state government offices downtown was completed during 2000-2010, a move that brought thousands of government jobs to the area not counted in Brookings’ private sector report. During that same period, the II City Plaza office building, the Shaw Center for the Arts and the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center all opened downtown.

 

Despite this, the Brookings report said the number of private sector jobs in downtown Baton Rouge actually dropped from 52,405 in 2000 to 46,453 in 2010.

 

Rhorer said he’s “very pleased” with the way growth is continuing downtown, noting that a number of private sector projects have happened since 2010. Those include the opening of the Hotel Indigo, the Hampton Inn & Suites that will open on May 1 and IBM’s software development center set to open in 2015. “We’re having a complete resurgence,” Rhorer said.

 

Rachel DiResto, executive vice president of the Center for Planning Excellence, said she doesn’t see sprawl as a huge issue in Baton Rouge. “I wouldn’t say the city is decentralized,” she said. “The Downtown Development District has driven this kind of return to the center.”

 

DiResto said there have been several job clusters that popped up during 2000-2010 just outside downtown, such as the medical district around Essen Lane and Bluebonnet Boulevard; retail developments around the Mall of Louisiana, Towne Center and Perkins Rowe; and the Bon Carré Business Center on Florida Boulevard.

 

Nationally, the share of downtown jobs in the largest U.S. cities fell from 24.5 percent to 22.9 percent in 2010.

 

*rest of article*

http://theadvocate.com/news/business/5737662-123/br-no-rank-above-average

[dan326]

That's a good to here, but one has to remember in dense cities like New Orleans and smaller cities like Baton Rouge 10 miles away is suburban.

[cajun]

BR has lost 6,000 jobs within 3 miles of downtown.

This isn't an overly positive report.....Depending on how you see it. It's more evidence that downtowns are slowly turning into neighborhoods and not central business districts.

I don't think that's really a bad thing.

[cajun]

http://theadvocate.com/home/6580728-125/gays-in-baton-rouge-arrested

I can't believe that this actually happened....but I'm glad Law Enforcment is being held accountable.

[Antrell Williams]

This is impressive, probably because it's the Sheriff's Office and not the City Police Department.

[cajun]

This is impressive, probably because it's the Sheriff's Office and not the City Police Department.

It's a colossal dissapppointment that they would actually target homosexual males and even make an arrest when no crime is committed. BRPD had been incomes with a few of those stings.

I'd have no problem with it if they were cracking down on lewd acts in public spaces, but what they are doing in the case in the story is a blatant disregard for civil rights. They weren't doing anything in the park. It was not prostitution. It was consenting adults- one of them a cop.

If picking up someone in a public place is illegal, you'd have to arrest half the student body at LSU every Thursday night.

I'm glad the DA threw cold water on it.

Edited July 29, 2013 by cajun

[Antrell Williams]

It's a colossal dissapppointment that they would actually target homosexual males and even make an arrest when no crime is committed. BRPD had been incomes with a few of those stings.

I'd have no problem with it if they were cracking down on lewd acts in public spaces, but what they are doing in the case in the story is a blatant disregard for civil rights. They weren't doing anything in the park. It was not prostitution. It was consenting adults- one of them a cop.

If picking up someone in a public place is illegal, you'd have to arrest half the student body at LSU every Thursday night.

I'm glad the DA threw cold water on it.

I think it has to do with the controversy of the possible consolidation of the EBRSO and BRPD, Sid likely didn't want to have any salt on his office so I believe he had a part of it along with Hillar Moore.

[cajun]

I think it has to do with the controversy of the possible consolidation of the EBRSO and BRPD, Sid likely didn't want to have any salt on his office so I believe he had a part of it along with Hillar Moore.

An...the political plot thickens.

Maybe I shouldn't be so outraged. They knew it was a screw up and wanted to get out in front of it.

I wonder if the EBR council would rather an elected official running parish wide law enforcement or an appointed chief. I'd rather a Sheriff to be honest.

Edited July 29, 2013 by cajun