Perkins Rowe

[richyb83]

The only perimeter parking lot I can think of is in front of the Barnes & Noble building; and will probably stay as is. The last pic in the above post was actually taken about 1/4 mile away from a different site down the road

I'll be interested to see what happens in Phase II; not sure if things have stalled?? I'm just glad they got this thing built before the economic meltdown. Plans for the 8-9 story Vermillion condo's were scrapped; hope they bring that back to the table!

[dan326]

I sure hope they do the other phase too. I want to see the "world class" hotel that they mentioned on the website.

[richyb83]

Phase I to wrap-up later in Spring... Phase II still a go!! And we should find out the flag for the hotel next month! BR's new urban village looks like a success despite some obstacles. Perkins Rowe is becoming a regional draw for visitors!

Turning the corner! Hotel heralds new phase for Perkins Rowe; development finds itself filling up

Spinosa reached a tentative agreement with a flag for the 160-room hotel, and he

[nquint1]

Glad to see things moving forward with this development

[dan326]

Perkins Rowe has turned out SOOO nicely!!! The fountain infront of the theater is simply gorgeous, somebody should really take a picture of it. I can't wait to find out what hotel they will be taking. I wonder if this one is replacing the Hilton Garden Inn or if this is a second one.

[dan326]

Hey ya'll! I've got a picture of the building that will house the Hilton Garden Inn, I hope they still build it! I snapped it when I went to look at the model of Perkins Rowe.

Here is a pic of the fountain I was talking about. It's not quite the caliber of something ya'll could take, but I just wanted to give a general idea of how it looked.

[southeastBR]

Hey ya'll! I've got a picture of the building that will house the Hilton Garden Inn, I hope they still build it! I snapped it when I went to look at the model of Perkins Rowe.

Here is a pic of the fountain I was talking about. It's not quite the caliber of something ya'll could take, but I just wanted to give a general idea of how it looked.

They could easily chop that in half and stack it to 10 stories. Just an idea.

[richyb83]

Thanks for the pics Dan! The model at Perkins Rowe is really cool!!

Perkins Rowe has special zoning that was implemented by Swaggart way back...it's still re-zoned to A5, which provided higher residential density at 88 units to the acre. He planned to construct high-rise student dormitories on the site, but the plans fell through. The special zoning, however, remained. Years later, the city of Baton Rouge phased out A5 and other specific zoning categories and implemented Planned Unit Developments instead, which requires municipal involvement in any future high-density developments.

They could go as high as 15-floors on the property if they wanted; I think?? Plans for an 8-9 story Vermillion condo tower were put on hold; not sure if that will still happen in Phase II??

Perkins Rowe is a nice change of pace from the bland, sprawling suburbs; the new unofficial downtown of SE BR. And it's close proximity to the Mall of La. is a MAJOR PLUS! Hopefully Wampold can get started on the Renaissance hotel in 09'???

Someone said Perkins Rowe is almost like a CitiPlace pulled in tighter, with a lot more thought put into the pedestrian-friendly aspects; I would have to agree!

[richyb83]

Even the gloomy weather on Sunday; Perkins Rowe is more active than downtown BR; which was vitrually still!

This is why I call Perkins Rowe the "unofficial" downtown of SE BR. Downtown could learn a few of these lessons and replicate this; retail, residential, cinema, grocery/pharmacy,etc !

Edited January 30, 2009 by richyb83

[richyb83]

Perkins Rowe Phase I continues....

Restaurants, clothing store coming soon to Perkins Rowe

A new restaurant and a clothing store should open in Perkins Rowe within the next three months, but plans for one burger joint could be delayed. Jeff Wright, who serves as a spokesman for the urban village at Perkins Road and Bluebonnet Boulevard, says the opening of Johnny Rockets could be delayed until a dispute between the franchisee and the chain is resolved. Johnny Rockets, a 1950s-style hamburger restaurant, has signed a lease to move into Perkins Rowe.

The Grillroom Chophouse & Wine Bar, an upscale Chicago eatery, will open in its 7,000-square-foot space next to Barnes & Noble by March 15.

Langford Market, an American Apparel Concepts boutique featuring sophisticated chic fashion, is starting construction next to Frock Candy and should be open in 90 days.

Meanwhile, construction should start in the next 30 to 45 days on the Perkins Rowe location of Camellia Grill. This will be the first Baton Rouge location for the landmark New Orleans eatery.

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/latest/

[buckett5425]

Please, save BR from the disaster that is Johnny Rockets. Ive eaten at one in San Marcos, it was gross, the service was horrible, and the concept is nothing new. We already have cheeburgercheeburger, its the same thing, just worse and isnt nice enough to be in PR.

[dimebag1980]

Please, save BR from the disaster that is Johnny Rockets. Ive eaten at one in San Marcos, it was gross, the service was horrible, and the concept is nothing new. We already have cheeburgercheeburger, its the same thing, just worse and isnt nice enough to be in PR.

We'll take it up here since we were supposed to get one years ago but got Fuddrucker's instead. I have eaten at two different Johnny Rockets, including the one in Katy Mills in Houston, and loved it both times. You definitely had a bad experience at the San Marcos location, because with good service and even halfway decent cooks, the restaurant can be great. Plus, the 50s diner theme, while not a new concept, is something a lot of people still desire. This is why Denny's has built quite a few of its locations that way as well. I will tell you what was nasty: Fatburger. I have enjoyed Fatburger in New Orleans and other places, but our location was horrible. Probably along the lines of what you experienced at the San Marcos Johnny Rockets.

[byrde]

Have you guys been following the lawsuits against Perkins Rowe? Primarily Tommy Spinosa? I hate seeing this kind of press around such a nice development.

[dimebag1980]

Have you guys been following the lawsuits against Perkins Rowe? Primarily Tommy Spinosa? I hate seeing this kind of press around such a nice development.

What is it regarding? In the beginning we had lawsuits against Louisiana Boardwalk from supposed unpaid contractors, as well as the owners of the Riverwalk Mall in New Orleans (because Boardwalk's original name was Louisiana Riverwalk) and we survived. I would venture to say it will be okay and the bad press will not cause problems in the long run. Perkins Rowe is NICE, it'll survive!

Edited March 24, 2009 by SBCmetroguy

[cajun]

That kind of thing happens with construction projects that large.

The subs probably leaked the info to the news. Normally, it wouldn't even be of any concern.

Edited March 25, 2009 by cajun

[richyb83]

Don't like to see the negative press either...Borders, Cinemark, and now this. Thanks for calming my concern yall. I like Perkins Rowe; it has become a date night destination for my Wife and I!

Another Perkins Rowe gem:

The Grillroom Chophouse & Wine Bar, an upscale Chicago eatery, opens today in Perkins Rowe in a 7,500-square-foot space next to California Pizza Kitchen. Menu items include their signature mac and cheese, grilled steaks and oysters on a half shell.

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/latest/

[Zackman]

The problem is the that the Baton Rouge press is not use to this size of a project and the associated lawsuits. This is really bad press... What would you do if you were a developer thinking of entering the Baton Rouge market?

I also find it curious that WAFB names Spinosa instead of JTS as the target of the lawsuits.

Edited March 26, 2009 by Zackman

[byrde]

The problem is the that the Baton Rouge press is not use to this size of a project and the associated lawsuits. This is really bad press... What would you do if you were a developer thinking of entering the Baton Rouge market?

I also find it curious that WAFB names Spinosa instead of JTS as the target of the lawsuits.

Yeah I found that very interesting as well.

[cajun]

Yeah I found that very interesting as well.

Not really.

Isn't JTS the one developing the Ford property at southdowns?

Think about it...shouldn't surprise anyone.

Edited March 26, 2009 by cajun

[buckett5425]

So I have got some amazing news. I have an inside source at a national hotel company that also owns hotels in New Orleans. He told me today that they signed the paper work to make the hotel in Perkins Rowe a W. While I would love for the W to be downtown, beggars cant be choosers. I asked him if this was a for sure 100% deal, and he said yes. So I'm excited.

[all2neat]

Any upscale hotel in that area, or downtown would be welcome.. actually, pretty much anywhere, it would be welcome.

[cajun]

W Hotels are usually huge. I'm surprised that they'd fit one in Perkins Rowe.

Maybe it's one of their smaller chains. Even if that's the case, this is still good news.

[byrde]

Not really.

Isn't JTS the one developing the Ford property at southdowns?

Think about it...shouldn't surprise anyone.

JTS is responsible for several developments in the city. Citiplace is a JTS development.

[richyb83]

Thanks for the good news buckett5425 Could it possibly be the newer/smaller hip W aloft?? The same hotel that originally wanted to build in Esplanade's entertainment complex at I-10/College Drive a year or two ago; but plans fell thru due to lack of parking......

This hotel Perkins Rowe has been touting is only 100-140 rooms (boutique-type) hotel; something this size will fit perfectly in the open space between Barnes & Noble and BR Neuro-medical; retail at street level w/ coffee shop, dry cleaner, etc and hotel floors 2-5.... but would the parking garage be enough??

And....

I think this idea is OK for paralell parking along Perkins Rowe Avenue; cars sit at premium parking slots for hours and hours making it virtually impossible to ever park in one.

Perkins Rowe adding paid parking spots

Parking meters are being installed for 190 parking spots in front of stores in the Perkins Rowe lifestyle center. The pay parking spots account for about 7% of all the available spaces in the shopping center, says Rachel Rivet, a spokeswoman for the center. Rivet says the spaces were converted to keep spots turning over in front of stores and to allow shoppers the convenience of paying for close parking. The shift to paid parking is expected to reduce traffic by about 30% in Perkins Rowe, since shoppers won't be hunting for open spots. For long-term visitors, such as people going to dinner and a movie at Perkins Rowe, free spots are available in the parking garages. Center officials plan to use the proceeds from the parking meters for maintenance and events. The meters will become active in the next month. The time increments for the meters and fees have not been determined

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/latest/

[dan326]

WOW! Is that even possible? Only large metropolitan cities have those. Houston doesn't even have one. I think Richy is right, it must be a W aLoft which is fine with me.

I don't think that it will go there, that's where the Hilton Garden Inn will go. I'm almost positive that they said there would be two hotels at Perkins Rowe.