Plan Baton Rouge

[richyb83]

Yeah...the Repentance Park supposed upgrade does seem to be moving along slowly....

[itsjustme3]

-----

The philosophy of concentrating investment reminds me of some Latin cities. You'll see a beautiful arena, impressive police presence, and a massive government building on one block....and a mile down the street you have open sewers, deadly violence, and spotty electricity.

Baton Rouge is nowhere near that extreme, though.

Sounds like Baltimore or Philadelphia.

[richyb83]

Yeah...the Repentance Park supposed upgrade does seem to be moving along slowly....

This pic is from December 2nd.........only a partial shot of the park...curious to see how the new water feature will turn out??

 

[Antrell Williams]

I'm not really a fan of the new layout. An incorporation with the Old State Capital grounds would have been much nicer in my opinion.

[richyb83]

Yeah...not sure about this new layout yet...thought at one time they may get rid of that south-facing fence and incorporate the Old State Capitol grounds into the park?? Maybe the huge old Oak tree in the front corner makes this task to difficult??

 

 

Corner store planned for downtown

 

Third Street soon could be getting a corner store.

 

Michael Matroodnejad and Phillip Fischer hope to open Downtown Grocery in April, selling some grocery items, toiletries, tobacco, alcohol and even some fresh produce from local farmers, Matroodnejad said Wednesday.

 

The two men own Summit Fuel in Livingston Parish and have applied for liquor permits from the state and city-parish for 2,200 square feet in the State National Life building at Third and Florida streets. The space was formerly home to an AT&T store. “We’re trying to cater to the people who are staying in the hotels and people who are working downtown,” he said, noting “more people are moving downtown, too.”

 

The store’s grocery offerings will mainly be convenience items, but milk, bread, eggs and some produce will be available as well.

Matroodnejad said he’ll be renting an apartment downtown, and he and Fischer are developing a feel for how to serve the central business district

 

http://theadvocate.com/news/business/4726503-123/corner-store-planned-for-downtown

[garrett_225]

The cast iron fence separating the capitol grounds from Repentance Park is over 160 years old. It's considered historically significant. Lots of money and effort was used up to restore it a few years back. 

 

In other words, they won't be removing/altering any section of it in the near future. 

Edited December 22, 2012 by garrett_225

[richyb83]

Did not think so...the fence can be seen in the background of the park in renderings...they did a nice job of restoring it!

 

438 Main Street Apartments Complete
Now Accepting Tenant Applications

Downtown is quickly becoming one of the most desirable places to live in Baton Rouge. With quality schools, exciting entertainment options and unparalleled cultural amenities all within walking distance, more and more people are starting to realize that downtown is the perfect place to live.

438 Main Street is a 22 unit residential development that has responded to this demand by providing an affordable opportunity to live in the center of downtown with convenient access to life's necessities and amenities. It includes affordable one and two bedroom units between 500-900 square feet, featuring stained concrete floors, ceramic tiles, outdoor balconies, a full range of appliance, covered parking, on call maintenance, and a community room and courtyard.

438 Main Street is now accepting and reviewing tenant applications. The income guidelines based on household size for this affordable housing opportunity are listed below. Click here for more information and access to an online application for this unique opportunity to make Downtown Baton Rouge your new home!
 

[itsjustme3]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="richyb83" data-cid="1249162" data-time="1356330311"><p>

Downtown is quickly becoming one of the most desirable places to live in Baton Rouge. With quality schools, </blockquote>

Lol. C'mon now.

[all2neat]

They look nice but very plain. I would think granite countertops would have been better and more desirable. 

[richyb83]

DDD Commission Meeting
Tuesday, January 8, 2013, 8:00 a.m.
Kress Gallery, 447 Third St.

1. Call to Order

2. Declare Quorum

3. Approve Agenda

4. Approve December 11th, 2012 Minutes

5. Board Action

a. Nominating Committee

6. Update from Previous Board Meeting

a. Governmental Issues

b. Development Initiatives

• North Boulevard Town Square Update
• Repentance Park Update
• The "Crest" Stage Canopy Update
• Downtown Greenway Update
• LASM Plaza
• Riverfront Property Acquisition
• Commerce Building Update
• Literary Committee
• Prescriptions to Geaux Pharmacy Survey
• New Business Announcements
• Events
  o Laurel Street Lollapalooza - January 11^th
  o Louisiana Life March - January 12^th
  o Keep BR Beautiful - January 12^th
  o Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence - January 18^th
  o Louisiana Marathon - January 18^th - 20^th
  o "Something Old Something New" - January 17^th
  o MLK March - January 21^st
  o Foundation for Historical La. Lecture - January 10^th
  o Mardi Gras Parades
  o Manship Theatre Events / LSU MOA
  o River Center Events
  o Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
  o LASM

7. Strategic Plan

a. Plan Baton Rouge II

8. Ongoing Projects

• Construction Updates
• CPEX
• BREADA

9. Correspondence

10. Public Comment

[steve3n8]

Media-focused collaborative workspace planned for downtown B.R.

A collaborative workspace for visual media professionals called Creative Bloc is planned to open this summer, encompassing 11,500 square feet at the corner of Main and Eighth streets downtown. The space will also serve as the new Baton Rouge headquarters of Launch Media, a video production firm currently located at Celtic Media Centre. Launch Media also has offices in New Orleans. The company’s executive producer and president, John Jackson, announced the plans this morning. He says Jackson Group Investments, an affiliate of Launch Media, recently acquired the property—formerly home to four retail shops—from Bob Dean. "It’s going to be a complete renovation," Jackson says. "We’re aiming to have it completed and open by the summer." Creative Bloc will have workstations and offices available for lease to established businesses and budding entrepreneurs focused on video, film, photography, graphic arts and app development. Resources provided at the workspace will include a fully equipped video and sound production studio, as well as post-production suites and media server. "We’re hoping to do some small spaces for independent photographers or artists, and also some larger spaces for more established companies," Jackson says. "The number of tenants we’ll end up with will really depend on the demand." —Steve Sanoski

Businessreport.com

 

 

 

The blues to return to downtown B.R.

A new blues bar is slated to open before the end of the month in downtown Baton Rouge. The Blues Room will be on Lafayette Street in the former home of Tabby’s Blues Box and, years before that, the Rathskeller. "Baton Rouge is very well known for having a lot of young musicians, particularly blues musicians," says owner Billy Stevens. "It’s going to give them a venue to play, and those guys will play inexpensively. … I think downtown is the perfect place for that. It’s kind of an eclectic crowd already." Stevens is also hoping to host some of the area’s internationally known veteran blues artists. Stevens is shooting for a Jan. 25 opening and plans for the bar to be open seven nights a week, with live music as often as possible, and to serve a limited menu of bar food. ­–David Jacobs

 

Businessreport.com

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting that Steve

 

Here is ,more on the above two mentioned + St Louis & St Ferdinand becoming Two-Way Streets & Plans to develop a public plaza at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum...

 

TWO-WAY STREET: Rhorer said bids will go out Friday for work to convert St. Louis and St. Ferdinand streets to two-way traffic.

Bids will be opened Feb. 5 and Rhorer said the work will take eight to 12 months to complete.

Once the project is done, Nicholson Drive will tie directly into downtown through St. Louis, and Highland Road will tie directly into downtown via St. Ferdinand.

PUBLIC PLAZA: Plans are also starting to develop a public plaza at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. The preliminary plan is to build a public green space on the spot in front of the museum, where a train had stood from the mid-1970s to 2009. The green space would serve as a meeting place for children and families and would tie in with the second phase of the North Boulevard Town Square, Rhorer said.

 

http://theadvocate.com/home/4865694-125/launch-media-anchoring-collaborative-work

[richyb83]

Nice slideshow from DDD on Living Downtown....not sure if you will be able to click on this or not??

 

 

 

[garrett_225]

Today, like so many other days in the past, I was brainstorming ways to improve traffic around LSU, and I suddenly had an idea. 

 

We should connect Dalrymple Drive with Parker Boulevard. At present, Dalrymple enters campus on the north side, and makes a 90 degree curve to the west, where it subsequently intersects with Highland Road. Imagine if, instead of curving towards Highland and central campus, Dalrymple continued south. It would pass between the lab school football field and the Lod Cook Hotel. It would pass between the UREC and East Campus Apartments. The part of Dalrymple left behind by the shift could be re-named North Campus Drive, or something. A continuous flow intersection would be added at the intersection of Dalrymple and "North Campus Drive" near the lab school. And another continuous flow intersection could be added at the intersection of E. Parker and S. Stadium/W. Lakeshore

 

Finally, the gap on Parker between Burbank and Nicholson should be completed. They are about to activate a traffic signal at W Parker and Burbank, and if this gap was closed, a light would be added at the terminus of W Parker at Nicholson. 

 

All of this would create a continuous North-South corridor all the way from I-110 to Nicholson Drive, and improve the Baton Rouge street grid. 

 

This would take some strain off of horribly congested Highland Road. It would improve the flow of traffic on game day, and improve access to several parts of campus. 

 

The way I see it, the only thing that would have to be sacrificed is part of the Hill Farm on campus, and possibly a few residential parking spaces at LSU. 

 

Thoughts, anyone? 

Edited January 26, 2013 by garrett_225

[jefften10]

Today, like so many other days in the past, I was brainstorming ways to improve traffic around LSU, and I suddenly had an idea. 

 

We should connect Dalrymple Drive with Parker Boulevard. At present, Dalrymple enters campus on the north side, and makes a 90 degree curve to the west, where it subsequently intersects with Highland Road. Imagine if, instead of curving towards Highland and central campus, Dalrymple continued south. It would pass between the lab school football field and the Lod Cook Hotel. It would pass between the UREC and East Campus Apartments. The part of Dalrymple left behind by the shift could be re-named North Campus Drive, or something. A continuous flow intersection would be added at the intersection of Dalrymple and "North Campus Drive" near the lab school. And another continuous flow intersection could be added at the intersection of E. Parker and S. Stadium/W. Lakeshore

 

Finally, the gap on Parker between Burbank and Nicholson should be completed. They are about to activate a traffic signal at W Parker and Burbank, and if this gap was closed, a light would be added at the terminus of W Parker at Nicholson. 

 

All of this would create a continuous North-South corridor all the way from I-110 to Nicholson Drive, and improve the Baton Rouge street grid. 

 

This would take some strain off of horribly congested Highland Road. It would improve the flow of traffic on game day, and improve access to several parts of campus. 

 

The way I see it, the only thing that would have to be sacrificed is part of the Hill Farm on campus, and possibly a few residential parking spaces at LSU. 

 

Thoughts, anyone? 

I like the thinking. I can't really imagine your proposal for Dalrymple, however I completely agree with the Parker extension in between Burbank and Nicholson.

[richyb83]

Really like the idea too! A connective street grid should take some pressure off historic Highland Road....Seems like i remember seeing a similar proposal for the reconfiguration of Dalrymple...not sure if it was in FuturEBR or not??

 

When you say "continuous flow"...does this mean roundabouts??

 

Wondered why West Parker has not been extended to Nicholson long ago?? It would be nice to see them complete the next phase of the Southgate Towers in the open space along WestParker.

[cajun]

Something similar is on the LSU master plan....just a matter of funding.

It would work wonders for traffic.

[garrett_225]

Yes, continuous flow in this case is the same as a roundabout. Since roundabout is kind of a scary word in Baton Rouge. 

 

I made a quick graphic to illustrate about how this new setup would be laid out on Dalrymple and Parker. The red is new road, the green is new roundabouts. 

Edited January 27, 2013 by garrett_225

[Antrell Williams]

Good ideas. Never thought about this before. We really need to improve our street grid here.

[richyb83]

 I'm diggin the visuals...looks like a good north/south route(something this city lacks)...cutting thru campus may be a little tricky; but think it could work!

[richyb83]

Check out the list below of Spring 2013 projects and anticipated dates for openings:

 

1. Opening of Repentance Park
Designed by Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects with sub-consultants Reich Associates and Suzanne Turner Associates, this park features a dramatic arc, undulating landforms, and over 750 fountain jets. At the heart of the River Center Campus and part of the overall 'Central Green' concept of Plan Baton Rouge II, Repentance Park will seamlessly connect the surrounding cultural and civic attractions. Group Industries, the primary contractor of the project, expects to finish construction (weather permitting) this February.

2. Opening of "The Crest" sculpture/canopy piece in Galvez Plaza
Designed by Trahan Architects and constructed/assembled by Arrighi Contractors, this sculptural showpiece will anchor Galvez Stage and offer the technical framework necessary for the electrical systems required by large, programmed events. The suspended truss system will be able to be disassembled in between concert seasons. Completion is expected this March.

3. Opening of Prescriptions to Geaux pharmacy - 313 Third Street
As an implementation item of Plan Baton Rouge II, it was recommended that the downtown attract more residents to the downtown area. A pharmacy, identified as an amenity needed to attract additional residents, has been unavailable until now. On site 'over the counter' and prescription items will be available as well as downtown delivery to residents, offices, and hotels. Prescriptions to Geaux is set to open downtown in February/March.

4. Opening of Downtown Grocery- 263 Third Street, Suite 100
Another element necessary to attract more residents is a convenient place to acquire daily needed amenities. Downtown Grocery plans to open in March/April and will join Capital Corner Market, Capitol Grocery, Catfish Town Convenience Store, and Our Daily Bread; providing for the daily needs of area residents, tourists, and workers.

5. Opening of Hampton Hotel Inn & Suites - 462 Lafayette Street
The $17 million Hampton Inn & Suites located on the corner of Lafayette St. and Main St. is expecting completion this April. The 137 room 7 story hotel is an example of several financial and creative partnerships converging to create this star development in downtown. Forty-two of the guest rooms will have balconies and 36 will be suites. The hotel will have 1,000 square feet of meeting space, an executive boardroom, a business center and an exercise room. This will be the third hotel on the Lafayette street corridor in the Arts and Entertainment District.

6. Opening of The Blues Room live music venue - 244 Lafayette Street
The Blues Room, located on the Corner of Florida and Lafayette Streets, officially opened last week. It will offer downtown another live music venue and is hoping to host some of the area's internationally known veteran blues artists.

7. Opening of two-way bid of St. Louis & St. Ferdinand St.
The two-waying of St. Louis and St. Ferdinand Streets, recommended by several downtown master plans and transportation plans including; the Comprehensive Transportation Plan, Plan Baton Rouge, and Plan Baton Rouge II, will review submitted bids this February. These streets currently operate as a one-way pair in the north-south direction and have direct connections to I-10. The reconfiguration also accommodates the parking garages at the River Center as well as new signals along North Boulevard at St. Louis and St. Ferdinand Streets. New pedestrian signals will be installed as well.

8. Bidding of the Florida St. @ River Road pedestrian/bicycle levee access/trail head and River Road pedestrian pathway to North Boulevard Town Square
A Levee Access point providing ADA compliant accessibility and bicycle access to the riverfront at Florida Street and River Road in conjunction with a multi-use path along River Road will better link the downtown 'Central Green' and surrounding attractions to the Mississippi River and LSU via the levee bike path. Crosswalk improvements along River Road are also planned for the intersections of North Boulevard, Convention Street, and Florida Street. The $1.1 million project designed in house by DPW with input from Susan Turner Associates, WHLC Architects, Reich Associates, Reed Hilderbrand and the DDD, is expected to be bid March 13th.

9. Submitting North Boulevard Town Square Phase II construction documents to DOTD for bidding
Construction drawings for North Boulevard Town Square Phase II, will be submitted for review to DOTD by the City Parish Department of Public Works this spring. The Joint Venture (Dana Brown Associates/JFDS) are the designers for this project along with DPW (St Phillip St. promenade). Phase II, expected to begin construction in 2013, will include a tree-lined promenade along St. Phillip Street in front of the Old State Capitol, improved streetscape connecting the Town Square to River Road, and a pedestrian corridor under the mature live oak trees leading to Fifth Street.

10. CATS GPS installation on all trolleys and busses in downtown as well as the transit screen at Town Square
The Capital Area Transit System (CATS) announced on January 29, 2013 the release of real time bus tracking on its web portal and mobile phones. DDD is working with CATS to upload the real time bus tracking systems this February to the information screen previously installed at the North Boulevard Town Square transit shelter.

11. Creative Bloc video production property acquisition
Creative Bloc, a collaborative visual media workspace, is planned to open this summer at the corner of Main and Eighth Streets downtown. Jackson Group Investments, an affiliate of Launch Media recently acquired the property and plans for extensive renovations that will accommodate available lease spaces to businesses and beginning entrepreneurs focused on video, film, photography, and other visual arts.

12. LASM Riverfront Plaza design and implementation
The design of LASM Plaza, by Suzanne Turner & Associates, is expected to begin this February. The overall objective is to develop a program that will create a vital new urban open space and activate the area around the Louisiana Art and Science Museum (LASM). It will also seamlessly connect with Town Square Phase II improvements along North Blvd, as well as the multi-use path along River Road.

13. Downtown Greenway Public Meetings
Spackman, Mossop, & Michaels has teamed with Ken Tipton & Associates as the design consultants for the EPA Greening America's Capitols technical assistance awarded to the Downtown Greenway. The consultants, along with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the DDD, will be conducting a series of public meetings on this first phase of the Downtown Greenway in March with community stakeholders in order to create design schemes that most effectively meet the transportation needs specific to Baton Rouge.

14. Downtown Library Design Underway
The Downtown Library staff plans to host at least one public meeting in the late spring to solicit input and present ideas on the design plans for the new $19 million facility. A joint venture of Washer Hill Lipscomb Cabaniss Architecture of Baton Rouge and Schwartz/Silver Architects of Boston was established to carry out the design of this state of the art facility. The new library will contain more technology and conveniences to cater to the surrounding community as an integral part of the development of the North Boulevard Town Square.

Quite an exciting time in Downtown Baton Rouge this spring! Click here to enjoy a 'preview' video of the Repentance Park fountain at night.

Due to the Mardi Gras holiday, our February DDD Commission Meeting will be held in the Kean Miller conference room on the seventh floor of 400 Convention Street (II City Plaza) on Thursday, February 14th, 2013 at 8:00 a.m.

[richyb83]

DDD Commission Meeting
Thursday, February 14, 2013, 8:00 a.m.
Kean Miller Conference Center, II City Plaza, 400 Convention St., 7^th Floor

 

AGENDA

 

1. Call to Order

 

2. Declare Quorum

 

3. Approve Agenda

 

4. Approve January 8th, 2013 Minutes

 

5. Board Action

 

6. Update from Previous Board Meeting

 

a. Governmental Issues

 

b. Development Initiatives

 

• North Boulevard Town Square Update

 

• Repentance Park Update

 

• Streetscape Beautification Initiatives

 

• Downtown Greenway Update

 

• Grocery Store Market Study

 

• St. Phillip/St. Ferdinand Two-waying

 

• CATS GPS

 

• Commerce Building Update

 

• Hampton Inn Update

 

• DBA Announcement

 

• Literary Committee

 

• Downtown Pharmacy

 

• Ameritas

 

• New Business Announcements

 

• Events
  o Belle of Baton Rouge Concerts - Feb. 15, 22
  o Mardi Gras Mambo/ Ride Indigo / Tsunami - Feb 16
  o Foundation for Historical La. Lecture - Feb. 21
  o Annual Go Red For Women Luncheon - Feb. 22
  o Skeeter 5K / B. R. Arts Market - March 2
  o Golf Benefit to support CASA - March 11
  o Viking Cooking School Outdoors
  o Manship Theatre Events / LSU MOA
  o River Center Events
  o Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
  o LASM

 

7. Strategic Plan

 

a. Plan Baton Rouge II

 

8. Ongoing Projects

Construction Updates

BREADA

• 9. Correspondence

10. Public Comment

Edited February 12, 2013 by richyb83

[steve3n8]

Dyke Nelson group to buy Capital One building downtown, sources says

    

A group of investors led by local architect Dyke Nelson has signed a purchase agreement to buy the Capital One Bank building at 440 Third Street downtown. Sources tell Daily Report the group signed the option earlier this month. Both Capital One, which is relocating its local headquarters to the nearby One American Place building, and Nelson decline to comment on the deal, but it could be a game-changer for downtown Baton Rouge. That's because the eight-story, 111,000-square-foot building could be redeveloped for badly needed residential use. Sources familiar with the deal say no decision has been reached on the future use of the 1950s-era building, which if redeveloped, instead of razed, could qualify for state and federal historic tax credits. But Nelson and his partners have an increasingly high-profile track record of redeveloping historic downtown properties. Other projects they're involved in include the redevelopment of the Tessier building on Lafayette Street; the Lafayette House, a condo project Nelson and David Weinstein are developing behind the Tessier building; as well as projects at 223 and 421 Third St. —Stephanie

Businessreport.com

[richyb83]

This should be interesting to see what happens with this property....

[Antrell Williams]

I really want it to be residential. With the new pharmacy and grocery store in the pipeline, this is exactly how the neighborhood should develop.