$3.5M Repentance Park Set for February Opening

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

The wait for the highly anticipated Repentance Park will soon be over, the Downtown Development District of Baton Rouge recently announced. The entity reports that barring unfavorable weather, the park will wrap up redesign and open by the end of February.

The project, designed by Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects with subconsultants Reich Associates and Suzanne Turner Associates, was proposed by the Riverfront Master Plan and Plan Baton Rouge II’s ‘Central Green’ concept.

The park has undergone a reconfiguration process, turning it into a visually pleasing public open space connecting the Municipal Campus, River Center Campus, North Boulevard Town Square and the Arts and Entertainment District.  Repentance’s new design more invitingly promotes pedestrian activity and community engagement, as well as public events.

Among redesign work done at the park is the removal of a parapet wall at the City Hall Plaza, creation of new pedestrian walks, and the creation of amphitheater-like area by the introduction of a gradually sloping lawn. The latter will be used as a concert and performing arts venue.

A pedestrian promenade was created along St. Philip Street, as well as a lit pathway outfitted with benches at the southern part of site.  The park’s highest terrace will feature an interactive water fountain under a shade grove. In fact, 750 fountain jets have been installed at Repentance.

Repentance Park’s new design allows for a variety of uses while being adaptable in the long run. The park has a price tag of $3.5 million. It was initially slated for a late 2012 completion. The project’s primary contractor is Group Industries.

According to The Times-Picayune, the park was named after the only street that ran contrary to Baton Rouge’s original grid design. The street was partially covered by the construction of the Old State Capitol. Though the park will open as soon as it is finished, the ribbon-cutting has been scheduled for April.

Image courtesy of the Downtown Development District 

182-Unit Multifamily Complex Planned, LSU Foundation Considers New HQ at Nicholson Gateway

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

Zachary, La. might see some new multifamily development in the near future, as a permit application has been filed for a 182-unit apartment complex between Barsket Road and Bur Oak Drive, on Mount Pleasant Zachary Road, reports The Advocate. Owner Heritage Construction plans to build a 12-building apartment community featuring one-, two- and three-bedroom units and amenities such as a clubhouse and a car wash stall. Cost are estimated at $14.5 million

In other news, the Louisiana State University (LSU) Foundation is considering building a new headquarters within the Nicholson Drive Corridor redevelopment project. According to the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, LSU Foundation representatives are considering the move as not only is the Foundation’s current lease at the Lod Cook Alumni Center on West Lakeshore Drive providing insufficient space, but a new HQ would also provide space for LSU Press and University Relations currently housed in separate structures among sorority houses. A move could also free up space for one or possibly even two new sororities. The new location would be part of the Nicholson Gateway redevelopment project and would take up 149,250 square feet of office space near the old Alex Box Stadium.

As previously reported on this page, LSU is considering the redevelopment of the Nicholson Drive Corridor, a project that could cost between $140 million and $200 million and create an estimated 130,000 square feet of retail, 110,000 square feet (or more) of office space, surface parking and about 1,200 rental student residences. Expanding a streetcar line to the area has also been brought up in some instances. The project, expected to soon go before the LSU Board of Supervisors might break ground as early as 2014, with the first phase completing in 2015 and the entire project wrapping up in 2018. LSU might undertake the project on its own, or enter into a partnership with a foundation or private developer.

Los Angeles, CA-based AECOM, a global provider of professional technical and management support services helped in creating the redevelopment plan, after public and stakeholder meetings.

Image courtesy of LSU’s Facebook page

Costco Heading to Baton Rouge; Condominium Project to Add 104 Units

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

Costco’s coming to Baton Rouge seems more like a question of “when” than “how,” after the most recent East Baton Rouge City-Parish Planning Commission meeting. Costco Wholesale Corp., the Issaquah, Wash.-based international chain of membership warehouses, has received site plan approval from the Planning Commission, reports The Advocate.

According to the Baton Rouge publication, the store will be located on Dawnadele Ave. in the now-defunct Coca-Cola bottling plant. The proposed 144,807-square-foot Costco warehouse, which will be more than 30-foot high, and 3,840-square-foot gas service station will be developed on 15 acres of land out of the total 28 acres the company has under contract. Costco plans to open the store warehouse by summer 2014, depending, on the property sale finalizing and state and city-parish approvals.The remaining outparcels will be developed later.

The warehouse club retailer also received a sign waiver allowing it to install four signs atop the structure. The sign will have to be scaled to the height and acreage of the building.

Costco Wholesale representatives are advocating for several changes to Dawnadale Ave., such as new turn lanes, as the road is incompatible with retail developments in its current state.

In other news, the planning commission meeting also approved plans for the expansion of The Cottages at Southfork condo project.

The Cottages at Southfork has received final development plan approval for 19 structures on 2,250-square-foot lots. The buildings will consist of 104 single-family attached condo units. The development currently consists of 40 condos in five buildings located off Sherwood Forest, near Interstate 12. The one-story condos feature two or three bedrooms, two-car garages, large master suites and open floor plans, with kitchens centering around islands. The project also boasts a swimming pool.

Tower Capital Corp. is the project’s developer, while construction is being handled by FaKouri Construction, Inc. and E. Jacob Construction Inc. All companies are Baton Rouge-based and have been involved in several other condominium projects in the state capital.

Photo courtesy of  The Cottages at Southfork’s Facebook profile

LSU Master Plan Proposes to Redevelop Nicholson Drive Corridor, Spend Up to $200M

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

Louisiana State University (LSU), one of the economic driving forces in Baton Rouge, announced a new plan that could make a difference in the Nicholson Drive Corridor, if not the city. According to a report by the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, LSU’s Department of Residential Life has submitted a master plan for the project to the LSU Board of Supervisors. The master plan could go on the board’s agenda as soon as Feb. 1.

Though few details have been released, the proposed master plan could cost between $140 million and $200 million and would create not only thousands of new student housing units, but hundreds of thousands of square feet of commercial space. The multi-phase project would raze the outdated Alex Box Stadium and replace it with a mixed-use development with street-level retail topped by residential housing. North of the stadium, LSU’s married student housing would also be demolished, and replaced with three residential-only structures and much-needed surface parking. It is estimated that 130,000 square feet of retail, 110,000 square feet of office space, surface parking an about 1,200 multifamily units would be created. The residential element of project would mostly target LSU’s student body, but a proposed 89 units could rent at market rate and house LSU staff and faculty members. The idea of a streetcar line has also been brought up.

According to the same report, if the project is green-lit, it could start as early as 2014, and the first phase of development, containing mixed-use, as well as residential-only structures, could be finished in 2015-2016. The entire project could wrap up in 2017 or 2018. LSU has yet to decide if it plans to develop and manage the project on its own or enter a partnership with a private developer or foundation.

Los Angeles-based AECOM, a global provider of professional technical and management support services helped in creating the redevelopment plan, after public and stakeholder meetings.

The news was received with mostly positive feedback from students and alumni of LSU, as well as the general Baton Rouge population, garnering several hundred likes and dozens of comments in only a few days on LSU’s Facebook page.

Image courtesy of LSU’s Facebook page

Technip Lands FEED Contract for Potential $700M Plant Expansion

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

Technip, a global project management, engineering and construction firm targeting the energy industry, has announced The Mosaic Group has awarded it the front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract for a new ammonia plant currently under consideration.

According to The Advocate, the new facility would be located adjacent to the Faustina plant in St.James Parish and will cost around $700 million. If Mosaic decides to go forward with the build, construction would probably start in 2014. The plant could be operational by early 2016 and would generate 53 new direct jobs with average salaries of $83,000 per year. 366 indirect jobs would also be created by the expansion, while around 1,400 workers would be employed during construction. The State of Louisiana is also offering a $3 million, five-year Modernization Tax Credit as well as job training services, to attract the development.

Mosaic is the world’s largest producer of finished phosphate products, with annual production capacity greater than the next two largest producers combined. The company plans to integrate more fully into ammonia production by expanding its present capacity at Faustina. The proposed expansion would increase  production capacity to 2,200 metric tons per day -  almost triple its current output. Mosaic already has two facilities in the Greater Baton Rouge Area: the Faustina fertilizer manufacturing facility on the west side of the Mississippi River and Uncle Sam on the river’s eastern bank.

According to a press release, the plant’s design will feature Haldor Topsøe’ proprietary ammonia process technology that Technip has utilized for the past 40 years. Technip will also be in charge of preparing the corresponding engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) proposal including preliminary design work for plant offsite, interconnections, utilities and various supporting units for the facility.

The FEED contract will be executed by the Houston office of Technip in collaboration with the Technip engineering center located in Rome, Italy. Both FEED and EPC proposals begin in November 2012 and are expected to complete by mid-2013, when Mosaic will make the final decision regarding the expansion.

Photo courtesy of Sharon Loxton via Wikimedia Commons