What do you LIKE about Baton Rouge ? (Many, Paradis: rental market, condos)

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by Gil3

BRman or Darylwi..what exactly happened with Catfish Town and is there anything similar being planned with the revitilization of downtown? I did visit there a couple of times in the 80s before I moved away. Thanks

Catfish Town was the first attempt to revitalize downtown. It didn't last long thanks to the depressed Louisiana economy of the 1980s (maybe a year or two), although Coffee Call (which was at the time had a location there) hung on for a few more years. In the early/mid 90s, the casinos came along, and one of them located next door to Catfish Town, so Catfish Town got an atrium and a hotel.

In the past decade, downtown revitalization has continued; now you have the Shaw Center, some new restaurants, and some new bars downtown. And the Y located next to one of the new state office buildings. Oh, and they've added a nice walkway along the downtown levee, with a bike trail that goes down the river to the LSU Vet School.

Long story short: downtown BR HAS been coming back in fits and starts, even if Catfish Town itself didn't succeed.

...and Daryl can fill in whatever items I've left out

[darylwi]

Originally Posted by BRMan

Catfish Town was the first attempt to revitalize downtown. It didn't last long thanks to the depressed Louisiana economy of the 1980s (maybe a year or two), although Coffee Call (which was at the time had a location there) hung on for a few more years. In the early/mid 90s, the casinos came along, and one of them located next door to Catfish Town, so Catfish Town got an atrium and a hotel.

In the past decade, downtown revitalization has continued; now you have the Shaw Center, some new restaurants, and some new bars downtown. And the Y located next to one of the new state office buildings. Oh, and they've added a nice walkway along the downtown levee, with a bike trail that goes down the river to the LSU Vet School.

Long story short: downtown BR HAS been coming back in fits and starts, even if Catfish Town itself didn't succeed.

...and Daryl can fill in whatever items I've left out

I concur. Basically as of now, the name Catfish Town remains but not the identity that was with it. I believe the master plan is to develop the area just south of the bridge into condos and living space. They're slowly working on the area along Nicholson heading towards LSU. Honestly it's become one big gentrification project now.
I'm not really sure what they'll ever really do with that area by the casino, north of the bridge but a block east of the levee. I imagine you might see other small living quarters pop up if they can ever get that residential aspect of downtown off the ground. I think the city is too worried about high end living, they've only built lofts and condos that are pretty expensive. They need a little more mixed-use properties. Then they need the grocery/pharmacy aspect to get people more comfortable about having actual services downtown. At that point (residential and services), I think downtown will take off.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by darylwi

I concur. Basically as of now, the name Catfish Town remains but not the identity that was with it. I believe the master plan is to develop the area just south of the bridge into condos and living space. They're slowly working on the area along Nicholson heading towards LSU. Honestly it's become one big gentrification project now.
I'm not really sure what they'll ever really do with that area by the casino, north of the bridge but a block east of the levee. I imagine you might see other small living quarters pop up if they can ever get that residential aspect of downtown off the ground. I think the city is too worried about high end living, they've only built lofts and condos that are pretty expensive. They need a little more mixed used properties. Then they need the grocery/pharmacy aspect to get people more comfortable about having actual services downtown. At that point, I think downtown will take off.

You know, one area that has improved a LOT is the part of Nicholson between LSU and I-10 - especially near the Chinese buffet that has been there FOREVER. But you're right, it's the grocery/pharmacy/retail that needs to be developed.

[Gil3]

Thank you both for your answers and always great insight!

I forgot to mention I visited the Shaw center last year and it's simply awesome.

I definitely agree regarding the ammenities aspect. I have witnessed this after living in the DC area, which has had a boom in the revitilization of many of it's neighborhoods and the addition of high-end housing.

People who fork out the high amounts to live in these condos also expect to be able to walk a block or two for groceries, services, entertainment, nightlife and other necessities. Many also strive to use their cars as little as possible. I believe given the set-up of DT BR, this can be possible, but not if the addition of such ammenities is overlooked.

Gil

[darylwi]

Originally Posted by Gil3

Thank you both for your answers and always great insight!

I forgot to mention I visited the Shaw center last year and it's simply awesome.

I definitely agree regarding the ammenities aspect. I have witnessed this after living in the DC area, which has had a boom in the revitilization of many of it's neighborhoods and the addition of high-end housing.

People who fork out the high amounts to live in these condos also expect to be able to walk a block or two for groceries, services, entertainment, nightlife and other necessities. Many also strive to use their cars as little as possible. I believe given the set-up of DT BR, this can be possible, but not if the addition of such ammenities is overlooked.

Gil

You are very correct.
And yes, I like that we have the Shaw Center now. It's been a huge benefit to downtown sofar and am sure it will continue to be.
We also need more hotel rooms downtown too.

[Dut]

Well, umm I like the Spanishtown parade.

[dguilliams]

Has anyone looked at the crime rate! And if you are in the service industry,,, Forget about it, The quality of the work force is BAD!I've lived in BR all my life and I have seen it decline to the point that I am looking to move.My Father-in-law had a gun stuck in his face in his garage in the middle of the day, and same is happening all over town!

[mhounit]

Catfish Town failed for several reasons . The economy was only one of them . I knew several of the shop owners in there . The overhead and maint. fees were extremely high . This drove prices up to the point that people would only window shop . The only money being spent was in the food court .

[LMDJ]

Originally Posted by southland

-I like that Baton Rouge is on a big upswing despite the crummy national economy.

-Our investments are still safe and our local companies are stronger.

-cleaner, safer than New Orleans or Houston.

-There's a dozen new large projects underway, and even more big infrastructure improvements in the pipeline....wider interstates, new beltway, better schools...just to name a few.

-I like to get in early on a good thing, and Baton Rouge is exactly that.

-low taxes

-Class 1 fire department...great response times means lower homeowners insurance..unfortunately offset by higher car insurance.

-Some older neighborhoods are being or have been revitalized....with lots of new investments going into older neighborhoods.

-Crime sucks, but if something isn't done about it then Holden will lose the election...so something will be done about it.

-The people are nice, I love LSU football, and we are within an hour of New Orleans and Lafayette.

-It's cheap to fly out of our airport compared to other cities our size.

-housing market is reasonable.

-We don't have as many political nut jobs in government here as New Orleans has.

-Traffic is bad, but if you pic your housing right you can avoid it.

-Great restaurants.

What do you want the mayor to do about crime?

[mhounit]

Originally Posted by LMDJ

What do you want the mayor to do about crime?

That's a joke , right ?