[Plan Baton Rouge III on May 20, 2025]
[00:00:05]
IT'S JUST ABSOLUTE EXCITEMENT TO ME.
UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF PROMISE DOWN HERE IN DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE.
BUT, UH, PLAN BR THREE, UH, JUST AN AWFUL LOT OF EXCITEMENT AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING ALL THE IDEAS AND THE FEEDBACK.
THIS IS A, UH, WONDERFUL EVENING TO SEE SUCH A GREAT TURNOUT IN SUPPORT OF THE DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE AREA AND ALL ITS SURROUNDING CORRIDORS.
I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF CIVIC LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES AT THE BATON ROUGE FOUND AREA FOUNDATION, ALSO KNOWN AS BRAT.
UH, I GET THE FORTUNATE OPPORTUNITY TO PAY POINT GUARD ON SUCH A, UH, IMPORTANT PROJECTS SUCH AS PLANNED BATON ROUGE THREE, BUILDING OFF THE SUCCESSES OF PREVIOUS PLANS OF PLANS, ONE AND TWO.
AND SO TONIGHT WE'LL RUN THROUGH WITH A, A QUICK LINEUP OF SPEAKERS, UH, WHERE WE'LL INTRODUCE THE HOST OF THIS EVENING, OUR, OUR GRACIOUS MAYOR, PRESIDENT, AS WELL AS OUR PRESIDENT, AND CEO OF THE BATON ROUGE AREA FOUNDATION.
AND THEN YOU'LL GET A CHANCE TO MEET THE LEAD CONSULTANT WITH SASAKI WHO'LL TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHERE WE ARE TODAY AT THIS PLAN, AND ALSO LOVE TO GET YOUR FEEDBACK AND THOUGHTS ON THIS.
AND SO WE'LL HAVE ABOUT 15 MINUTES OR SO ONCE SASAKI AND THEIR TEAM WRAPS UP ON THE PRESENTATION.
AND THEN WE'LL GET EVERYONE BACK INTO THE ATRIUM.
WELL, YOU'LL GET A CHANCE TO CONTINUE TO SOME OF THOSE ACTIVITIES THAT YOU WERE DOING AS WE GOT STARTED.
SO, FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANNA WELCOME UP OUR GRACIOUS HOST THIS EVENING, UH, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LOUISIANA ART AND SCIENCE MUSEUM, DR.
SO, GOOD EVENING, AND THANK, EXCUSE ME, I THINK I'M AT THE WRONG MIC.
UM, GOOD EVENING, AND THANK YOU DEREK, WHO HAS BEEN ON OUR BOARD FOR A LONG TIME AND NOW SERVES ON OUR ADVISOR COUNCIL.
WE COULDN'T DO WHAT WE DO WITHOUT THE LEADERSHIP OF A FANTASTIC BOARD.
SO ON BEHALF OF OUR BOARD, WELCOME TO THE LOUISIANA ART AND SCIENCE MUSEUM, AND THE IRENE W PENNINGTON PLANETARIUM.
WE ARE JUST HONORED TO BE HOSTING THIS VERY FIRST, UH, OF MULTIPLE MEETINGS THAT WE HAPPEN HAPPENING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT WE DO IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, LASM HAS A BIG STAKE IN WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS DOWNTOWN ARENA, UM, AS WELL AS MY OTHER COLLEAGUES FROM MUSEUMS WHO ARE HERE THROUGHOUT, UM, OUR AUDI AUDITORIUM THIS AFTERNOON.
WE ALL THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS TO US SO THAT WE ALSO CAN BE PART OF THE PLANNING PROCESS.
SO, AS A, A QUICK TIDBIT ABOUT WHO WE ARE, LASM WAS FOUNDED IN 1960 BY A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED IN THE POWER OF THE ARTS TO TRANSFORM PEOPLE'S LIVES.
AND SOME 23 YEARS AGO, WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE PENNINGTON FAMILY, THE STATE, AND OUR DONORS, WE ADDED THE BEAUTIFUL STATE OF THE ART IRENE W PENNINGTON PLANETARIUM, WHERE YOU TOO CAN COME AND SEE THINGS LIKE FLIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLIES, AMERICA'S MUSICAL JOURNEY, THE BRAND NEW T-REX SHOW.
SO PLEASE BRING FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND COME SEE WHAT LASM HAS TO OFFER.
OUR MISSION HERE IS TO ENHANCE THE UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF SCIENCE AND ART BY PRESENTING UNIQUE EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINING EXPERIENCES THAT ENCOURAGE DISCOVERY, INSPIRE CREATIVITY, AND FOSTER THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE.
AND I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE MY WONDERFUL COLLEAGUE AND PREDECESSOR CAROL GEEKO IN THE BACK, WHO LED LASM FOR MANY, MANY YEARS AND HELPED TO BUILD US INTO WHAT WE'RE TODAY.
SO WE ENVISION, AS WE ARE RE-ENVISIONING WHAT BATON ROUGE CAN BE, WE ENVISION A COMMUNITY OF LIFELONG LEARNERS WHO ARE INSPIRED BY ART AND BY SCIENCE.
AND WE SAY THAT THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE AT LASM.
IF YOU WERE HERE EARLIER, WE, YOU WOULD'VE SEEN OVER 200 YOUNG PEOPLE TRAIPSING THROUGH OUR MUSEUM, GOING THROUGH OUR EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIENCES HERE.
AND BY THE WAY, CAPRA, UH, IS ONE OF OUR PARTNERS, AND THANK YOU, UM, FOR BEING A PARTNER WITH ONE OF US.
UM, ONE OF OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFER, BUT WE HAVE STRUCTURED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS WHERE WE BRING IN SOME 23,000 YOUNG PEOPLE A YEAR FROM THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THINGS THAT THEY MAY NEVER HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE IN ANY OTHER VENUE.
SO, WE ARE THRILLED TO HAVE YOU HERE.
THE OTHER THING I WANNA SAY IS, IF YOU'VE NOT BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE AND YOU HAVEN'T BROUGHT YOUR GRANDKIDS, YOU HAVEN'T BROUGHT YOURSELF, COME AND VISIT LASM.
WE ARE 100 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR.
THIS BEAUTIFUL BUILDING THAT WE ARE IN WAS, YEAH, PLEASE APPLAUD.
YOU ARE SEATED IN THE FORMER ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION PASSENGER STATION THAT WAS BUILT IN 1925 BY THE YAZOO IN MISSISSIPPI VALLEY RAILROAD COMPANY.
FOR MANY OF YOU, IT MAY BE YOUR FIRST TIME HERE, OR IT MAY BE THAT IT'S BEEN YEARS SINCE YOU'VE BEEN HERE.
AS I'VE HEARD FROM MANY OF YOU ALREADY TODAY, PLEASE KNOW OUR DOORS ARE ALWAYS OPEN.
WE KNOW WE ARE ONE OF THE CROWN JEWELS OF BATON ROUGE, AND WE HAVE EXTRAORDINARY
[00:05:01]
ART.IF YOU'VE NOT SEEN THE EXHIBITION THAT IS UP, I WANT TO THANK OUR TALENTED CURATORIAL TEAM, SOME OF WHOM ARE HERE TONIGHT, AND OUR OTHER TEAM WHO ARE, UM, MEMBERS WHO ARE HERE WITH US, THEY'RE HELPING PUT ON TONIGHT'S PROGRAM.
PLEASE COME AND SEE THIS EXTRAORDINARY EXPLORING KING TUTS TOMB AND THE AMIN EGYPTIAN COLLECTION.
IT WILL BE HERE THROUGH LATE AUGUST.
AND NOW I AM VERY PLEASED TO WELCOME TO THE STAGE OUR EXTRAORDINARY MAYOR, COACH SID EDWARDS, MAYOR OF THE GREAT CITY OF BATON ROUGE.
I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I, I AM TO BE HERE AND EXCITED TO SEE THIS PRESENTATION.
AND I, I'M GONNA SAY EXCITED FOR THE THIRD TIME BECAUSE I AM EXCITED ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BATON ROUGE.
I MEAN, I JUST, TODAY THAT THIS IS LIKE MY SEVENTH EVENT OR SEVENTH MEETING OR WHATEVER, AND EVERYTHING WAS POSITIVE AND EXCITING AS, AS WE'VE WENT THROUGH, A LOT OF GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
AND AMONGST THEM, ONE OF THE TOP IS PLAYING BATON ROUGE THREE, AND I THINK THE BIG DEAL TALKING TO CHRIS, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S ABOUT DOWNTOWN.
AND I, AND, AND WE HAD SOME MEETINGS TALKING ABOUT IT TODAY, CHRIS, ABOUT WE, WE ARE ABOUT TO PUT NEW LIGHTS DOWN HERE FOR, FOR EVERYBODY, BY THE WAY.
OKAY? SOME LED LIGHTS WHERE WE COULD SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.
BUT, UH, THE THING ABOUT IT, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOWNTOWN HERE, AGAIN, I CAN'T WAIT TO TO SEE THE PRESENTATION, IS, UH, IT'S REGIONAL TOO, RIGHT? IT'S JUST NOT ABOUT DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE.
I WANTED TO THANK Y'ALL FOR LETTING ME BE HERE.
AND, UH, IT, IT'S ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THIS AND NIGHTS LIKE THIS THAT MAKE MY JOB EASIER.
'CAUSE I GO BACK HOME TO THE FAMILY AND SAY, GUESS WHAT I JUST DID WITH, YOU KNOW, PLAN THREE, WHICH IS NOTHING YET, BUT I'M HERE.
BUT HERE AGAIN, GLAD TO BE A PART, AND I'M HONORED TO BE IN THIS SEAT WHILE THIS IS GOING ON BY SO MANY BRIGHT, PASSIONATE PEOPLE.
ALRIGHT, WELL, KEEPING THE TRAIN GOING.
I'M THE CEO OF THE BATON ROUGE AREA FOUNDATION.
UH, I JUST WANTED TO EXTEND MY THANKS, UH, TO EACH OF YOU FOR BEING HERE.
UM, UH, FIRST STARTING WITH OUR PARTNERS, THOSE WHO HAVE HELPED MAKE THIS POSSIBLE BY CONTRIBUTING, UH, TO FUNDING THIS PLAN AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PLAN.
UH, THOSE WHO WILL BE SERVING ON OUR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES, OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEES, UH, BUT ULTIMATELY EACH OF YOU, UM, AT THE BATON ROUGE AREA FOUNDATION, WE, WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE EVERY DAY TO WORK WITH, UH, HUNDREDS OF DONORS, UM, THAT GIVE GIFTS ALL ACROSS OUR REGION, ALL ACROSS OUR CITY, ALL ACROSS THE WORLD.
AND, AND OFTENTIMES, THE RECIPIENTS, THE BENEFICIARIES OF THOSE GIFTS DON'T OFTEN KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM.
THEY DON'T OFTEN KNOW THE SORT OF INTENTIONS THAT WERE BEHIND IT, UH, BUT THEY DO KNOW THAT SOMEBODY CARED AND SOMEBODY THOUGHT ABOUT THEM, AND THE PURPOSE BEHIND THAT GIFT.
AND TONIGHT, YOU'RE A PART OF CREATING AND BUILDING REALLY ON THE LEGACY OF SO MANY OTHERS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
BATON ROUGE WANT TO SEE BOO THOMAS HERE.
IT WAS ONE OF THE LEADERS OF THAT PLAN, BATON ROUGE TWO, WHICH BUILT ON THAT SUCCESS AND NOW PLAN BATON ROUGE THREE, WHERE TRULY WE TOGETHER CAN BUILD A VISION AND A PLAN FOR DOWNTOWN THAT'S GONNA BENEFIT FOLKS THAT WILL NEVER MEET US, THAT WILL NEVER KNOW THAT YOU WERE A PART OF THIS.
BUT YOU'RE GONNA KNOW THAT YOU BUILT SOMETHING BIGGER THAN YOURSELVES, THAT WE AS A COMMUNITY LEFT IT BETTER THAN WE FOUNDED.
AND THAT'S ULTIMATELY THE PURPOSE OF THE FOUNDATION AND THIS PROCESS WITH EACH OF YOU.
SO JUST DEEP HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO YOUR WILLINGNESS TO BE PART OF THIS PROCESS, TO SPREAD THE WORD AND GET OTHERS INVOLVED, UM, AND TO REALLY MAKE THIS, AS OUR MAYOR, PRESIDENT SAID, NOT JUST A DOWNTOWN PLAN, NOT JUST A BATON ROUGE PLAN, BUT A PLAN FOR EVERYONE IN OUR REGION.
I ALSO WANTED TO COMMUNICATE TONIGHT THAT WE HAD SEVERAL, UH, OF THE OTHER MAYORS THROUGHOUT OUR PARISH AND REGIONAL PARISH PRESIDENTS, UH, WHO WANTED TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
THEY HAD OTHER COMMITMENTS, BUT THEY, FROM DAY ONE, HAVE REALLY COMMITTED TO BEING PART OF THIS PROCESS BECAUSE THEY SEE THE VALUE OF INVESTING IN OUR CORE OF DOWNTOWN, HOW THAT BENEFITS EVERYONE AND UPLIFTS ALL BOATS.
SPEAKING OF THAT, TO PUT A PLAN LIKE THIS TOGETHER, IT REALLY DOES REQUIRE A WORLD CLASS TEAM.
WE SPENT FOR MONTHS, UH, SCOURING THE COUNTRY, LOOKING AT OTHER COMMUNITIES, OTHERS WHO HAD PUT TOGETHER DOWNTOWN MASTER PLANS TO REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW DO WE GET THE BEST TEAM POSSIBLE TO BE PART OF DEVELOPING THIS.
IN BATON ROUGE, WE NARROWED A LIST OF OVER TWO DOZEN FIRMS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD, ULTIMATELY TO THE WINNING FIRM, SASAKI, UH, WHICH WAS BY FAR AND AWAY
[00:10:01]
AT EVERY STEP.UH, THE REAL LEADER IN THIS PROCESS.
AND FORTUNATELY, THE LEADER OF THAT, UH, ALSO KNOWS BATON ROUGE REALLY WELL.
UH, HE'S A NATIVE OF BATON ROUGE, JOSHUA BROOKS, AND HE HAS THE PRIVILEGE OF LEADING THIS AMAZING WORLD CLASS TEAM AT SASAKI THAT WILL OVER THE NEXT, UH, NINE TO 12 MONTHS, WORK WITH EACH OF YOU AND OTHERS IN OUR COMMUNITY TO HELP BUILD A PLAN THAT WE CAN EXECUTE ON TO LEAVE DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE AS THE MOST ATTRACTIVE, VIBRANT CITY ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER IN OUR COUNTRY.
THIS IS A GREAT LEGACY WE CAN ALL BUILD AND LEAVE TOGETHER, AND I'M HONORED TO BE PART OF IT WITH YOU.
SO, WITH THAT, PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING JOSH BROOKS.
CAN EVERY EVERYBODY HEAR ME? I'M NOT VERY GOOD AT THAT PODIUM, SO I'M NOT ACTUALLY GONNA STAND OVER HERE.
UM, SO VERY HUMBLE TO BE HERE, VERY EXCITING TO, TO BE KICKING OFF THIS FROM THE PUBLIC PERSPECTIVE.
SO WHY ARE WE HERE TONIGHT? UM, I THINK THAT THAT IS A QUESTION THAT MANY OF YOU HAVE ASKED, AND A LOT OF YOU HAVE SEEN THE MATERIAL HERE THAT WE HAVE TODAY.
UM, BUT OUR TEAM IS JUST NOW KICKING OFF THIS PROCESS.
AND SO, UM, WE WANTED TO JUST SAY WE ARE, WE ARE HERE TO LISTEN.
WE'RE HERE TO UNDERSTAND THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE THAT LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY IN, IN DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE, UH, AND BEYOND.
UM, THAT, THAT IS OUR CORE INTENTION, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS A PLAN FOR EVERYONE.
WE'RE HERE TO LEARN FROM THOSE EXPERIENCES TO HELP INFORM THE PLANNING PROCESS.
AND WE'RE HERE TO INFORM YOU WHAT DOES A DOWNTOWN PLAN MEAN? WHAT DOES IT DO TO A COMMUNITY? AND WE'RE HERE TO MEET YOU.
UH, HOPEFULLY YOU COME BACK AGAIN.
YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, UM, AND YOU WANT TO ENGAGE MORE IN THIS PROCESS.
AND SO MY FACE, MY TEAM'S FACE SHOULD BE FAMILIAR TO YOU.
UH, ULTIMATELY THIS PLAN IS YOURS.
THIS IS THE, THE COMMUNITY OF BATON ROUGE'S PLAN.
UM, AND WE CAN'T STRESS THAT ENOUGH WHEN WE SAY DOWNTOWN.
UH, THIS IS THE BOUNDARY THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, OVER A THOUSAND ACRES OF LAND FROM NORTH OF THE CAPITAL LAKE.
JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS, THIS IS THE, THE RIVER THAT'S NORTH, NORTH OF THE CAPITAL LAKE, SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE, EAST OF I ONE 10.
UH, THIS IS A VERY LARGE AREA THAT MAKES UP A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS THAT MAKE UP IT.
IT HAS THE STATE CAPITAL IN IT, IT HAS THIS WONDERFUL FACILITY IN IT.
THIS IS A REMARKABLE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAN THE TRUE HEART OF THE LARGER REGION.
UH, AND SO FROM, FROM HERE ON OUT, AS WE TALK ABOUT DOWNTOWN, THIS IS THE STUDY AREA THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AS WE EMBARK ON THIS PROCESS, I ACTUALLY HAVE AN ASK OF YOU.
UH, WE WANT YOU TO BE AN ADVOCATE OF THIS PROCESS.
YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH EVERYTHING WE SAY, BUT WE NEED YOU TO, TO SUPPORT THE PROCESS SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT WE GET IT RIGHT.
WE NEED YOU TO BE A MEGAPHONE, TELL EVERY ABOUT EVERYBODY ABOUT THIS PROCESS.
GO TO OUR WEBSITE, SHARE IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
ALL OF ALL OF YOUR VOICES CAN AMPLIFY THIS PROCESS TO ENSURE THAT WE HEAR FROM AS MANY FOLKS AS POSSIBLE.
AND WE WANT YOU TO BE A FACILITATOR.
TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR NEIGHBORS TONIGHT, UH, LEARN WHAT THEIR PERSPECTIVES ARE.
AND YET, TOGETHER WE CAN CO-CREATE THE VISION FOR, UH, PLAYBACK THREE.
WE DO HAVE A LIVE WEBSITE THAT'S GONNA HAVE A LIVE SURVEY ON IT THAT HAS ALL OF THIS INFORMATION AND, AND MORE ON, UH, UH, ONLINE TONIGHT.
AND SO WE, WE OFFER YOU, AND, AND WE HOPE THAT YOU CAN SHARE THIS, UH, AS BROADLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO YOU'RE PROBABLY WONDERING, WHO IS THIS GUY TALKING ABOUT? CITIES ON, ON STAGE, UM, THIS IS WHAT I DO FOR A LIVING.
SO IT'S, IT'S QUITE WONDERFUL.
BUT I'M WITH A FIRM CALLED SASAKI.
UH, WE ARE THE PRIME CONSULTANT DIRECTLY CONTRACTED THROUGH THE BAT ROUGE AREA FOUNDATION, BUT WE HAVE A WONDERFUL GROUP OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL CONSULTANTS THAT WE WORK WITH ALL THE TIME, UH, SOME OF WHICH ARE HERE TONIGHT.
WE HAVE, UH, JLDD WHO FOCUSES ON MARKET ECONOMICS AND, AND URBAN FINANCE.
WE HAVE FRANKLIN ASSOCIATES WHO HELPED CURATE THIS WONDERFUL EVENT.
TONIGHT WE HAVE CSRS, A LOCAL PLANNING AND ENGINEERING FIRM, TRAIN AND ARCHITECTS, OUR DESIGN COLLABORATOR AND URA FOR TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC.
AND THIS IS THE GROUP THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS VISION, RESPONS VISION, UM, FOR SASAKI.
THE REASON WHY I DO THIS, THE REASON I'M HERE TONIGHT IS ME AND MY TEAM, UH, REALLY WORK ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF CITY PLANNING.
UH, WE WORK FROM REGIONAL PLANS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO DISTRICT SCALE PLANS, THE DESIGN OF BUILDINGS, THE DESIGN OF PUBLIC SPACES.
AND SO WE CARE ARE IMMENSELY ABOUT HUMAN HABITAT AND WHAT IT MEANS TO CREATE A WONDERFUL PLACE.
WE ALSO SPECIALIZE IN DOWNTOWN PLANNING IN A LOT OF CITIES, VERY SIMILAR TO BATON ROUGE.
SO RECENTLY WE COMPLETED THE DOWNTOWN LITTLE ROCK MASTER PLAN.
WE WORKED ON THE DOWNTOWN GREENVILLE PLAN, THE DOWNTOWN RALEIGH PLAN.
MANY OF THESE PLACES, CAPITAL CITIES THAT ARE ON RIVERFRONTS THAT HAVE SIMILAR POPULATIONS AND CONTEND WITH SIMILAR ISSUES.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING TO BRING BEST PRACTICES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO BATON ROUGE, UM, TO, TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT PLAN.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DOWNTOWNS, UM, WE LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IT THROUGH THE LENS OF AN ECOSYSTEM.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CREATE A VIBRANT PLACE?
[00:15:01]
UM, DOWNTOWN PLANS REQUIRE US TO TALK ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT, EVENTS, FOOD AND BEVERAGE OPERATIONS.THEY REQUIRE US TO TALK ABOUT HOUSING, OFFICE, WORKFORCE, ARTS, AND CIVIC, A ASPECTS IN PUBLIC REALM.
AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS TOGETHER IS WHAT CREATE THE COLLECTIVE AND LIVE MEMORY OF THE PEOPLE THAT WORK AND LIVE AND PLAY IN DOWNTOWN.
AND ALL OF THESE THINGS WORK TOGETHER.
AND SO THIS IS A COMPLEX PLANNING PROCESS THAT'S GONNA REQUIRE US TO THINK ABOUT THE BROAD SPECTRUM OF THINGS THAT MAKE UP OUR CITY AND PLAN FOR THE FUTURE OF ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS.
SO WHAT DOES THIS PROCESS LOOK LIKE? AS, AS CHRIS SAID, OVER THE NEXT NINE TO 12 MONTHS, WE'LL BE HAVING A NUMBER OF COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE AT THE VERY BEGINNING WHERE OUR TEAM IS DIVING INTO THE EXISTING CONDITIONS, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE LISTENING TO YOU TONIGHT TO ENSURE THAT IF WE GET IT RIGHT, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THE RIGHT THINGS? WE WANNA UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU.
UM, AND THAT IS GOING TO HELP US DRIVE INTO THE SECOND PHASE OF WORK, WHICH IS REALLY ABOUT THE BIG IDEAS AND THE VISIONING, THE BIG SWINGS THAT MAKE UP THIS PLAN.
THOSE MIGHT BE PUBLIC REALM IDEAS, THOSE MIGHT BE URBAN REDEVELOPMENT IDEAS.
BUT THE, THE GOAL IS TO DEVELOP THAT BIG FRAMEWORK.
FROM THERE, WE'LL THEN BE MOVING INTO A DETAILED PROCESS WHERE, WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPECIFIC THINGS, PROJECTS, POLICIES, UH, PARTNERSHIPS, THINGS THAT TRULY, YOU KNOW, SORT OF CHANGE THE MECHANICS OF THE CITY.
EACH STEP OF THIS PROCESS WILL BE COMING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND ENSURING THAT WE'RE LISTENING.
WE'RE ASKING YOU FOR YOUR PRIORITIES AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING IT RIGHT.
WHAT ARE THE PIECES OF THE, OF THE DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN? THE PIECES OF, OF THIS PROCESS REALLY ARE, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO SHARE YOUR VISION TO FOR TOMORROW.
AND THEN FOR OUR TEAM TO WORK THROUGH WHAT IS THE ROADMAP FOR INVESTMENT? WHAT ARE THE DETAILED SORT OF POLICIES AND PROJECTS AND PARTNERSHIPS THAT MAKE UP THIS? WHAT DOES DAY ONE LOOK LIKE VERSUS, YOU KNOW, 10 YEARS FROM NOW, 15 YEARS FROM NOW, THESE ARE LONG-TERM PLANS, BUT THEY NEED REALISTIC DAY ONE ACTIONS.
AND SO WE'LL BE WORKING THROUGH ALL OF THAT IN THIS PROCESS TO DRIVE ON THE POINT OF, OF WHY WE DO THIS AND WHY GRAPH HAS AN EMBARKED ON THIS, AND APOLOGIZE FOR THIS.
THE SCREEN'S A LITTLE BLURRY, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE THIRD ITERATION OF THIS PLAN.
AND THE FIRST TWO WERE WILDLY SUCCESSFUL IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T SEE THESE KIND OF NUMBERS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
THE FACT THAT 80% OF PROJECTS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED IN PLANNED BATON ROUGE ONE AND TWO WERE IMPLEMENTED IS PRICE.
THAT'S, THAT'S A REMARKABLE THING.
UM, $500 MILLION IN PUBLIC FUNDING THAT RESULTED IN $1.5 BILLION IN PRIVATE FUNDING.
THOSE ARE INCREDIBLE RETURNS ON INVESTMENT FROM THE PLANNING PROCESS.
AND SO, AS YOU THINK ABOUT PLAN BACK THREE, LET'S THINK BIG, LET'S THINK ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO.
SO THAT 15, 20 YEARS FROM NOW, SOMEBODY ELSE IS STANDING UP ON A STAGE SAYING, LOOK AT WHAT PLAN BACK THREE DID.
WHAT THE PREVIOUS TWO PLANS DID IS VERY TANGIBLE AS WELL.
UM, THE, THE, THE WEALTH OF PUBLIC SPACE THAT EXISTS JUST OUTSIDE THE DOOR, THOSE THINGS WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE PLAN.
THE IDEAS AND THE PARTNERSHIPS AND THE IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY WERE IDENTIFIED IN THOSE PLANS.
AND SO THESE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO SAY, WHAT DO WE REALLY WANT OUR CITY TO LOOK LIKE YEARS FROM NOW? THE IDEA TO MOVE STATE OFFICE WORKERS AND CONSOLIDATE THEM IN DOWNTOWN CAME FROM PLANNED BATON ROUGE.
ONE THAT BROUGHT HUGE AMOUNTS OF JOBS TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA AND HAS CHANGED THE ECONOMY OF DOWNTOWN FOREVER.
AND SO, REAL TANGIBLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RESULTS COME FROM THESE PROCESSES.
FOR US, STARTING A DOWNTOWN PLAN MEANS BEING TRUE TO THE ESSENCE OF PLACE.
UH, BATON ROUGE IS A RIVER CITY.
AND IT STARTED ON THIS REMARKABLE RIVER.
AND WE SHOULD THINK OF HOW CAN WE CELEBRATE THIS ASSET? AS CHRIS SAID, THE IDEA OF BEING THE MOST VIBRANT DOWNTOWN ON THE MISSISSIPPI, THAT'S A, THAT'S AN INCREDIBLE CHARGE, BUT IT IS TRULY POSSIBLE.
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER IS A REMARKABLE, REMARKABLE ASSET, AND OUR TEAM'S INCREDIBLY EXCITED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT MAKES BAT ROU SPECIAL.
THINK ABOUT REALISTIC THINGS THAT WE CAN DO ALONG THE RIVER FRONT TO TRULY MAKE THIS A WORLD CLASS PLACE.
WE ALSO WANNA STRESS THAT THIS IS A DOWNTOWN PLAN FOR THE BROADER REGION.
DOWNTOWN IS THE ECONOMIC HEART OF THE LARGER METROPOLITAN AREA, AND SO IT IS EVERYBODY'S DOWNTOWN.
AND SO WHETHER YOU LIVE IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, WHETHER YOU LIVE IN DOWNTOWN, WHETHER YOU LIVE A MILE AWAY OR 20 MILES AWAY, THIS IS YOUR DOWNTOWN.
AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO THINK HOW THIS PLAN CAN SUPPORT WHAT YOU NEED.
WE ALSO WANT TO ENSURE THAT THIS IS UNIQUELY BATON ROUGE.
UM, DOWNTOWN HAS A REMARKABLE CHARACTER TO IT, WHETHER IT'S, UH, THE, THE, THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS THAT EXIST IN REGAR TOWN, SPANISH
[00:20:01]
TOWN, THE BEAUTIFUL SORT OF ECLECTIC ARCHITECTURE, THE LITTLE PINK FLAMINGOS.LIKE ALL OF THOSE THINGS MAKE CHARACTER OF DOWNTOWN.
AND, AND A, A GOOD PLAN SHOULD BE AUTHENTIC TO ITS PLACE.
WE LIKE TO THINK ABOUT THE PAST.
UM, WE USE THE SORT OF, UH, UH, LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE PAST TO ULTIMATELY INFORM THE FUTURE.
WE LIKE TO THINK ABOUT THE ECONOMIC ENGINES OF DOWNTOWN AND HOW THOSE DRIVE DECISIONS THAT PEOPLE MAKE ON A DAILY LIFE.
UH, AND WE, WE WANT TO WORK WITH YOU ALL TO DEFINE WHAT THE FUTURE IS TOGETHER.
WE WANT TO THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT AREN'T THERE TODAY.
I MEAN, THIS USED TO BE A GIANT OFFICE BUILDING, AND NOW IT'S A, A THRIVING RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY.
TRANSFORMATION CAN HAPPEN AND IT CAN HAPPEN IN BATON ROUGE, AND WE'RE VERY, VERY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THAT.
AND SO OUR INITIAL ANALYSIS, WHICH IS OUTSIDE ON THE BOARDS TONIGHT, I'M GONNA RUN THROUGH VERY QUICKLY.
WE'VE STRUCTURED IT AROUND THESE, THESE SIX THEMES, HISTORY PEOPLE, MARKET, LAND, LINKS AND CHARACTER.
AND EACH ONE OF THESE WE'RE SORT OF ASKING OURSELVES A CRITICAL QUESTION ABOUT WHAT IS THE DATA TELLING US? AND WE WANT YOU TO TELL US IF WE GOT IT RIGHT OR NOT.
UH, FOR HISTORY, WHAT'S REALLY EXCITING IS, IS DOWNTOWN ACTUALLY HAS A REMARKABLE LINK TO ITS, UH, HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT.
UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SORT OF PATTERNS OF LAND PARCEL PARCELIZATION, THE BLOCK SIZE, IT'S THE INTACT HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS DOWNTOWN.
BATON ROUGE IS ACTUALLY DOING PRETTY GOOD.
IT'S INCREDIBLE TO, TO WALK THROUGH BOGAR TOWN OR SPANISH TOWN AND, AND TURN THE CORNER AND OUTSIDE OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT FEELS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
THAT ECLECTICISM IS, IS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY, UH, SOMETHING TO BUILD, BE BUILT OFF OF.
THERE'S ALSO SORT OF HIDDEN GEMS LIKE BOER.
THIS IS A CRAZY PLAN OF BEAUREGARD TOWN AT ONE POINT IN TIME THAT HAS HAD LASTING IMPACTS, EVEN THOUGH NOT EVERYTHING WAS BUILT FROM THAT PLANT, IT HAS HAD LASTING IMPACTS ON THE DIAGONAL STREETS THAT KIND OF RUN THROUGH THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HOW THOSE IMPACT TODAY, THEY, THE IMPACT BLOCK SIZE, THE IMPACT, THE WAY THAT LAND IS ACTUALLY PARCELIZED AND, AND WHAT TYPE OF BUILDINGS CAN ACTUALLY FIT ON THOSE PLACES.
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT DECISIONS OVER TIME, LIKE THE, THE DECISION TO RUN I I ONE 10, ALL OF THESE HAVE MAJOR IMPACTS, BUT, BUT WHAT'S REALLY EXCITING ABOUT DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE IS THAT A LOT OF THAT HISTORY IS STILL INTACT, AND IT'S JUST NOT TOLD IN QUITE THE SAME, THE SAME WAY OR, OR QUITE THE WAY THAT IT COULD BE.
AND SO OUR TEAM'S REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO DIVING INTO, UH, THE PATTERNS OF HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS AND BUILDINGS AND, AND, AND ASSETS TO REALLY LINK THEM TOGETHER.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, OUR CRITICAL QUESTIONNAIRES IS HOW DOES DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE REVEAL AND LEVERAGE AND CELEBRATE ITS HISTORY IN A WAY THAT MAKES IT MORE, UH, PRESENT? THE NEXT THING PEOPLE IS REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE, THE, THE SORT OF POPULATION WHO LIVES AND WORKS IN THIS AREA.
UM, IN THE STUDY AREA THAT'S JUST SHY OF, OF 4,000, UH, RESIDENTS, WHICH IS UNDER 1% OF THE PARISHES POPULATION.
UH, AND YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THOSE OTHER STATISTICS HERE.
AND, YOU KNOW, THIS PRESENTS A REAL OPPORTUNITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING, UH, FROM, FROM EXPERIENCE AND, AND HOW THIS COMPARES TO OTHER PLACES.
UM, DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE HAS ROOM TO GROW.
THERE WAS A REMARKABLE SORT OF GROWTH IN RESIDENTIAL POPULATION THAT THAT HAPPENED IN, YOU KNOW, SORT OF 2010 TO 2020.
BUT IT'S REALLY SORT OF LEVELED OFF AND THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY EXTEND, UH, UH, RESIDENTIAL GROWTH, EVEN DOUBLING OR TRIPLING THE POPULATION OF DOWNTOWN.
AND THAT BRINGS SO MUCH, UH, UH, POSITIVE ENERGY.
UH, AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT HOW THAT DOWNTOWN RELATES TO SOME OF THE PEER CITIES LIKE LITTLE ROCK OR LIKE MONTGOMERY, OR ASPIRATIONAL CITIES LIKE AUSTIN, YOU CAN SEE THE SORT OF GROWTH PROJECTIONS THERE.
UM, FROM A A DIVERSITY PERSPECTIVE, DOWNTOWN ACTUALLY HAS A, A GREAT STARTING POINT.
UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT, ACTUALLY, I'M GONNA GO BACK REAL QUICK.
EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THAT BATON ROUGE HAS STRUGGLED WITH A, A HISTORY OF SEGREGATION, BUT WHAT'S REALLY EXCITING IS THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERNS IN DOWNTOWN, THEY ACTUALLY DON'T FOLLOW THE SAME PATTERNS THAT THE BROADER CITY PARISH DOES.
AND SO THERE'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THE CITY'S DIVERSITY IN DOWNTOWN.
OUR TEAM'S ALSO LOOKING AT THE PATTERNS OF DEVELOPMENT, THE HOUSING POCKETS THAT EXIST IN DOWNTOWN, AND SOME OF THE NEW PROJECTS THAT ARE, ARE BEING BUILT AND REALLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS MISSING, WHAT IS THE, THE, THE TYPE OF MISSING INGREDIENT SUCH AS STUDENT HOUSING OR, OR SENIOR LIVING THAT DOESN'T ACTUALLY HAPPEN IN DOWNTOWN.
AND HOW CAN WE BUILD THAT, UH, INTO THE, INTO THE PLANT.
UH, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT THE, THE SUPPORTING ECOSYSTEM OF HOUSING AND THE, THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE OPERATIONS OR THE TYPES OF EVENTS AND WHERE THOSE HAPPEN.
AND, AND REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE NUANCED CONNECTION BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING IS YELLOW, IS REALLY WHERE PEOPLE LIVE, AND EVERYTHING IN OTHER COLORS IS WHERE PEOPLE DO OTHER THINGS.
AND REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW DO WE ACTUALLY BLEND THAT TOGETHER IN A BETTER WAY.
AND SO AS WE THINK ABOUT PEOPLE REALLY ENSURING THAT
[00:25:01]
WE'RE, WE'RE TAKING A STANCE OF, OF KIND OF MAKING THE MARKET.UM, AND WHEN I SAY THAT, I MEAN REALLY BUILDING AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ATTRACTS PEOPLE TO WANT TO, TO BE IN DOWNTOWN IS A CRITICAL ASPECT OF THIS PROJECT.
FROM AN ECONOMICS PERSPECTIVE, WHAT OUR TEAM'S REALLY BEEN FOCUSED ON IS UNDERSTANDING THOSE SORT OF POPULATION NUMBERS AND HOW THEY START TO IMPACT, UH, THE WAY THAT WE LOOK AT, AT, AT DATA.
AND THIS IS EVERYTHING FROM, UH, RENTAL RATES OF, OF APARTMENT BUILDINGS TO UNDERSTANDING THE RATIO OF NUMBERS OF WORKERS AND OUR TEAMS TAKING A PERSPECTIVE WHERE WE LOOK AT PURE CITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT OUR NUMBERS ARE, ARE WHERE THEY SHOULD BE.
AND WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING AS YOU START TO SEE IS THAT WHEN YOU COMPARE, UM, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE TO PLACES LIKE LITTLE ROCK AND MONTGOMERY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE ACTUALLY LESS OF A POPULATION.
WE'RE A BIGGER CITY THAN DOWNTOWN OR LITTLE ROCK, AND WE HAVE A SMALLER POPULATION IN DOWNTOWN, WHICH MEANS THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO REALLY GROW.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S CRITICAL TO, TO UNDERSTANDING IS THE BROADER KIND OF, UH, ECONOMIC TRENDS OF BATON ROUGE IS A BROADER REGION.
AS WE THINK ABOUT THE, THE MARKET AND ECONOMICS OF THIS PLAN, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT BATON ROUGE, UH, HAS, HAS HAD AS, AS A, A DEVELOPMENT PATTERN FOR, FOR MANY, MANY DECADES, IS A MOVEMENT AWAY FROM THE, THE DOWNTOWN AREA TOWARDS, TOWARDS THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE PARISH, WHICH MEANS BATON ROUGE IS, IS A, A POLYCENTRIC CITY.
IT'S A VERY, UM, SORT OF HEADING PLANNING TERM.
BUT WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE CENTERS OF GRAVITY WITHIN THE PARISH.
AND SO DOWNTOWN ISN'T NECESSARILY THE, THE ONLY CONCENTRATION OF JOBS AND, AND SHOPPING.
AND SO THAT MEANS WE NEED TO THINK A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.
HOW, HOW DOES BATON ROUGE, OR HOW DOES DOWNTOWN WORK WITH THAT BROADER ECOSYSTEM IS REALLY CRITICAL TO THIS STUDY.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING WITHIN THE STUDY AREA AT CONCENTRATIONS OF JOBS AND HOW THEY RELATE TO THINGS LIKE SHOPPING AND, AND, UH, UH, FOOD AND BEVERAGE OPERATIONS, AND MAKING SURE THAT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN WHERE PEOPLE ARE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS AND WHERE THEY WANT TO BE IS, IS THOUGHT ABOUT.
UM, THIS IS A, A VERY DETAILED SLIDE, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT FOLKS UNDERSTOOD THAT WE ARE TYING INTO THE DETAILS IN, IN EVERY WAY WE POSSIBLY CAN, MAKING SURE WE UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO RENT AN APARTMENT, WHAT IS THE VACANCY RATE THAT EXISTS? ALL OF THOSE DATA POINTS, WHICH I'M NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT IN SPECIFICS, REALLY DO INFLUENCE THIS PLANNING EFFORT.
SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO, TO DIVE INTO THE BOARDS THAT ARE OUTSIDE, UH, IF YOU'RE MORE INTERESTED IN THAT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE GOAL WITH ALL OF THIS IS TO REALLY ENSURE THAT DOWNTOWN IS THE ECONOMIC HEART OF THE REGION.
AND SO WE'RE REALLY TAKING A, A STANCE OF, OF HOW WE MAKE THE MARKET, UM, UH, UH, UH, WITH THIS, WITH THIS PLAN.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LAND OR, OR THE, THE SORT OF PHYSICAL, UH, UH, LOCATION OF THE CITY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE TO COME BACK TO THE CITY OR, OR TO THE RIVER.
IT'S A REMARKABLE ASSET, AND IT TRULY IS ONE OF DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE'S, UH, GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVESTMENT.
WHAT OUR TEAM HAS DONE IS REALLY LOOKED AT THE, THE ALMOST TWO MILES OF WATERFRONT FROM A A TYPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE, REALLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO ACCESS? WHAT IS THE GRADE CHANGE? WHAT IS THE FLOODING CONDITIONS? WHAT ARE THE REGULATORY CONSTRAINTS THAT EXIST AT ANY POINT IN TIME ALONG THE RIVER? UM, THOSE ARE OUT ON THE BOARDS TODAY, BUT JUST TO, TO REALLY DIVE INTO A LITTLE BIT OF DETAIL, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IS AS WE THINK ABOUT HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE FROM DOWNTOWN TO THE WATERFRONT TO EXPERIENCE THAT, WHAT ARE THE HURDLES, BOTH REGULATORY AND PHYSICAL, TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN? UH, AS WE THINK ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP TO ADJACENT USES LIKE THE RIVER CENTER, HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT THE SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN A REDEVELOPMENT OF THAT PROJECT AND SITE AND THE RIVERFRONT ITSELF? ALL GREAT OPPORTUNITIES.
ALSO, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SPACE AND, AND LAND, WE'VE LOOKED AT A BROAD SPECTRUM OF, OF PROGRAMMATIC USES FROM ACROSS THE AREA TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS MISSING FROM DOWNTOWN.
WE'VE GONE THROUGH A MAP WHERE THE EXISTING PARKS ARE, HOW THEY'RE ALL CONNECTED TOGETHER.
AND ONE OF THE KEY THINGS WITH DOWNTOWN IS THAT IT'S ACTUALLY MISSING SOME OF THOSE QUALITY OF LIFE SPACES THAT ARE CRITICAL, UM, TO MAKE, UH, A, A, A THRIVING ENVIRONMENT.
AND SO, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S REALLY NOT A LOT OF, OF SORT OF COMMUNITY PART ASSETS THAT EXIST WITHIN DOWNTOWN.
THERE'S A, A, A, A LITTLE LESS SORT OF, UH, PUBLIC SPACE THAN THERE REALLY SHOULD BE WHEN WE THINK ABOUT ATTRACTING A RESIDENTIAL POPULATION.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH THIS PLAN, WE'RE GONNA BE LASER FOCUSED ON ENSURING THAT WE'RE CELEBRATING THE NATURAL ASSET OF THE RIVER AND BUILDING IN A LARGER CONNECTION TO THE BROADER, UH, UH, RECREATIONAL SYSTEM ACROSS DOWNTOWN.
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT TRANSPORTATION, EVERYBODY KNOWS, I MEAN, HOW, HOW MANY OF YOU DROVE
[00:30:01]
HERE TONIGHT? BASICALLY, EVERYBODY, YEAH.DOWNTOWN'S A, A CITY THAT DRIVES IT'S, AND IT'S, WE SHOULDN'T, WE SHOULDN'T, UM, YOU KNOW, PRETEND THAT, THAT WE'RE NOT, UH, BUT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT CONNECTIVITY TO SURROUNDING AREAS, THERE'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO, TO, TO REALLY THINK SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY.
AND SO OUR TEAM'S GONNA BE, UH, REALLY FOCUSED ON UNDERSTANDING THOSE PATTERNS.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, IT'S A REAL STRUGGLE, BUT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT TO PLACES WITH, UH, FUTURE VRT PLANS THAT EXIST, UH, AND CONNECT TO ASSETS LIKE LSU AND, AND SOUTHERN IN WAYS THAT'LL REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN HOW PEOPLE MOVE AROUND.
OUR TEAM IS TRYING TO FOCUS ON THE ROUTES THAT EXIST WITHIN DOWNTOWN, THE USERS THAT EXIST THERE, UM, AND TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE TYING TOGETHER, AGAIN, THE LAND USE AND, AND DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL WITH TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS. UH, WE'RE ALSO DIGGING INTO PARKING.
PARKING IS A, A CRITICAL ASPECT OF THE SUCCESS OF DOWNTOWN, AND ENSURING THAT WE'RE, WE'RE UNDERSTANDING WHERE PARKING IS, HOW IT'S OPERATED, WHO OWNS IT, HOW DO WE ACCESS, UH, THE SPACES AROUND IT.
AND SO THIS MAP STARTS TO PINPOINT ALL THE PUBLIC SPACES AND A 2.5 MINUTE WALK FROM THOSE FACILITIES, AND YOU START TO SEE GAPS IN THE SYSTEM.
THERE IS A HUGE PERCENTAGE OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA THAT'S ACTUALLY COVERED IN SERVICE PARKING.
AND SO IT'S REALLY JUST HOW IS IT USED? UM, THERE'S ALSO BARRIERS IN DOWNTOWN THAT, THAT REALLY IMPACT THE WAY PEOPLE MOVE THROUGH.
UM, AND SO WE'LL BE DIVING INTO THAT SYSTEM THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
UM, AND ALL OF THIS IS TO ENSURE THAT DOWNTOWN IS TRULY CONNECTED TO THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS.
UH, AND ULTIMATELY OUR GOAL WITH THIS PROCESS IS, IS TO REALLY FIGURE OUT HOW WE START TO, UH, YOU KNOW, TRULY MAKE DOWNTOWN A MORE ACCESSIBLE PLACE FOR ALL.
AND THEN THE LAST THEME, THIS CHARACTER THEME IS REALLY BUILDING OFF OF THE IDEA THAT THAT DOWNTOWN IS MADE UP OF A COLLECTION OF NEIGHBORHOODS.
IT'S VERY EXCITING TO SEE THE DIFFERENT, UH, CHARACTERS THAT EXIST THERE.
AND WHAT OUR TEAM'S REALLY BEEN FOCUSED ON IS UNDERSTANDING THE USE THE ECONOMICS OF EACH ONE OF THOSE, UM, AND, AND REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHEN IT'S ALL AGGREGATED TOGETHER, IS IT MEETING THE RIGHT TYPE OF USE THAT MAKES A VIBRANT DOWNTOWN? AND THE SHORT ANSWER TO THAT IS THERE'S ROOM FOR GROWTH, THERE'S ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.
UM, AS WE THINK ABOUT THE PERCENTAGE OF LAND USE, UM, REALLY THIS NUMBER OF RESIDENTIAL RIGHT NOW, 18% OF THE LAND USE IN DOWNTOWN IS RESIDENTIAL.
THAT SHOULD REALLY BE CLOSER TO 35, 40% IN ORDER TO GET A VIBRANT, UH, SORT OF ENVIRONMENT.
THAT'S WHAT YOU, YOU REALLY SEE AROUND, AROUND THE COUNTRY.
BUT THERE'S ROOM TO GROW, THERE'S A LOT OF UNDEVELOPED LAND, THERE'S A LOT OF SURFACE PARKING, THERE'S A LOT OF OPEN SPACE THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY PROGRAMMED.
THERE'S A GOOD, I, THERE'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY FILL IN A LOT OF SPACE WITHOUT CAUSING, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT NEEDING TO GROW TO 40, 50 STORIES.
UM, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS REALLY UNDERSTAND EACH ONE OF THESE NEIGHBORHOODS IN ITS OWN CONTEXT.
UM, THESE ARE JUST A SET A FEW DIAGRAMS, WHICH I ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK AT, UH, UH, OUT IN THE, THE, UM, ATRIUM, BUT REALLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT MAKES EACH ONE OF THESE SPECIAL, WHAT ARE THE CONSTRAINTS THAT EXIST FROM A ZONING AND REGULATORY PERSPECTIVE IN EACH ONE OF THESE AREAS? AND ULTIMATELY, WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT IN EACH ONE OF THESE AREAS? WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT SPECIAL BUILDINGS.
WHAT ARE THE FEATURE ELEMENTS THAT EXIST WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN AREA THAT TRULY MAKE, UH, DOWNTOWN SPECIAL? AND HOW CAN WE ENSURE THAT THIS PLANNING PROCESS CELEBRATES AND ADDS TO THAT? UM, AND SO ALL OF THIS IS TO ENSURE THAT THE PLAN THAT WE HAVE IS UNIQUE TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT EXIST WITHIN DOWNTOWN AND AUTHENTIC TO, UH, BATON ROUGE HAS A PLACE.
AND SO WHAT'S NEXT? UM, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THE FEEDBACK THAT YOU GIVE US TONIGHT, UH, WORK THROUGH SOME OF THESE ASPIRATIONAL QUESTIONS THAT ARE OUT ON THE BOARD AND THAT I WENT THROUGH IN THIS PRESENTATION.
AND WE'RE GONNA USE THAT TO DEVELOP MASTER PLAN VALUES.
UM, FROM THERE, THAT'S GONNA HELP US DEVELOP THE PLAN FRAMEWORKS.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT TRULY MAKE THE, THE PLAN, UH, UNIQUE TO ITSELF.
UM, AND SO WE REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO DIVE INTO THE CONTENT TONIGHT, FILL OUT THE SURVEY, ENGAGE WITH YOUR, YOUR, UH, COLLEAGUES AND, AND, AND ENGAGE WITH MY, MY, UH, STAFF AND REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IN LISTENING TO THIS PROCESS.
AND SO I'LL BRING THIS SLIDE UP.
AGAIN, I'M ASKING YOU TO BE AN ADVOCATE, A MEGAPHONE, AND A FACILITATOR.
AND SO I NEED EVERYBODY TO NOD THEIR HEAD AND SAY, WE'RE GONNA DO THAT
UM, AND SO I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT.
UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE ALL OF THE QUESTIONS AND, AND, AND CONVERSATION HAPPEN OUT IN THE ATRIUM SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT WE'RE HEARING FROM AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING TONIGHT AND, UH, LET'S GO TALK.
[00:35:01]
OUR MESSAGE IS SIMPLE.UH, WE'RE HERE TO UNDERSTAND THE FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE, AND WE'RE HERE TO IMAGINE TOGETHER.
TELL US WHAT EXAMPLES HAVE YOU SEEN AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT, UH, COULD BE USED IN BATON ROUGE? UM, SO WE REALLY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY ON SOME EXCITING DOWNTOWN PLANNING PROJECTS.
I THINK WHAT A LOT OF CITIES ARE TRYING TO DO IS RECONNECT TO THEIR CONTEXT, RECONNECT TO THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS, RECONNECT TO THE RIVERFRONT.
AND SO THAT'S AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE TO REALLY, UH, THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE, A FUTURE THAT IS WELL CONNECTED, A FUTURE THAT IS ACTIVE, A FUTURE THAT IS TIED TO ITS CONTEXT.
TONIGHT WAS REALLY ABOUT THE FIRST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS FOR PLANNED BATON ROUGE THREE, THE KICKOFF TO BEGIN GATHERING BIG IDEAS FOR WHAT THIS PLAN CAN LOOK LIKE FOR NEW INVESTMENT IN DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE.
WHY IS THAT NECESSARY PLANNED? BATON ROUGE THREE REALLY BUILDS ON THE SUCCESS OF PLANS ONE AND TWO, WHICH STARTED OVER 20 YEARS AGO.
UM, THIS IS A MOMENT WHERE WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY LOOK AT SOME CRITICAL ASSETS LIKE OUR DOWNTOWN RIVERFRONT, UH, CREATING MORE HOUSING DOWNTOWN, AND REALLY REINVESTING IN THE CONNECTED CORRIDORS OF DOWNTOWN.
AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO BUILD ON THE LEGACY OF THE PAST, WHILE ALSO PUTTING OUR STAMP ON WHAT THE FUTURE SHOULD LOOK LIKE AS A COMMUNITY.
WHAT OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THIS AREA THAT BATON ROUGE CAN LEARN FROM? YEAH, I THINK BATON ROUGE AND PLANNED BATON ROUGE THREE CAN REALLY, YOU KNOW, BUILD ON THE SUCCESS, BOTH OF THE ORIGINAL PLANS, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT OUR PEERS.
UH, RECENTLY THE SASAKI TEAM COMPLETED A MASTER PLAN FOR DOWNTOWN LITTLE ROCK, WHICH LIKE US SITS ON A RIVER AS A STATE CAPITAL AND HAS A LOT OF THE SAME KIND OF DYNAMICS OF WANTING TO GROW, UH, HOUSING, WANTING TO GROW NEW DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, ENTERTAINMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO REALLY ATTRACT PEOPLE DOWNTOWN.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, CITIES LIKE THAT REALLY ARE GREAT MODELS AND PEERS FOR US TO, TO LOOK TO, TO BENCHMARK OUR SUCCESS IN THIS PLAN.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN TONIGHT'S OVER? I WOULD LOVE FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A MOMENT TO GET INVOLVED.
UH, THIS IS REALLY A PLAN FOR ALL OF US, UH, NOT JUST IN THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE OR THE PARISH, BUT FRANKLY FOR OUR ENTIRE REGION, OUR ENTIRE STATE.
DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE IS WHERE THE STATE COMES TO DO BUSINESS.
UH, IT'S REALLY A, A PLACE FOR EVERYONE TO BE INVESTED IN FOR OUR FUTURE.
AND SO WE REALLY WANT THIS TO BE A COMMUNITY HELD PLAN, A COMMUNITY HELD VISION, GET INVOLVED PLAN BATON ROUGE.COM.
WELL, IT'S ABSOLUTELY REGIONAL.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS EVERYBODY'S DOWNTOWN, RIGHT? SO WE DO HAVE RESIDENTS HERE DOWNTOWN.
ULTRA IMPORTANT FOR THEM, FOR THE DEVELOPMENT.
BUT IN A MAJOR CITY LIKE OURSELVES, TO HAVE THIS SPACE AND TO BE DOWNTOWN, IT AFFECTS EVERYONE, ALL, ALL THROUGHOUT THE PARISH, AND ACTUALLY BEYOND.
SO IF YOU'RE IN ALEXANDRIA OR YOU'RE IN MONROE, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO KEEP IN MIND ABOUT HOW YOUR EFFORTS IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH COINCIDE WITH THIS EFFORT TONIGHT? WELL, WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT JUST THREE, THREE, A LITTLE OVER THREE MONTHS IN OFFICE IS THE COLLABORATION AND HOW SO MANY THINGS ARE ALIGNING ALREADY, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH STUFF LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, UH, CERTAINLY I HAVE MY EYES AND MY FEET AND OTHER PARTS OF THE PARISH, YOU KNOW, FROM THE NORTH TO THE SOUTH, TO THE EAST, TO THE WEST.
BUT WE WANT THIS TO BE THE HUB.
WE WANT THIS TO BE THE PRIDE OF THE CAPITAL CITY, AND I, AND EVERYONE'S WORKING TOGETHER AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT IT.