[00:00:05]
[Plan Baton Rouge III on July 16, 2025]
MY NAME IS ERIC DEXTER.I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF CIVIC LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES.
TONIGHT, WE'RE HOSTING, UH, AN OPEN HOUSE FOR PLANNED BATON ROUGE THREE, WHICH PLANNED BATON ROUGE.
THREE IS A STRATEGIC VISIONING PROCESS, UM, TO, UM, THINK ABOUT NEW WAYS TO TRANSFORM, UH, RIGHT REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE, UH, AND NOT JUST DOWNTOWN AT ITS CORE, BUT ALSO THE CONNECTING CORRIDORS, UM, THAT GET PEOPLE TO AND FROM DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE.
THERE'S A FEW GOALS OF PLAYING BATON ROUGE THREE.
ONE IS CONNECTING OR RECONNECTING PEOPLE TO THE RIVERFRONT.
UH, WE GET, WE'VE GOTTEN SO O OVERWHELMING RESPONSES FROM PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DO MORE ON THE RIVERFRONT, UM, SO MUCH.
AND SO OFTEN WE TREAT, UH, OUR RIVERFRONT AS OUR BACK DOOR INSTEAD OF OUR FRONT PORCH.
UM, AND SO THERE'S WAYS THAT I THINK WE CAN USE ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE, UH, GIFTS AND ASSETS THAT WE HAVE REALLY IN THIS COUNTRY, BUT DEFINITELY TO THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, UH, INTO DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE, WHICH IS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, AND HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE ON THE LEVEE, BUT ALSO A KIND OF A, A, A, A BETTER VIEWPOINT TO, TO ACCESS THE LEVEE, UH, AND TO ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL SUNSET THAT HAPPENS OVER THE RIVER EVERY SINGLE DAY.
WE REALLY WANNA BUILD ON THE SUCCESS OF PREVIOUS PLANS OF GOING TWO THAT HAVE HAPPENED OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, UH, WHICH THOSE PLANS RESULTED IN OVER $3 BILLION WORTH OF INVESTMENT FROM A PUBLIC AND A PRIVATE STANDPOINT.
UH, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANNA DO THIS TIME IS ALSO TAKE THIS AS A REGIONAL APPROACH, UNDERSTANDING THAT DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE IS KIND OF THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT FOR THE REGION, UH, BUT IT'S ALSO THE HOME TO, UH, FEDERAL COURTS AND A LOT OF CITY PARISH OFFICES.
AND REALLY IT'S THE HOME OF, OF STATE GOVERNMENT AS WELL, WHEN YOU CONSIDER IT THE STATE CAPITAL, WHERE A LOT OF YOUR LEGISLATORS, UH, LEGISLATORS COME HERE EVERY YEAR TO DO THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS.
AND SO, UH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ANYONE THAT COMES HERE, WHETHER IT'S FOR WORK OR FOR THE VISIT OR PLAY, UH, TAKES OWNERSHIP IN THIS PLANNING PROCESS AND WHAT THE DOWNTOWN IS GONNA LOOK LIKE IN THE NEXT 10 TO 15 YEARS.
THERE'S A FEW WAYS THAT THE COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO GET, CAN CONTINUE TO GET INVOLVED.
ONE IS BY SHOWING UP TO OPEN HOUSE EVENTS LIKE WE'RE HAVING TONIGHT.
UH, WE'LL HAVE SUBSEQUENT EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE YEAR, UH, BUT YOU CAN ALSO GO TO PLAN BATON ROUGE.COM.
UM, AND YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE PLANNING PROCESS, UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND OUT SO FAR.
UM, THERE'S ALSO A COMMUNITY SURVEY THAT WILL GO LIVE RIGHT AFTER THE EVENT TONIGHT.
UH, WE'VE HAD OVERWHELMING RESPONSES OVER THE LAST CONVENING, WHICH WE RECEIVED, I THINK OVER 1200 RESPONSES.
AND YOUR FEEDBACK THAT WE GET FROM OUR, OUR RESIDENTS HERE IS WHAT'S ULTIMATELY GONNA SHAPE THE MASTER PLAN ITSELF.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT THE CONSULTANT TEAM IS GONNA COME IN AND WORK WITH US AND DEVELOP ON THEIR OWN.
WHAT'S GONNA BE SHAPED IS WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT AND THEIR, THEIR NIL, THEIR NAME, IMAGE, AND LIKENESS.
AND SO PLEASE GO TO PLAN BATON ROUGE.COM.
UH, CHECK OUT A LOT OF MATERIALS AND RESOURCES THAT ARE THERE.
VIEW THE RECORDINGS FROM A PAST EVENT, BUT THEN ALSO COMPLETE THE COMMUNITY SURVEY AND SEND IT OUT TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND NETWORK.
WE'VE GOTTEN SOME REALLY SOLID FEEDBACK, NOT TOO MUCH THAT HAS BEEN SURPRISING SO FAR, BUT WE STILL HAVE SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE JUST WANTING TO HAVE THAT CONNECTION AND MORE OF A CONNECTION TO THE RIVER.
AGAIN, I THINK PEOPLE TRAVEL TO A LOT OF OTHER CITIES AND COUNTRIES, AND ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THEY DO IS THEY ARE ATTRACTED TO THINGS ALONG THE WATERFRONT, AND WE HAVE THAT HERE, BUT HOW CAN WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE ACCESS THAT LEVEE AND THAT RIVERFRONT, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, FOR PEOPLE TO GET ON THE RIVER EITHER? AND SO RIGHT NOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE EITHER ACCESS IT, EITHER THEY'RE IN A, IN A NICE, PRETTY OFFICE BUILDING DOWNTOWN, OR YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO GET, HAVE TO GET ON THE LEVEE TO GO RUN OR WALK.
UM, BUT WE WANT TO HAVE PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO SIT THERE AND ENJOY AND HAVE FAMILY ATMOSPHERE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY THEIR EVENINGS THERE AS WELL.
WE KNOW THAT IT'S HOT, SO WE HAVE TO THINK OF WAYS THAT WE CAN MITIGATE SOME OF THAT TO WHERE PEOPLE CAN ENJOY IT DURING THE SUMMERTIME AS WELL AS IN THE FALL AND THE SPRING.
BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT NOW.
UM, AND THAT'S A LOT OF THE FEEDBACK WE'RE GETTING, UH, THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS SO FAR.
I'M HERE REPRESENTING, UM, MAYOR S EDWARDS, AND WE'RE HERE TONIGHT, I THINK, CELEBRATING THE FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE, AND INVITING, UM, CITIZENS FROM ACROSS THE ENTIRE PARISH TO REALLY DIG IN AND GIVE THEIR BEST IDEAS AND THEIR BEST ADVICE OF HOW THEY WANNA SEE DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE THRIVE.
AND WHAT DO THEY WANNA SEE HERE? PLAN BATON ROUGE ONE AND PLAN BATON ROUGE TWO, WHERE BOTH MARQUEE MOMENTS, I THINK, IN THE HISTORY OF DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE.
UH, AND SO PLANNED BATON ROUGE THREE CONTINUES IN THAT CON, THAT CONCEPT OF GETTING THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER AND HELP PLAN, UM, WHAT SHOULD BE DIFFERENT, WHAT SHOULD
[00:05:01]
STAY THE SAME, WHAT SHOULD BE BIGGER, WHAT SHOULD BE BOLDER? HOW CAN WE INVEST, YOU KNOW, SCARCE RESOURCES TO HELP DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE BECOME THE BEST THAT IT CAN BE, THAT IN A WAY THAT HELPS THE ENTIRE CITY PARISH PROSPER.I THINK SUCCESS IS MEASURED PARTLY BY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT PARTICIPATE, UM, BUT PARTLY BY THE OUTCOMES WHEN WE'RE DONE.
HOW INCREDIBLE IS THE NEW PLAN WE HAVE FOR DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE? AND HOW MUCH WILL IT MOVE THE NEEDLE FOR EVERYONE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU LIVE IN DOWNTOWN OR NOT? YOU KNOW, THE, THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, UM, IS A DEFINING INSTANCE ABOUT BATON ROUGE, RIGHT? IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE WE HAVE.
AND SO THINKING ABOUT AND PLANNING FOR THE GROWTH OF THE CITY PARISH AROUND THAT RIVER REALLY MAKES THE MOST SENSE.
I'M A PRINCIPAL AT SASAKI ASSOCIATES, AND, AND WE'RE THE CONSULTANT WORKING WITH BRA, THE CITY AND OTHER PROJECT PARTNERS, UH, TO CRAFT THE VISION FOR PLAN BATON ROUGE THREE.
TONIGHT, WE ARE REALLY HERE TO HAVE A, A GREAT CONVERSATION WITH THE COMMUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE SOME PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE SINCE LAST PUBLIC MEETING, UH, AND TO REALLY MAKE SURE WE'RE HEADING ON THE RIGHT TRACK AS WE MOVE FORWARD INTO THE NEXT STAGES OF THE PROJECT.
UM, LAST TIME WE WERE ALL TOGETHER, WE, UH, TALKED A LOT ABOUT SOME OF THE EXISTING CONDITIONS THAT ARE IN DOWNTOWN.
WE GOT A LOT OF FEEDBACK, UH, FROM PEOPLE AROUND WHAT'S WORKING AND WHAT'S NOT.
AND TONIGHT, WE'VE REALLY DEVELOPED IDEAS FROM THAT AROUND WHAT THE FUTURE OF BATON ROUGE AND DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE LOOKS LIKE.
AND SO WE'RE HERE TO TEST THOSE IDEAS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.
AND THEN, UH, WE'LL BE MOVING FORWARD IN THE PLANNING PROCESS.
DOWNTOWN IS THE CONCENTRATION OF CULTURAL ASSETS WITHIN THE, THE BROADER METROPOLITAN AREA.
AND SO, UH, DOWNTOWN HAS A WEALTH OF MUSEUMS, HISTORIC ASSETS, LIKE THE BUILDING THAT WE'RE STANDING IN TODAY.
UH, WE'VE IDENTIFIED A COUPLE OF STRATEGIES LIKE, UH, BETTER CONNECTIONS, UH, BETWEEN CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS.
UH, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT STORYTELLING AND WAY FINDING AND BRANDING OF DOWNTOWN, UH, THAT CELEBRATES HISTORY, UM, AND, AND TELLS THESE SORT OF AUTHENTIC STORY OF, OF BEING IN DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE.
AND THEN THE OTHER WAY I WOULD SAY THIS CELEBRATES IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF REMARKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT EXIST WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN STUDY AREAS.
SPANISH TOWN, LOWER GUARD TOWN, OR ALL HISTORIC, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS IN AND OF THEMSELVES.
AND SO REALLY BRINGING THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS BACK TO, YOU KNOW, THE, THEIR FORMER GLORY, BRINGING THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS BACK TO LIFE.
UH, PROVI PROVIDING REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS SO THAT THEY BECOME TRULY LIVELY DESTINATIONS IN AND OF THEMSELVES IS ANOTHER WAY WE'LL CELEBRATE HISTORY.
THE OUTCOMES THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR REALLY, UH, UH, GO BACK TO OUR, A SERIES OF GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT WE DEVELOPED, UH, FIRST OF WHICH IS ESTABLISHING A STRONGER MARKET DIVERSITY.
SO WE'LL BE LOOKING TO BRING IN NEW, UH, JOB OPPORTUNITIES, NEW ANCHOR INDUSTRIES INTO DOWNTOWN THAT MAY NOT EXIST RIGHT NOW.
AND THAT COULD BE ANYTHING FROM STUDENT HOUSING TO MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS TO, UH, OTHER PARTNERSHIPS THAT DON'T QUITE EXIST NOW.
AND SO, IF WE COULD, IF WE COULD REALLY THINK ABOUT THOSE, UH, UH, UH, OPPORTUNITIES AS A GREAT, A GREAT ASSET AND A GREAT OUTCOME, UH, ANOTHER OUTCOME WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR, AND A, A MEASURE OF SUCCESS FOR THIS IS, UH, HOW WE FOCUS ON THE RIVERFRONT AND ESTABLISHING A NEW RIVERFRONT EXPERIENCE, UH, IN DOWNTOWN THAT, THAT REALLY IS, IS SCREAMING FOR THAT.
UH, ONE OF THE GREATEST ASSETS THAT DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE HAS IS, IS ITS PROXIMITY ON THE MISSISSIPPI.
AND SO, UH, WE'RE LOOKING TO IDENTIFY A COUPLE OF STRATEGIC PROJECTS ALONG THE RIVERFRONT, UM, THAT WE CAN REALLY INVEST IN, UH, CREATING NEW DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, NEW PUBLIC SPACE OPPORTUNITIES, NEW ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES ALONG THE RIVERFRONT.
I THINK FOR SUCCESS, I WOULD REALLY TALK ABOUT THE SORT OF ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF, OF PLANS LIKE THIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE WORK ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND, AND, YOU KNOW, IN THESE PLANNING PROCESSES, WE IDENTIFY A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA SPEND MONEY ON, RIGHT? BUT, UH, THE REAL OPPORTUNITY IS WHAT IS THE RETURN ON THAT INVESTMENT? SO HOW DO WE TAKE, UH, PUBLIC DOLLARS, INVEST IN DOWNTOWN, AND ULTIMATELY SEE, UH, A PRIVATE REACTION FROM THAT? AND SO NEW HOUSING, NEW DEVELOPMENT, NEW BUSINESSES COMING INTO DOWNTOWN AND CELEBRATING THOSE, THOSE PUBLIC INVESTMENTS.
I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THE, THE CIVIC INFRASTRUCTURE, THE PARTNERSHIP THAT EXISTS AROUND THIS PROJECT IS TRULY REMARKABLE.
THE, THE, THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT ARE ALREADY BECOMING SO APPARENT BETWEEN THE CITY, RAF OTHER PROJECT PARTNERS IS, IS REALLY A REMARKABLE OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IDEAS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT.
SO THIS IS, AS, AS ERIC MENTIONED, WE HAVE A, A PROJECT WEBSITE THAT'S LIVE.
WE HAVE A SURVEY THAT'S COMING ONLINE TODAY.
AND SO, UH, AFTER THIS MEETING, IF YOU DON'T TAKE THE SURVEY IN THE, IN THE NEXT ROOM, AND IF YOU DON'T, UH, UH, FEEL LIKE YOU'VE GOTTEN YOUR VOICE HEARD TONIGHT, ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO, TO DO THE ONLINE SURVEY.
BUT I HAVE ANOTHER REQUEST IS THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS ROOM HAS TO, AT AT LEAST ASK THREE OTHER PEOPLE TO TAKE THAT SURVEY.
AND SO THAT'S YOUR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FOR TONIGHT.
CAN EVERYBODY AGREE? I NEED A NOD BEFORE I MOVE ON.
THERE'S SOMEBODY OVER THERE THAT DIDN'T NOD.
UM, SO I, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE AS ERIC MENTIONED, WE GOT OVER A THOUSAND SURVEY RESPONSES FROM THE LAST, UH, UH, PUBLIC MEETING AND THE FEEDBACK THAT WAS GOTTEN IN THAT SURVEY AND AT THE LAST PUBLIC MEETING DIRECTLY INFLUENCED THE, THE, THE
[00:10:01]
CONCEPTS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT.UM, SO BEFORE WE DIVE INTO IT, UM, I ALWAYS LOVE COMING BACK TO THIS DIAGRAM BECAUSE A DOWNTOWN ENVIRONMENT REALLY IS AN ECOSYSTEM.
AND HOW WE CREATE A THRIVING DOWNTOWN HAS TO BE A CROSS-CUTTING PLAN THAT LOOKS AT EVERYTHING FROM PUBLIC REALM TO HOUSING, TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TO RETAIL AND HOSPITALITY.
ALL OF THOSE THINGS WORK IN CONCERT.
WE CAN'T EXPECT BUSINESSES TO THRIVE WITHOUT FOOT TRAFFIC THAT'S GENERATED FROM PEOPLE THAT WORK AND LIVE DOWNTOWN.
WE CAN'T EXPECT PEOPLE TO WANT TO LIVE DOWNTOWN WITHOUT HAVING PUBLIC REALM OR RESTAURANTS TO GO TO.
AND SO THIS PLAN REALLY DOES HAVE TO CUT ACROSS ALL OF THAT.
WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THIS PROCESS, AND FOR THE FIRST HALF, WE FOCUSED A LOT ON EXISTING CONDITIONS, UH, AND REALLY UNDERSTANDING MARKET FORCES, REALLY LISTENING TO THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT WE, WE TALKED TO AND YOU ALL.
UH, AND LAST TIME WE WERE HERE, WE PRESENTED A LOT OF THE, THE SORT OF OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES THAT WE SEE.
UH, TONIGHT WE'RE AT A VERY, VERY EXCITING POINT IN WHICH WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THE, THE BOLD MOVES, THE BIG IDEAS, THE FRAMEWORK BEHIND THE PLAN.
FROM THERE, WE'LL BE MOVING INTO IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE FOCUSED ON SPECIFIC TOPICS AND SPECIFIC STRATEGIES, UH, THAT WILL BE PART OF THIS PLAN.
AND SO THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR VOICE TO INFORM THE PROCESS.
LAST TIME YOU CAME, YOU SAW A BUNCH OF BOARDS AND A BUNCH OF SLIDES THAT LOOKED LIKE THIS.
UH, AND REALLY THAT HAS SET A FOUNDATION A VERY SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST WITHIN DOWNTOWN.
UH, AT THE PUBLIC MEETING, WE HAD WONDERFUL CONVERSATIONS, AND I THINK THERE WAS A, A REALLY STRONG SUPPORT FOR THIS PLANNING PROCESS, WHICH IS, WHICH IS A VERY EXCITING TO, TO KIND OF KICK OFF A PROJECT WITH SUCH, UH, UH, SORT OF ENTHUSIASM.
I THINK THE, THE RESULTS FROM THE, THE SURVEYS AND THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT, WHICH I'LL TALK THROUGH IN A SECOND, UH, REALLY DID PRESENT A REMARKABLE SORT OF ALIGNMENT AROUND SOME OF THE, THE KIND OF KEY ASPECTS OF THE PLAN.
UH, AND THOSE REALLY CENTERED AROUND, UH, THESE SORT OF TOPICS.
UH, WHEN I TALK ABOUT HISTORY, IT'S TALKING ABOUT REVEALING THE SORT OF REMARKABLE HISTORY, LIKE THE BUILDING THAT WE'RE STANDING IN TODAY, AND THE PATTERNS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT THAT HAVE HAPPENED OVER THE HUNDREDS OF YEARS THAT THIS, THIS CITY HAS EXISTED.
UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PEOPLE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THE, THE SORT OF QUALITY OF PLACE THAT EXIST, UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE MARKET SORT OF STRUGGLES AND DYNAMICS IN TERMS OF RETAIL AND DEVELOPMENT, UH, THOSE, THOSE ARE IDEAS THAT WERE GONNA BE UNPACKING.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE, THE, THE LAND AND, AND THERE WAS A VERY STRONG EMPHASIS ON THE RIVERFRONT.
UM, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT, UH, LINKAGES AND CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN NOT ONLY AREAS WITHIN DOWNTOWN, BUT ALSO AREAS ADJACENT TO DOWNTOWN.
HOW DO WE OVERCOME SOME OF THOSE BARRIERS? AND THEN FINALLY, THE CHARACTER MAKING SURE THAT DOWNTOWN IS AN AUTHENTIC ENVIRONMENT.
UM, WE HAD A VERY LARGE MAP, VERY SIMILAR TO THE ONE IN THE OTHER ROOM, UH, WHERE WE ASKED PEOPLE TO TELL US WHAT ARE, WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT'S NOT WORKING.
ALL OF THAT FEEDBACK WAS ULTIMATELY TAKEN AND ANALYZED BY OUR TEAM, UH, THE SORT OF GUMBALL EXERCISE THAT WE ASKED YOU ALL TO DO TO SORT OF RANK SOME OF THE PRIORITIES AND, AND, AND THINGS THAT YOU ALSO WANT TO SEE IN DOWNTOWN.
ALL OF THAT FEEDBACK WAS ULTIMATELY ANALYZED BY OUR TEAM AND, AND LED TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
UM, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT SORT OF WHAT YOU WANTED TO SEE IN DOWNTOWN AND, AND SORT OF PRIORITIES FOR, UH, THIS PLANNING PROCESS.
AND WE, WE READ THROUGH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE SURVEYS AND REALLY HELPED INFORM, UH, THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT OUR TEAM IS MAKING.
UM, THAT SORT OF LARGE SCALE MAP WAS ULTIMATELY DIGITIZED AND QUANTIFIED TO TELL US, UH, SPECIFIC AREAS.
AND, AND I THINK IF YOU LOOK BETWEEN THIS MAP AND THE MAP THAT YOU SEE TODAY, THERE'S DISTINCT CORRELATIONS BETWEEN WHERE PEOPLE SAID, THESE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE WANT TO SEE, AND WHERE OUR TEAM IS ULTIMATELY MAKING THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE STARTED TO UNPACK IS, IS HOW DO PEOPLE ALREADY USE DOWNTOWN SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS NOT SOME SORT OF TAB RAZA EXERCISE WHERE WE'RE BRINGING IN IDEAS FROM OUT OF TOWN AND SAYING, THIS IS WHAT BATON ROUGE HAS TO BE LIKE, BUT REALLY BUILDING OFF THE FOUNDATION OF THIS CITY TO MAKE SURE IT IS A TRULY AUTHENTIC AND, AND UNIQUELY BATON ROUGE PLAN.
UM, SO WHERE WE ARE IN THIS PROCESS, AS I DESCRIBED EARLIER, IS, IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE.
AND IT, IT'S A VERY EXCITING TIME IN THE PLANNING, UH, PROCESS WHERE WE'VE, WE'VE SORT OF LISTENED TO YOU ALL.
WE'VE DEFINED THOSE VALUES COLLECTIVELY AS, AS A COMMUNITY, AND NOW WE HAVE A SERIES OF THESE BIG IDEAS, THESE SORT OF FRAMEWORKS THAT WOULD SET OUR TEAM UP FOR THE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THIS PLAN WILL ULTIMATELY MAKE.
WHEN WE COME BACK TO YOU IN A FEW MONTHS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF DETAILS.
AND SO NOW IS THE TIME TO TELL US DO WE GET IT RIGHT, DO WE GET IT WRONG? IS THERE THINGS MISSING? AND SO I JUST REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE.
AND SO WHAT ARE THE BIG MOVES FOR DOWNTOWN THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT? THEY'RE REALLY BASED ON FIVE OVERARCHING GUIDING PRINCIPLES, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT EACH ONE IN MORE SPECIFIC, BUT EACH ONE OF THE SORT OF ANALYSIS TOPICS THAT WE LED TO, WE SORT OF LISTENED TO THE FEEDBACK, WE LISTENED TO OUR ANALYSIS, AND WE'VE DEVELOPED A STRATEGY THAT WE THINK MAKES SENSE FOR
[00:15:01]
SPECIFICALLY BATON ROUGE'S OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS.SO THAT FIRST ONE IS, IS THE MARKET DIVERSITY.
UM, AND, AND DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE REALLY IS A, A, A SORT OF PART OF THE BROADER ECOSYSTEM OF THE BA BATON ROUGE METROPOLITAN AREA.
AND SO WHEN WE ASK PEOPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEIR SORT OF KEY ENGAGEMENT TAKEAWAYS WERE, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO SEE INCREASED RETAIL AND FOOD AND BEVERAGE.
WE WANT TO INCENTIVIZE BUSINESSES TO BE HERE.
WE WANT TO IMPROVE PARKING SO THAT BUSINESS CAN BE BETTER.
BUT AS WE LOOKED AT HOW THOSE RELATE TO OUR SORT OF ANALYSIS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, BATON ROUGE IS NOT THE ONLY HUB WITHIN THE, WITHIN THE BROADER METROPOLITAN AREA.
SO HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT THIS PLANNING PROCESS ISN'T SETTING UP A PLACE WHERE WE'RE NECESSARILY COMPETING WITH OTHER SUBMARKETS WITHIN BATON ROUGE, BUT RATHER COMPLIMENTING.
SO THIS PLAN BUILDS UP A, A REAL DOWNTOWN FOR EVERYONE.
UM, HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT DIVERSIFYING THE, THE TYPES OF BUSINESSES AND THE TYPES OF INDUSTRY THAT EXIST IN DOWNTOWN, THAT'S A CRITICAL OPPORTUNITY.
AND THEN HOW DO WE BRING A BROADER SERIES OF STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER? UH, THE SORT OF OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT IS REALLY CENTERED AROUND THAT.
THE IDEA THAT, UH, DOWNTOWN IS, IS NOT NECESSARILY THE ONLY HUB IN, IN THE METRO AREA.
AND SO HOW DO WE ENSURE, AGAIN, THAT THIS ISN'T, UH, IN COMPETITION WITH, UH, UH, THE OTHER AREAS? AND SO THAT LEADS TO THE SORT OF GUIDING PRINCIPLE.
UM, AND THAT'S REALLY AROUND IN, IN INTRODUCING A NEW, NEW ECONOMIC ENGINES INTO THIS, UH, UH, DOWNTOWN ENVIRONMENT.
THAT'S THINGS LIKE SPORTS TOURISM, THAT'S THINGS LIKE NEW MEDICAL ANCHORS, THAT'S THINGS LIKE NEW ACADEMIC ANCHORS, THINGS THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY EXISTING WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN TODAY THAT REALLY CAN SERVE TO BRING MORE AND A BROADER DIVERSE, UH, UH, CONSTITUENCY INTO DOWNTOWN.
AS WE THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS, UM, THAT'S REALLY SORT OF IDENTIFYING, AGAIN, THOSE MISSING MARKET SECTORS AND REALLY THINKING ABOUT HOW WE BOLSTER, UH, UH, DOWNTOWN AS A SORT OF THRIVING ECOSYSTEM.
SO WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO BRING NEW BUSINESS.
UH, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT SORT OF PRIME REDEVELOPMENT AREAS WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN ENVIRONMENT, UH, TO HOST THOSE SORTS OF BUSINESSES.
UH, AND WE'LL REALLY BE THINKING ABOUT THE SORT OF POLICY AND ECONOMIC INCENTIVES THAT COULD SUPPORT THAT BUSINESS GROWTH.
AND ULTIMATELY WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE'LL BE IDENTIFYING KEY AREAS WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN ENVIRONMENT WHERE WE, WE SEE OPPORTUNITIES FOR REDEVELOPMENT, SORT OF LARGE SCALE CATALYTIC, UH, REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
UH, THE SECOND, UH, UH, GUIDING PRINCIPLE IS THIS CONCEPT CENTERED AROUND NEIGHBORHOOD PLACES.
AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS REALLY, UH, UH, ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THROUGH OUR ANALYSIS, IDENTIFYING THAT BATON ROUGE DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE IS MADE UP OF A COLLECTION OF AUTHENTIC ENVIRONMENTS.
SPANISH TOWN, REMARKABLE NEIGHBORHOOD, BOGAR TOWN, REMARKABLE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE AREA THAT WE'RE SITTING IN, IN, IN NOW HAS THEIR OWN UNIQUE IDENTITY.
SO WE WANNA MAKE A PLAN THAT THAT ISN'T A SORT OF UNIFIED SORT OF VISION, THAT THAT IS THE SAME FOR EVERYTHING, BUT RATHER SOMETHING THAT CELEBRATES THOSE UNIQUE AREAS.
WE HEARD A LOT FROM PEOPLE ABOUT SORT OF BUILDING UP THE AUTHENTICITY OF EACH OF THESE INDIVIDUAL NEIGHBORHOODS WITHIN DOWNTOWN, AND WE THINK THAT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
UM, AND SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE DO THAT, PART OF THE CHALLENGE IS, IS THAT THERE'S NOT A A, A SORT OF NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER IN EACH ONE OF THESE PLACES.
THERE'S NOT NECESSARILY THE CORNER COFFEE SHOP OR THE SMALL SORT OF CORNER PARK OR CLOSET THAT MIGHT EXIST.
AND SO HOW WE BUILD OUT A NEW SORT OF SERIES OF NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, UH, NODES IS REALLY CRITICAL TO THIS PLAN.
UM, AS WE THINK ABOUT, UH, UH, WHAT THIS MEANS, UM, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS REALLY IDENTIFY WHERE THOSE AREAS ARE WITHIN DOWNTOWN THAT CAN, CAN SEE A NEW SORT OF NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER.
HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT OVERLAYING, UM, THOSE SORT OF ACTIVE STREET ENVIRONMENTS WITH NEW PUBLIC SPACE, WITH NEW SORT OF GROUND FLOOR ACTIVATION? UM, AND, AND WHAT WE'LL BE DOING IS WORKING TO IDENTIFY THE SORT OF PRIORITY CORRIDORS THAT EXIST.
WE'LL BE IDENTIFYING THOSE AREAS WHERE WE CAN THINK ABOUT A NEW SORT OF SMALL SCALE POCKET PART, AND HOW ALL OF THOSE KIND OF COME TOGETHER TO, AGAIN, CREATE THOSE KIND OF NEIGHBORHOOD DESTINATIONS.
UM, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HOW THOSE OVERLAY IN THE DOWNTOWN ENVIRONMENT, IT'S REALLY AROUND IDENTIFYING WHERE THERE ARE SOME, SOME, SOME REAL, A AUTHENTIC PLACES, AND HOW WE CAN SORT OF BOLSTER EACH ONE OF THOSE.
UH, THE NEXT, UH, UH, GUIDING PRINCIPLE IS THIS IDEA AROUND A CULTURAL CORRIDOR.
UM, AND WE HEARD SORT OF LOUD AND CLEAR THAT PEOPLE WANT A STORY TOLD ABOUT BATON ROUGE.
THEY, THEY WANT, UH, ART AND CULTURE AND, AND, AND THE SORT OF HISTORY THAT EXISTS TO BE SOMETHING THAT IS FRONT AND CENTER.
UM, THERE'S SUCH A GREAT HISTORY THAT EXISTS.
THERE'S SO MANY HISTORIC ASSETS, BUT IT'S A HISTORY THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY TOLD.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE LOOK AT NEW PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS, SIGNAGE, AND WAY FINDING TO, TO HELP US UN UH, REALLY TELL THAT STORY? AND SO THIS CONCEPT AND THE PROBLEM STATEMENT OF A HISTORY, UH, UH, UM, SORT OF NOT, NOT, OR UNREVEALED IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO REALLY FOCUS ON.
AND SO THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE OF, OF CREATING A
[00:20:01]
NEW SORT OF CULTURAL CORRIDOR, UH, REALLY CENTERED AROUND FOURTH STREET THAT TIES, UH, THE OLD STATE OR THE NEW STATE CAPITAL, UH, THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN ENVIRONMENT, REALLY CELEBRATING THAT SORT OF CIVIC ACCESS, TYING IN, UH, A WEALTH OF THE MUSEUM AND HISTORIC ASSETS THAT EXIST AND REALLY CONNECTING THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN AREA, WE SEE AS A, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.ADDITIONALLY, THERE'S SOME INCREDIBLE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE ON THE CIVIL RIGHTS TRAIL AND HOW WE SORT OF BRANCH OFF OF THAT MAIN CULTURAL CORRIDOR TO TIE ALL OF THESE THINGS TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME, LOOKING AT SMALLER SCALE INTERVENTIONS LIKE SIGNAGE AND WAYFINDING AND BRANDING AND ART PLACEMENT THAT REALLY HELP CELEBRATE THAT SORT OF HISTORY SO THAT AS SOMEBODY COMES INTO DOWNTON INTO DOWNTOWN, THEY CAN EXPERIENCE THAT AUTHENTIC PLACE AND THAT HISTORY, UH, AND REALLY CELEBRATE WHO WE ARE AS A, AS A PEOPLE.
UH, AND SO WHAT THAT MEANS FROM A, A, A BROADER PLANNING PERSPECTIVE IS AGAIN, HIGHLIGHTING FOURTH STREET AS A REALLY STRONG CIVIC ARMATURE.
UH, IT IS THE STREET THAT CONNECTS TO THE CAPITAL, THAT CENTRAL ACCESS THAT, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU GET PAST THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS, IT REALLY STARTS TO, TO TO, TO SORT OF DISINTEGRATE IN TERMS OF ITS PROMINENCE.
AND SO HOW WE THINK ABOUT NEW STREETSCAPE UPGRADES AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT CAN REALLY BE, UH, AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY.
UH, THE NEXT GUIDING PRINCIPLE CENTERED AROUND, UH, CLEAR CONNECTIONS IS REALLY THE, THE SORT OF MOBILITY STORY.
UM, WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE PARKING, THINGS LIKE ACCESS.
WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT SORT OF CONFUSING CIRCULATION, WHETHER YOU'RE ON FOOT OR ON BIKE OR IN A CAR, UM, AND THE SORT OF LACK OF TRANSIT CONNECTIONS THAT EXIST WITHIN DOWNTOWN.
AND SO, UH, AS OUR TEAM ANALYZED THAT, WE WANTED TO THINK VERY STRATEGICALLY AROUND, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE BUILD OFF OF, UH, IMPROVEMENTS LIKE THE, THE FUTURE BRT CORRIDOR COMING INTO DOWNTOWN.
HOW CAN WE THINK ABOUT, UH, A NEW SORT OF PARKING STRATEGY THAT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE EXISTING ASSETS THAT WE HAVE, AND HOW CAN WE BRING SOME ORGANIZATION AND SOME HIERARCHY TO THE, THE TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY NETWORKS IN THE CITY? UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SORT OF PROBLEM STATEMENT OF OF OF REALLY HAVING A CLEAR LACK OF GATEWAYS WITHIN DOWNTOWN AND A SORT OF, UH, UH, UH, KIND OF ORIENTATION THAT DOESN'T QUITE WORK, UM, REALLY LED US TO THIS IDEA OF CREATING A SORT OF HIERARCHY AND A AND A, A SORT OF PROMINENCE OF SEVERAL KEY CORRIDORS WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, UH, REALLY ENSURING THAT WE'RE FOCUSING INVESTMENT.
AGAIN, WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T IMPROVE EVERY SQUARE INCH OF DOWNTOWN.
AND SO HOW DO WE IDENTIFY A COUPLE OF KEY CORRIDORS THAT REALLY GET PEOPLE TO, AND THROUGH DOWNTOWN, HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT THINGS LIKE ONE WAY TO, UH, TWO WAY CONVERSIONS? HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT PRIORITIZATION OF BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE ALONG THESE KIND OF KEY CORRIDORS? AND SO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT STREETS SCAPE UPGRADES, REORIENTATION OF SOME OF THE CIRCULATION NETWORK, UH, AND REALLY HOW THOSE KEY CORRIDORS BREAK DOWN SOME OF THE BARRIERS, LIKE ACROSS THE INTERSTATE, UH, UH, WHETHER IT'S INTO OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGE OR DOWNTOWN EAST.
UH, AND SO HOW THAT COMES TOGETHER IS, IS, YOU KNOW, AND THIS IS A LITTLE FAINT ON THIS SCREEN, UH, BUT REALLY THINKING ABOUT, AGAIN, THOSE PRIORITY CORRIDORS TO ULTIMATELY CREATE A SORT OF NETWORK THROUGH DOWNTOWN THAT REALLY CELEBRATES, UH, A COUPLE OF THOSE OF, OF PROMINENT CORRIDORS THAT CONNECT TO PLACES LIKE MID-CITY, THAT CONNECT TO DOWNTOWN EAST, THAT ULTIMATELY CONNECT TO OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGE.
AND THEN THE LAST, AND, AND I THINK OUR TEAM IS, IS REALLY THE MOST EXCITED ABOUT THIS GUIDING PRINCIPLE IS, UH, CENTERED AROUND THE RIVERFRONT.
UM, AND I THINK WE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR THAT PEOPLE WANT, UH, RIVERFRONT PROGRAMMING.
THEY WANT RIVERFRONT ACCESS, THEY WANT IT TO BE A COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT.
UM, THE RIVER REALLY IS DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE'S, UH, GREATEST PHYSICAL ASSET.
I MEAN, THAT IS WHY THIS BUILDING IS HERE UP ON THIS HILL.
UM, AND, AND SO HOW WE THINK ABOUT CELEBRATING THAT IS, IS TRULY, UH, AMAZING.
BUT FOR SO LONG, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN HAS TURNED ITS BACK.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF SURFACE PARKING LOTS THAT EXIST ALONG THE RIVERFRONT.
THERE'S SOME PRETTY HEAVY INFRASTRUCTURE IN TERMS OF RIVER ROAD, THE RAILROAD TRACK, THE LEVEE.
UM, AND SO THAT REALLY LED US TO THIS NEW GUIDING PRINCIPLE OF REALLY ESTABLISHING A SORT OF NEW FRONT PORCH, UH, FOR, FOR THE CITY AND, AND REALLY REORIENTING DOWNTOWN, UH, TO, UH, UH, TO THE RIVER, UM, TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE CELEBRATING THAT, THAT AMAZING PHYSICAL ASSET.
UM, SO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT NEW, UH, PUBLIC PARK SPACES THAT MIGHT EXIST ALONG THE RIVERFRONT.
WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT STRATEGIC CONNECTIONS ALONG SOME OF THOSE PRIORITY CORRIDORS THAT I JUST MENTIONED, WHETHER THAT'S PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES OR OTHER ACCESS ONTO THE LEVEE.
AND WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRUE RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCES.
THERE'S A COUPLE OF PLACES ALONG THE RIVER WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY IMAGINE NEW DEVELOPMENT DIRECTLY ADJACENT, UM, ELEVATED ABOVE THE LEVEE.
SO THOSE VIEWS OF, OF ARE CONTINUOUS AND THAT PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY AND AN EXPERIENCE THAT SIMPLY DOESN'T EXIST TODAY AND IS AN INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY.
HOW THAT SHAPES ABOUT, AND I'M GONNA TAKE A A FEW MINUTES TO KIND OF WALK THROUGH.
[00:25:01]
A SERIES OF, OF SORT OF ROOMS, BUT I'M GONNA POINT OUT ONE BIG MOVE.UM, AND THAT'S THE IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE THINK STRATEGICALLY ABOUT THESE CONNECTIONS, UM, WE CAN IMAGINE A, AN OPEN SPACE NETWORK THAT CONNECTS THE UNIVERSITY LAKES AND, AND CITY PARK ALONG THE SORT OF GREENWAY THAT'S BEING CONSTRUCTED THROUGH DOWNTOWN TO THE RIVERFRONT, ALONG THE RIVERFRONT AND BACK IN CONNECTING CAPITAL PARK LA OR CAPITAL LAKE.
UM, AND, AND THIS EXISTING SORT OF GREEN, UH, DRAINAGE, UH, WAY PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO THINK ABOUT A DOWNTOWN PARK FOR, OR, UH, UH, DOWNTOWN EAST.
AND THAT CONNECTS TO MEMORIAL PARK.
AND THAT, THAT SORT OF U-SHAPE ON THIS PLAN REALLY PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A TRUE KIND OF INTEGRATED OPEN SPACE NETWORK.
ALONG THE RIVERFRONT ITSELF, WE'RE IMAGINING A, A, AGAIN, A SERIES OF ROOMS THE FIRST ON THE, THE MOST NORTHERN SIDE, UH, REALLY THINKING OF A, A SORT OF SPORTS TOURISM AND, AND, AND, AND TRUE DESTINATION TO REALLY BRING PEOPLE INTO DOWNTOWN, COMPLIMENTING THE, THE WORK THAT'S ONGOING AT THE, THE BRECK MEMORIAL PARK COMPLEX, AND REALLY SOLIDIFYING THIS SORT OF NORTHERN CONNECTION, UH, UH, UH, THROUGH THE CAPITAL LANDSCAPE, UM, AT THE SORT OF BATCHER AREA OR DESOTO PARK, UH, REALLY SEEING THAT AS A, A PLACE FOR NATURE WITHIN THE CITY.
UM, THAT'S A FLOATABLE LANDSCAPE, HIGHLY VARIABLE, BUT HAVING THAT SORT OF ACCESS TO NATURE THINK ABOUT ELEVATED BOARDWALK AND THINGS LIKE THAT REALLY PRESENTS A A REMARKABLE OPPORTUNITY THERE.
THEN IN THE, THE CENTRAL SPACE, WE'RE SORT OF IMAGINING THIS CONCEPT OF A RIVER WALK LOOP, THE IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, CONNECTING TO THIRD STREET ALONG LAUREL, UH, HAVING A, A SORT OF ELEVATED RIVERFRONT PROMENADE ALONG THE LEVY, AND THEN CONNECTING BACK ALONG, UH, UH, TOWN SQUARE AND NORTH STREET TO THIRD STREET, REALLY CREATING A KIND OF CONCENTRATED URBAN EXPERIENCE, AN URBAN WATERFRONT EXPERIENCE.
AND THEN OVER TO THE SOUTH PORTION OF, OF THE, THE RIVERFRONT, REALLY SEEING THAT AS AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD ON THE ENERGY AROUND THE RIVER CENTER AND, AND A, A POTENTIAL REDEVELOPMENT THERE.
UM, IMAGINING THINGS LIKE A LARGE SCALE CHILDREN'S PLAY DESTINATION, A NEW RIVERFRONT PARK, AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF, OF, OF PARCELS ALONG THAT, THAT, THAT STRETCH BETWEEN THE LEVY AND RIVER ROAD THAT REALLY PRESENT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR REDEVELOPMENT ALONG THAT, ALONG THAT EDGE.
UH, AND ALL OF THIS WOULD COME TOGETHER TO TRULY CREATE A, A, A, A NEW RIVERFRONT EXPERIENCE, UH, IN DOWNTOWN.
AND SO HOW DO THOSE GUIDING PRINCIPLES ALL COME TOGETHER? AND, AND IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN ANY OF THOSE TOPICS, WE HAVE PLENTY OF BOARDS AND OUR TEAM WILL BE STANDING OUT THERE, UH, IN THE OTHER ROOM TO HAVE A FURTHER CONVERSATION.
BUT BEFORE WE KIND OF CLOSE OUT, WE'RE GONNA ASK A FEW QUESTIONS.
UM, WE JUST WANTED TO SHOW HOW ALL OF THIS COMES TOGETHER, AND THIS IS REALLY THE EMERGING, UH, SORT OF DIAGRAMMATIC FRAMEWORK.
AND, AND FROM HERE WE'LL BE DIVING INTO ALL OF THESE SPECIFIC ASPECTS.
BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HEAR FROM YOU, UH, AND ULTIMATELY, UH, USE THAT INFORMATION TO, TO GUIDE THE PLAN.
AND SO WE THINK THIS IS AN, AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY.
WE'RE AT A VERY CRITICAL POINT IN THE PLANNING PROCESS.
WE THINK THIS, THIS FRAMEWORK IS REALLY RESONATING WITH THE SORT OF FEEDBACK THAT WE GOT PREVIOUSLY, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE HOW IT RESONATES WITH THE FEEDBACK WE'LL GET TONIGHT.
UM, FROM HERE, EACH ONE OF THOSE GUIDING PRINCIPLES WILL, WILL BREAK IT DOWN, DOWN INTO SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS.
THAT'LL BE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS, THAT'LL BE PHYSICAL PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS, THAT'LL BE NEW PARTNERSHIP RECOMMENDATIONS AND PROGRAMMATIC THINGS.
AND THE POINT OF ALL OF THOSE IS TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE NOT JUST A BIG, BOLD VISION, BUT AN ACTION PLAN AS TO HOW TO GET THERE.
UM, AND SO THAT COMES BACK TO THIS DIAGRAM.
AND AGAIN, RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE MEAT OF THE PLANNING PROCESS.
AND AT THE END OF THIS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE VERY SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS AND DRAWINGS.
AND NEXT TIME YOU SEE US, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF DETAIL.
AND SO BEFORE WE GET TO THIS PLACE WHERE WE'RE SAYING, ALRIGHT, THIS IS THE VISION AND THIS IS WHAT WE THINK YOU ALL SHOULD DO, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE HEARING FROM YOU TONIGHT.
ULTIMATELY, THE GOAL OF PLAN BATON ROUGE THREE IS TO CREATE A ROADMAP FOR FUTURE INVESTMENT.
UM, AND NOT JUST PUBLIC INVESTMENT, BUT HOW DO WE, UH, CATALYZE PRIVATE, UH, INDUSTRY TO, TO TAKE ON, UH, OBJECTIVES OF THIS PLAN SUCH AS NEW HOUSING GROWTH, UH, NEW BUSINESSES, UH, YOU KNOW, REALLY CREATING A THRIVING ECOSYSTEM AND, AND THRIVING ENVIRONMENT IN DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY FEEDBACK IS VITAL TO THIS PLANNING PROCESS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT ARE A DIRECT RESULT FROM THE FIRST ROUND OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
UM, SO WE HAD HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE SHOW UP TO OUR FIRST PUBLIC MEETING.
WE HAD THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DO THE SURVEYS, THE WORDS THAT WERE WRITTEN, THE PATTERNS THAT WERE LEFT IN, IN, IN THE MAPS THAT WE HAD, THOSE ULTIMATELY RESULTED IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'LL BE MAKING TONIGHT.
AND SO THE FEEDBACK THAT'S GOTTEN TONIGHT WILL GO DIRECTLY INTO HOW WE PRIORITIZE THE TYPES OF IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHAT WE EMPHASIZE WITHIN THE PLAN, WHAT WE DON'T, UM, AS WELL AS WHAT ARE THE SORT OF SPECIFIC, UH, UH, IDEAS THAT ULTIMATELY COME OUT OF THIS.
YOU KNOW, TONIGHT WE'RE STILL TALKING FAIRLY HIGH LEVEL, AND SO THERE'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE
[00:30:01]
FEEDBACK.AND SO, UH, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME TO THE EVENT, HIGHLY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND, AND GET THE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.
UH, SPREAD THE WORD YOURSELVES ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND WITHIN YOUR NETWORKS.
UH, BECAUSE THE MORE VOICES THAT WE HAVE IN A PLANNING PROCESS, THE MORE REAL IT BECOMES, THE MORE CHAMPIONS THAT WE ULTIMATELY HAVE.
WE WANT EVERYONE'S IDEAS AND EVERYONE'S INPUT, NOT JUST BECAUSE WE WANT THEIR BUY-IN, BUT BECAUSE WE WANT THE BEST OF BATON ROUGE, THE YOUNG, THE OLD, THE WHOLE VARIETY OF FOLKS THAT LIVE HERE, UM, TO COME TOGETHER AND HELP PLAN, UM, WHAT THE CITY'S GONNA LOOK LIKE.
NOW WE CAN DESIGN THE PLACE THAT WE WANNA CALL THEM.
NOW'S THE TIME TO GET INVOLVED.
NOW'S THE TIME TO GET ENGAGED.
DON'T SIT BACK FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS AND THEN COMPLAIN 60 YEARS FROM NOW, YOU DON'T HAVE WHAT YOU WANT TO HAVE IN DOWNTOWN BAT RIVER.
THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO HELP THE CITY THRIVE.
I HOPE PEOPLE, UH, TAKE FROM TONIGHT IS THAT, UH, THIS PLANNING PROCESS CAN NOT DONE BE DONE WITHOUT YOU.
THIS IS YOUR FEEDBACK IN ACTION.
UH, WE'VE TAKEN A FEEDBACK IN YOUR PERSPECTIVE FROM THE LAST FEW MONTHS AND BAKED IT INTO THE PLAN THAT WE HAVE SO FAR.
AND WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THIS PLANNING, PLANNING PROCESS.
AND SO WE'VE DONE THE INITIAL LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS AND THE INITIAL FEEDBACK FROM THE SURVEYS WE'VE RECEIVED, AND NOW WE'LL START TO LOOK AT SOME BIG IDEAS AND SPECIAL INTEREST AREAS IN A DOWNTOWN AREA.
AND FROM THERE WE'LL START TO GET MORE IN THE SPECIFICS OF THE DETAILS AND TO DO A ADDITIONAL VISIONING PROCESS.
UH, BUT THIS CANNOT HAPPEN AGAIN.
I JUST WANNA REITERATE THAT WE, IT CAN HAPPEN WITHOUT YOUR INPUT AND YOUR FEEDBACK BECAUSE THIS IS YOUR TOWN OR IS YOUR STATE, THIS IS YOUR DOWNTOWN THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT LOOKS AND FEELS THE WAY YOU WANNA SEE.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN GO TO PLAN BATON ROUGE.COM.
UH, AND AGAIN, ON THE WEBSITE, THERE'LL BE A SURVEY THAT'LL BE LIVE, THAT'LL BE A MAPPING TOOL WHERE YOU CAN KIND OF PINPOINT THINGS AND AREAS THAT YOU'D LIKE, WOULD LIKE TO SEE DEVELOPED, AREAS THAT YOU DON'T REALLY CARE FOR AS MUCH, UH, BUT ALSO LOOK AT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, UH, FROM PREVIOUS PLANS.
SO THERE'S ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THERE FROM PLANNED BATON ROUGE ONE AND TWO, SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT HAS BEEN DONE OVER THE PREVIOUS TWO PLANS FOR 20 PLUS YEARS.
UH, BECAUSE DOWNTOWN TODAY IN 2025 DOES NOT LOOK LIKE WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE BACK IN 1998 WHEN PLANNED BATON ROUGE ONE STARTED.
AND SO WE'RE ABLE TO GO BACK AND LOOK ON AT SOME OF THOSE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE PREVIOUS PLANS FROM ONE THAT STARTED IN 1998 AND THEN FROM PLANNED BATON ROUGE TWO, WHICH WAS OH 8, 0 9, AND SEE HOW FAR WE'VE COME AND THEN WHAT DO WE DO NOW TO USHER IN THAT NEXT WAVE OF MOTIVATION OF MOMENTUM AND ENERGY INTO THE DOWNTOWN AREA FOR THE NEXT 10 AND 15 YEARS.