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All the usual downtown folks were crowded into the lobby of Kress @ Third & Main on Jan. 25 for the official unveiling of Plan Baton Rouge Phase II, the newest update of downtown’s master plan. Several officials took to the podium to tout their excitement, in a time-to-roll-up-our-sleeves sort of way.

City-Parish Administrator Mike Futrell pledged to work on the plan “right away.” Downtown Development District Chairman Van Mayhall Jr. called it “a great plan to start off with” but noted there was “still a lot of work to be done.”

“Plan Baton Rouge Phase II heralds a new wave of economic development downtown,” DDD Director Davis Rhorer says.

That’s the hope, anyway. The biggest disappointment of the first Plan Baton Rouge was that the successful projects didn’t spur much residential growth. Only about 2,000 people live within the DDD boundaries, and almost everyone who cares about downtown agrees residential development is the biggest need this time around.

The original plan envisioned “liner” buildings on the sites of some of downtown’s uglier parking lots. The parking would have been maintained on the first floor, with housing above, adding residents while filling in gaps in the streetscape. But no one could figure out how to make the numbers work financially.

It’s expensive to build downtown, which means it’s expensive to live there. “Some day, Baton Rouge’s downtown may have the cachet required to pass these higher development costs on to the homebuyers but, at present, it does not,” the Plan Baton Rouge Phase II report says.

The plan suggests creating a low-interest revolving loan fund, or “mezzanine” fund, to spur the market. John Alschuler, head of strategic economic planning for the consultant team, says the fund might start out with $10 million, gathered from government, foundations or private sources. A developer would still need a traditional loan; the ratio might be $1 from the mezzanine fund for every $3 on the construction loan. Once the ball gets rolling, the market creates its own momentum and the fund could be phased out. Of course, this idea requires someone putting up the money: the Redevelopment Authority, perhaps?

“I don’t want to say too much at this point,” Rhorer says. “We’re going to every place we possibly can to seek out the funding to make it happen.”

Other targeted incentives can make a difference without costing millions, Center for Planning Excellence Vice President Rachel DiResto says. Property tax abatements, for example, wouldn’t require huge revenue outlays. But does the public want to see that kind of support—some would call it favoritism—for downtown?

“There is a lot more work to be done to have people understand how having a healthy core leads to a healthy city,” DiResto says, a point she hopes is at the forefront of the discussions around the city-parish’s new comprehensive planning process that kicked off Jan. 26.

Loan fund or not, living downtown will probably always be more expensive than living in a comparable space elsewhere. Most people will want better amenities to make the higher costs worth it. And while grocery stores aren’t likely to come until the people do, the public sector can start working now on better green spaces and solving the parking conundrum.

More than half of downtown’s 6,500 parking spaces are not publicly accessible, the plan says, suggesting the city could work with private lot owners and the state to manage the use of those spaces for everyone’s benefit. The original bonds that financed the state-owned parking structures restrict public uses, but as those bonds expire, agreements could be worked out for public use of the excess spaces, the plan says.

In theory, the DDD could be the city’s parking authority, although it may not have that capacity now with its budget of less than $600,000. Mayhall is putting a committee together to figure out what the DDD should look like as it moves into the next 20 years to accommodate the more robust role the plan envisions.

The ideas in the report are not new. Some have been around for decades. Others have been trickling out since this planning process started in 2008, through public meetings, draft reports and media interviews with the consultants. A number of the plan’s suggestions, such as converting St. Louis and St. Ferdinand streets for two-way traffic, are already progressing.

But having everything together in a single document can help when it comes time to ask for money. Futrell, a former state legislator himself, says the plan shows the local legislative delegation how a particular request fits into an overarching theme that’s supported by city-parish leaders.

“When you see how [a project] fits into an overall plan, and how all the various projects add up, it starts to make more sense,” DiResto says. “It gives certainty to the private sector, because it shows public sector buy-in.”

Chan Krieger Sieniewicz, a prominent urban design and planning firm based in Cambridge, Mass., led the consultant team. Local consultants included economist James Richardson and WHLC Architecture. The city, DDD, Fannie Mae, CPEX, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Downtown Business Association and Baton Rouge Area Convention & Visitors Bureau were the primary sponsors.

Assuming the Planning Commission and Metro Council approve, the plan eventually will be incorporated into the parish’s overall land use plan. Public meetings for the overall plan will be held March 2 and March 4.

PLANNING AHEAD

Some of the proposals in Plan Baton Rouge Phase II include:

Courtesy Plan Baton Rouge Phase II

Urban Forest

THE URBAN FOREST

Short term: Expand the arborist department and staff

Medium term: Plant trees along Laurel Street, River Road, St. Ferdinand and St. Louis streets

Long term: Plant trees along all downtown streets

THE CENTRAL GREEN

Short term: Create a detailed redesign of the River Center landscape

Medium term: Improve the waterworks site on River Road

Long term: Build a pedestrian bridge from the Shaw Center to the Louisiana Art & Science Museum

CAPITOL PARK

Short term: Extend Capitol Lake Drive to DeSoto Park

Medium term: Establish a pedestrian connection at Capitol Park Welcome Center to DeSoto Park over River Road

Long term: Complete a loop trail around Capitol Lake

MIXED-USE CORE

Short term: Empower and fund the DDD to manage the public realm within downtown

Medium term: Allow shared use of state-owned parking garages

Long term: Redevelop the Baton Rouge Police headquarters in Beauregard Town

Courtesy Plan Baton Rouge Phase II

Third Street

THIRD STREET

Short term: Secure a site at the north end of Third Street for a mixed-use entertainment anchor

Medium term: Improve the Third Street streetscape

Long term: Codify the branding and identity of the district

HOUSING

Short term: Establish loan fund and tax abatements for developers

Medium term: Invest in the public realm to improve the experience for residents and visitors

Long term: Sunset housing financing when no longer needed

PARKING STRATEGY

Short term: Negotiate with state for access to state-owned parking structures

Medium term: Develop time-limited leases and permits to maximize shared parking in public structures

Long term: Construct public parking as part of mixed-use high-density developments

NEW ‘VICTORY PARK’

Short term: Acquire parking area next to the Post Office for redevelopment

Medium term: Improve condition of the 7th and Napoleon streets corridor

Long term: Redevelop other park, housing and office sites

Courtesy Plan Baton Rouge Phase II

Central Green

DOWNTOWN AND RIVER

Short term: Narrow River Road for better pedestrian access

Medium term: Develop DeSoto Park

Long term: Construct bridge between Shaw Center and LASM

DOWNTOWN AND ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOODS

Short term: Redesign Laurel and Lafayette streets for two-way traffic

Medium term: Improve South Boulevard so that it is comparable to North Boulevard

Long term: Make all downtown streets two-way except North, Main and Third

FUTURE TRANSIT

Short term: Invest in shuttle service between LSU and downtown

Medium term: Plan future transit mode for Nicholson corridor, possibly light rail

Long term: Relocate CATS bus transfer closer to downtown