BusinessReport.com

Posted on January 30 at 8:34 p.m.

How about what it will do to traffic on an already overburdened Bluebonnet? It is the closest exit to the site off I-10 and with the Mall, Perkins Rowe and Willow Grove, it's already doing quadruple duty.

I'm not against the casino per se, but boy could they have picked much worse of a location?

For a city trying to revitalize downtown, there sure is a whole lot of effort to develop as far away from downtown as possible.

On Let Pinnacle play

Posted on January 30 at 8:32 p.m.

How about what it will do to traffic on an already overburdened Bluebonnet? It is the closest exit to the site off I-10 and with the Mall, Perkins Rowe and Willow Grove, it's already doing quadruple duty.

I'm not against the casino per se, but boy could they have picked much worse of a location?

On Let Pinnacle play

Posted on January 18 at 4:22 p.m.

The one thing you can say about this column, it's NOT controversial. It's dead on.

How about a little investigative journalism into just what the graduation rates of the multitude of Louisiana colleges are??? (Won't everybody be really surprised how LITTLE their tax dollars are returning)

On Setting our priorities

Posted on December 11 at 5:01 p.m.

Just for clarity: (from Wikipedia)

High-rise buildings became possible with the invention of the elevator (lift) and cheaper, more abundant building materials. Buildings between 75 feet and 491 feet (23 m to 150 m) high are considered high-rises. Buildings taller than 492 feet (150 m) are classified as skyscrapers. The average height of a level is around 13 feet (4 m) high, thus a 79 foot (24 m) tall building would comprise 6 floors.

If anybody's concerned, apparently there are no limits on putting high rises next to residential homes in this parish. I know, I have an 8 story going up about 150 feet from my bedroom of my house separated only by the 3 story parking garage that is even closer. (yes, that's half the length of the field in Tiger Stadium)

Baton Rouge was already a city. It's just a city where people have differing ideas of what they want it to be and the struggle is apparently being won by the few with the most money. It's all fine and dandy to be a proponent of "high density living" when you have a multi-thousand square foot home along a lake. Just smacks of hypocrisy.

On What will Kip do?

Posted on November 29 at 4:26 p.m.

We will have to agree to disagree because we obviously live in two completely different places. I'll resist my urge to use caps too.

You say you understand my suffering? Not even close. Four years and counting. Four years of problems, noise, disruption, sirens, floodlights. There's not enough time or space to list it all. Four years of surviving the headaches. That's not quality of life, that's just getting by. That's not what I signed on for. Why should we have to pay the price, any price for this mess? You say it's nice. I say it's a nightmare. If I could afford it, I'd be putting up a 15 foot wall from Perkins Road to Dawson Creek protecting our neighborhood and no, they'd never get to connect the roads. I completely understand gated communities. I just couldn't afford to move into one, not that Baton Rouge has that many. We did look into purchasing the road rights a few years ago and gating off Wimbledon, but the cost was prohibitive for a lower to middle income neighborhood like Wimbledon. So, we are a 2 entrance subdivision and very protective of it. We chose to live in a geographically enclosed neighborhood that we felt was safe, secure, and protected from the encroachment of the outside world. Instead, we're being forced to adapt to everybody elses wishes and told to sit down and shut up and act like it's all good. Well, it's not.

I could respond back and forth for days on this. But to tell you the truth, I'm too tired. You see, it's still too hard to sleep at night with heavy equipment running. You try sleeping with reverse sirens on dump trucks and backhoes running, beeping in your brain and claw machines dumping cement into dumpsters outside your bedroom. See how much sleep you get, or your kids. Thank the Lord I don't have kids. If my wife and I ever do, it won't be here in Baton Rouge. They deserve much better.

On Rouzan hell

Posted on November 28 at 5:18 p.m.

FYI, original housing costs for Perkins Rowe residential units began at about $220,000. So much for the "elderly lady who will watch your kids."

There are no sidewalks for "kids to ride bikes". The green space is a square with some trees and probably a fountain. There are parking garages for people to drive to this massive development. Does anybody actually do any RESEARCH any more? This is an urban development that should be in an urban setting...like downtown Baton Rouge. Rouzan, aka "What's Next" in Spinosa speak, is so way off base.

As for letting Wimbledon and Southdowns getting back to their original roots, that's such a joke. Wimbledon was developed in the early 80s. It was Kleinpeter dairy land (as was the new Willow Grove until recently). Way to call that one. This thread will die as of Friday, but this issue will live on in infamy until the sucker is built. I have no doubt it will be. $$ talks in this town. Residents are little more than characters in a Sims game.

On Rouzan hell

Posted on November 27 at 12:39 p.m.

I love Pod's comment. Idiotic discourse. It has become that because people seem to be ignoring facts, history, and local politics.

My whole point of posting was to provide perspective for those who want to know what it's like to deal with this specific developer who's about to embark on yet another multi-year project that will directly and negatively impact the quality of life for the residents unlucky enough to be in proximity to the project. It's not that the development won't be nice, but is the property and the area appropriate for such a high-impact development? What happens to the neighbors and the neighborhood?

There is one HUGE difference between Southdown/Rouzan and Wimbledon and Perkins Rowe is at least the project will have "walking" residents. Southdowns is huge. Lots of people. Lots of prospects. Perkins Rowe is bordered by ONE neighborhood of approximately 400 houses and that's it. We were VERY up front with the city and the developer stating our opposition to the project as inappropriate for the area. To the West is Bluebonnet Village Shopping Center. To the north is the Bible College and the Mall of Louisiana, and to the South are all the businesses that line Perkins Rowe and the Post Office.

That leaves one neighborhood. ONE. Who did they build this for then? Everybody else has to drive. Bang. We're back to the traffic issue yet again. You can only stuff so many fish into a barrel so to speak.

On Rouzan hell

Posted on November 26 at 11:54 p.m.

Perkins Rowe has everything to do with Rouzan. Same developer. Same issues. Let the buyers beware so to speak. My whole point is to WARN the city that just because something looks good, doesn't mean it doesn't come without serious consequences.

As for "walking to Perkins Rowe", well, we're just about the ONLY neighborhood that can, which means everybody else is driving to it. So, that point is moot. We didn't want it in the first place, so chalk up another one for not so smart development.

You bring up the "buffer zone." We did work like hell and were basically told we were SOL on that issue by JTS. They actually TOOK down too many trees, leaving my house exposed in fact. Now they plan to take the few trees remaining down behind the homes and put the road there...take a look at the PerkinsRowe.com map. You can see the "proposed" road. It runs right up the back of O'Neil's Music building, along our fences. So much for a buffer. We asked for a fence or a wall, we couldn't even get that and the zoning commission refused to require one.

So, to reiterate my point, if ANYBODY had bothered to investigate what has gone on with Perkins Rowe before jumping on the Rouzan bandwagon, we could have provided ample anecdotal evidence...nearly four years worth...of what it is like to try and negotiate with JTS, exist NEXT to one of their projects, and ultimately suffer at the hands of them. They just had it WAY too easy in getting things approved without any real plans to back them up. I wonder why....

Copied directly from their site:

Bobby Simpson is the Chief Operations Officer for JTS. A licensed real estate agent, Mr. Simpson manages the overall company operations for JTS and serves as governmental liaison in the development process. Prior to joining JTS, Mr. Simpson served as Mayor-President of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, and mayor of Baker, Louisiana. He served as chairman of the Region Planning Commission, president of the Louisiana Municipal Association, and chairman of the Louisiana Community Development Authority. An inactive CPA, he holds a bachelor of science and masters in administration from LSU.

On Rouzan hell

Posted on November 26 at 6:13 p.m.

Then, as it turned out, investors from the medical community who had bought in to the residential portion of Perkins Rowe were refunded their deposits because the properties weren't selling. Construction was delayed again. (if you want to know how I know all this, I'm about 300 yards from the property management trailor!)

Yeah, it would have been smart to "purchase" some of our properties that are adjacent to the development, but that wasn't ever offered. In fact, the ONLY communication I have had in 4 years from JTS as a property owner was a form letter threatening all residents that live along the southeastern edge of Perkins Rowe that if we have any items or structure on their property, we had x number of days to remove it or they would have it hauled away. Contrast that to the Willow Grove developer who worked with our neighborhood residents to ease our concerns, replace our road signs and spruce up our lights. Mr. Carmouche is a class act.

And to allay your fears that I am against any land development, I bought my property KNOWING that the land on the corner of Perkins and Bluebonnet was set to be developed. In fact, it was going to be dense high rise dormitories for the Bible College. However, our neighborhood also had an agreement with Mr. Swaggart that he would protect our privacy and quality of life by not encroaching too close AND leaving a natural buffer of trees. JTS would not agree to that, in fact, quite the opposite. The buildings are now less than 150 feet from our homes AND they propose putting a 4 lane throughfare from Perkins Road through the development, across Dawson Creek, and attaching it to the Picardy Extension through the Mall, linking it to the Interstate. No, I don't want an interstate extension running alongside my backyard, neither does my neighbor with her two small kids. Neither would you. It's DUMB development like this that gets my ire up, and those who DON'T have the facts before spouting off about it. Come take a ride through Wimbledon and talk to the neighbors. All is not well and you'll understand why I can support the Southdowns effort to curtail Rouzan before it turns into another Perkins Rowe.

On Rouzan hell

Posted on November 26 at 6:01 p.m.

BRP,

You miss my point completely. I'm NOT against development or progress. Quite the opposite. I'm against STUPID development. If you plan growth properly, which admittedly Baton Rouge hasn't done well, then such new growth (where did they come up with the term "traditional" since traditional in Baton Rouge means neighborhoods, NOT MUDs?) then everyone benefits. In our current scenario, neighborhoods that have existed for decades and the residents who live in them are being sacrificed. How would you like it if you had bull dozers at 3 a.m. 150 feet from your bedroom windows? I doubt you would. Yet, it has been CONSTANT for 3+ years now. First, there was the takedown of the wetlands and woods that constituted the Swaggart property followed by leveling and liming of the property, then finally, 2 years later, the construction began. Then it stopped. Then it began again as JTS sporadically getting needed financing. Ultimately, they sold off most of their interests in CitiPlace (built in the middle of undeveloped property mind you) just to have construction capital to begin Perkins Rowe. (more to follow)

On Rouzan hell