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Posted on December 6 at 3:23 p.m.

Dot, I'm not sure what point you are trying to make regarding the GO Zone financing for Perkins Rowe. Mike Wampold (like many other developers in South La.) received GO Zone financing for his new building in downtown BR. This building was in the planning stages long before the storms. So what?

On The battle over Rouzan

Posted on November 26 at 2:25 p.m.

Bravo JR. I can't agree with your editorial more. I lived in Southdowns for almost ten years and then moved around the corner a couple of years ago. Rouzan is EXACTLY the kind of development we should be encouraging. Our city council should be knocking on doors trying to find developers who will take the risk to build this type of development. Remember the doom and gloom the Southdowns Civic Association and others in the area predicted when Wal Mart proposed to knock down the eyesore that Village Square had become? Unbelievable traffic, etc.? What happened? Wal Mart and the city leaders got together and improved the intersection of College and I-10 and the traffic on that stretch of College Drive has never been better. Also, to reiterate what JR said above, the old Wal Mart site on Perkins was purchased from the owner by Commercial Properties (the for-profit arm of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation) but is subject to a long-term lease that is about to expire. That is not Wal Mart's fault. Commercial Properties has plans to build a first-class, mixed use development that will be a great improvement to the area. It simply took someone with some vision and patience to make it happen. Will the Southdowns Civic Association fight that development?

In my opinion, it's time for the Southdowns Civic Association to engage in the process for the betterment of Baton Rouge and the Southdowns area rather than fight everything new. This is a development that will be great for the area and great for Baton Rouge.

On Rouzan hell