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Posted on July 1 at 11:18 a.m.

Sorry Rep Greene, the 120% raise IS over the top. Elected representatives are basically volunteers looking to do good things for our state on a temporary basis. If you are not looking at it in that light, then you are in the wrong business. Elected officialdom is not a career, it is a civic duty.
The pay should be just enough to cover the expenses involved in carrying out official duties--including feeding yourself while meeting with constituents (ahem, lobbyists). Had the ethics package included a "cup of coffee" rule, then the Leg would have had further justification for raising their pay. As long as someone else can foot the bill for a night on the town, no pay raise is necessary.
$16.8K + per diem is much more than a minimum-wage worker makes in a year of full-time work, so for Speaker Tucker to say that working folks can't afford to enter the legislative fray is bunk. At the risk of sounding like Barbara Bush, that would be quite a raise for them!
Perhaps the outraged citizens of this state should carry this political involvement to a higher level by demanding a rewrite of the state constitution, giving more power to the people, limiting and equalizing the branches of state government, and prioritizing spending for the most crucial and beneficial of programs--health, education, infrastructure, economic development, and public safety. Streamline our state government so that we can reduce spending and taxes. Louisiana spends the most tax money per capita in the nation, and what do we have to show for it? 49th place on every list that matters.

On Facing the pay raise dilemma

Posted on July 1 at 10:36 a.m.

In your 10 years of battling urban sprawl and promoting the tenets of smart growth, have you used the bus system to do your part to alleviate the number of cars on the road? $56 will get you on any bus at any time for 31 days--equivalent to one week's worth of gas.
Yes, it can be inconvenient at times, but, as you describe above, so is driving a personal car hither and yon on a daily basis.
If more commuters use our public transportation system, more revenue will flow in, and CATS will be able to invest in a better, more efficient system. We also need to put pressure on the City-Parish to invest more of our tax dollars into public transportation and hold CATS management accountable, starting with a full-time Controller.
Baton Rougeans need to stop making excuses for why they can't ride a bus and just do what is right for their wallets and our community.

On Fueling smart growth

Posted on April 25 at 12:53 p.m.

I agree with the tree-falling theory. The violence, shootings and murders happen in those "other" neighborhoods, and so those of us in the "nice" neighborhoods really don't have to worry, do we? That is, until a serial killer comes around and kills nice white women.
Every murder and other act of violence, no matter where it occurs in this town, affects ALL OF US!
Are folks aware that there have been TWO alleged hate crimes in the area in the last week? The stories are buried in the police briefs and back pages of the Advocate. Where is the outrage? I'm assuming the privileged class write it off as the foibles of the poor and less-educated who don't speak up and don't vote so it is not relative to or representative of the rest of us. But the actions ARE representative of our collective attitude and conscious.
Are there any editors in this town courageous enough to run more than a column on race? I challenge the local press to do in-depth reporting on this issue. Mainstream media has the power to influence public opinion and be the catalyst for change. Inequality is a huge factor in the economic health of this community, much more than brain drain.
I had been skeptical of the One Baton Rouge campaign, then saddened that opposing forces skewed the issue towards gay rights. The city's problem is so much bigger, so I am now in support of 1BR. Race, gender, sexual-orientation, education and lifestyle equality will lead to economic equality and growth. Intolerance and fear are costing Baton Rouge dearly.

On A dialogue on race

Posted on March 27 at 10:31 a.m.

How much change can Ms Calongne affect if she is part of the influence-peddling lobbyist class? I'm not buying the small-business-owner shtick. She is a LOBBYIST, folks! And a fear mongering, jingoistic one at that. Her brand of change is not good for the country or the district. Cast your vote elsewhere.

On Congressional endorsements

Posted on December 10 at 11:36 p.m.

Right on Commissioner Ellender! I didn't hear anything new in the opponents' arguments either.
Listen folks, if you want traffic to be alleviated, do it yourself. get out of your cars and start taking the bus to work and school. Walk to and from dinner at a restaurant.
Problems with sewer backups at the end of your street? Hold your councilperson's and the mayor's feet to the fire and demand they fund DPW better. Pay more in property taxes to do it. It is a terrible shame and embarrassment that property taxes are as low as they are. No wonder schools are failing and infrastructure is crumbling.
Problems in Pollard Estates with flooding? You built at the confluence of two bayous, duh. Caveat Emptor. Your fault, not a neighboring future developer's fault. Do your homework before you buy a house.
Worried about a future zoning change to neighboring property? Buy the land yourself and develop it the way you want--the way things have always been done. Don't be surprised when tastes change and you can't recoup your investment.
TNDs are not the fix to all of these problems, they are just a fad and will be outdated in fifty years. BUT, the existing TND zoning will be flexible enough to accommodate new trends in housing and live/work space.
The layout of the neighborhood encourages walking, so reducing traffic by just one car trip per person per day will help.
At least in the case of Rouzan, the high end residential units will generate a good chunk of tax revenue to pay for sewer repair and rebuilding.
The green space and absence of vast parking lots will reduce runoff.
I sincerely believe the Metro Council will approve anything, regardless of neighbor opposition, in the quest for the almighty tax dollar. So SSCA, pipe down and count your blessings. Rouzan is not perfect, but it is a heck of a lot better than another scrap yard or other heavy commercial alternative.

On What will Kip do?

Posted on December 7 at 12:54 p.m.

One small problem...the number of families with children is shrinking. Only 25% of households will contain children by 2030. How many can we really entice to Louisiana?
And I think "family friendly" Baton Rouge is a stretch. What about the poor public schools, few sidewalks, far-flung parks without easy access...
It is family-friendly to natives because grandparents are free babysitters!

On All in the family

Posted on November 20 at 10:29 a.m.

Missed it, Fred. However, I did receive a robocall on Friday advising me that Kyle Ardoin accepted a $2500 campaign donation from Tommy Spinosa, and that I should be worried about how, if he were elected, he would "protect" me from Rouzan. Horrors!
I don't need protection from a state legislator on a local zoning issue. That call was fear mongering, pure and simple.

On A better idea

Posted on November 16 at 11:09 p.m.

I made an error and apologize. 4 units per acre IS in writing. From the UDC:
Section 8.201 A1 Single Family Residential District
The purpose of A1 is to permit low density residential development with a maximum density of
4.1 units per acre.

But that doesn't make it right.

On A better idea

Posted on November 16 at 11:33 a.m.

As for the apartment question, to quote Jacobs' story:
"Lot sizes and home values will differ widely, they say, but as a rule the lots and homes will be smaller than in an A1 subdivision, with significantly higher prices per square foot.
Spinosa argues the Baton Rouge obsession with square-foot prices limits the quality of the homes available here, and freely admits Rouzan won’t be able to compete in that arena."
I interpret this to mean that we are looking at high-end real estate. Loft style apartments in the 1/4-million-dollar range are not going to slum down the area or bring down the home values in Southdowns, Pollard or Woodchase, folks.
And despite the pie-in-the-sky idealism that TNDs inspire in some, if the home prices are on the high side, we will not have social or economic diversity in this development. It's just another collection of homogeneous upper-middle class families, couples and singles. Again, your home values are safe.

On A better idea

Posted on November 16 at 11:26 a.m.

The unwritten rule of 4 units per acre dates from pre-airconditioning days when you needed airflow around and underneath a house for natural cooling during the sultry Southern summers. Because we have grown accustomed to this rule, we are averse to higher density. The technology exists to increase density and maintain a comfortable indoor climate. The trade-off is that you lose your personal park of a yard, but in a TND, there are shared open spaces. I think this is a more efficient use of land because we don't use our entire yard at all times, but shared space will be utilized to a greater degree.

DOT: If we eyeball the conceptual plan, two-thirds of the 119 acre plot is residential. 800 housing units on 79 acres is 10 units per acre. This is on the low side of optimum density for an urban area. Walkability and public transit will not be at optimum utility.
However, the compact design is beneficial for providing city services. The less distance, say, a school bus, ambulance or fire truck has to travel, the more money all taxpayers save. If nothing else, this is where Baton Rougeans have to get behind greater density. We don't need our city workers traveling hither and yon, sitting in traffic all the while, to provide necessary services.
The added bonus will be increased tax revenues from this parcel of land. More money in the parish coffers will benefit the Green Light plan and sewer upgrades.

On A better idea