City Roots, a new coffee concept and gathering place, is the latest tenant to join Electric Depot, the mixed-use Mid City development on track to open in December.
Behind the concept is Matt Saurage, chairman of the board for the Community Coffee Company, who says in a prepared statement that Electric Depot is an ideal site for City Roots because it’s located in a historic area of Baton Rouge that has a “dynamic and storied past.”
“Like the depot, [City Roots] represents the history and future of Baton Rouge,” says developer Dyke Nelson, whose Weinstein Nelson Development was selected by the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority to redevelop the old Entergy site in 2016. “I am also really excited about having our residents be able to wake up to the smell of delicious coffee being roasted and brewed right downstairs.”
The coffee house’s menu will include handcrafted coffees along with new sparkling, iced and ice cream-based alternatives. It will also feature nitro-coffees, draft lattes, teas, pastries and light foods throughout the day.
Small group training and programming will take place in the 1,500-square-foot space, and coffee will be roasted onsite. Weekly coffee tastings will be free and open to the public.
About 5,000 square feet of retail space remains available for lease at the mixed-use development, Nelson says, with more tenant announcements coming in the coming weeks.
When finished, Electric Depot will include a mix of retail tenants and 16 one-bedroom apartments. Construction for phase two—featuring additional residential units, including affordable housing—is slated to begin in 2020.
City Roots will open in early 2019.
