Tenant mix coming together for River Park, developer says

The financing and tenant mix are coming together for the entertainment district of the planned $600 million River Park mixed-use development, according to a brief presentation to the DDD Commission meeting this morning. “We have been through due diligence,” says developer Pete Clements. “The structure has been set for the financing. We have two very good parties that have come together to make this work.” Closing and groundbreaking could happen before the end of the year, he says. The project is at 75% of “initial occupancy,” in terms of businesses that will be in place when the entertainment district opens, according to the presentation. The district will be built around a “Baton Rouge Boardwalk” and include an “Asian fusion restaurant,” a steakhouse, a beer garden, an “artisan pizza concept,” a “dueling piano bar,” a blues club, an “upscale Southern comfort restaurant,” a “Euro-American bistro,” a “contemporary American restaurant and lounge,” a “Spanish tapas restaurant,” and a Mexican restaurant, according to the presentation. A joint venture has been signed with “several different professional entertainment groups” to operate and provide talent for a 1,500-seat indoor theater and a 40,000-square-foot outdoor public concert facility. Between the two venues, 168 annual events are planned. Clements previously has said about $125 million is needed to finance the entertainment district. —David Jacobs