Dominating the news this week: The dark cloud hovering over the proposed Tubal Cain Marine Services barge cleaning facility on 60 acres of riverfront property just before the Metro Council effectively killed the venture Wednesday.
The controversial facility faced opposition from residents near LSU where the facility would have been located, as well as public officials who heard the backlash from their constituents.
The week began with a public hearing before the Planning Commission on Monday. The advisory body recommended changing the zoning of the proposed site from heavy industrial to commercial as a way to thwart the plans. Some officials said that decision opens the floodgate for other riverfront properties to be rezoned.
Then Tuesday, the state Department of Environmental Quality held a public hearing on the matter. The tension peaked Wednesday when the Metro Council voted to follow the recommendation of the Planning Commission to change the land from heavy industrial to commercial. Some Metro Council members told Daily Report before the vote that the final tally would be close.
Mayor Kip Holden got involved once again in the controversy when he exchanged rather heated emails with the president of the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors, saying the group’s stance against rezoning the property was wrong.
On Thursday, the Port Commission president issued a public apology to Baton Rouge residents for the decision to lease the property to the Port Arthur, Texas, company.
“If we had known this would cause so much uproar we never would have started this process,” Commission Board President Clint Seneca told Daily Report. “As a board we are going to back off and try to get our good name back.” Meanwhile, Commissioner Bobby Watts said he thought the commission would forgo using the courts to overturn the council’s decision, saying the group did not “want any more bad press.”
Also this week, a dispute over parking lot space is re-emerging at Acadian-Perkins Plaza between center owner Jon Claitor and Juban’s Restaurant. Two outparcel buildings are planned for the shopping center—something Loren Kleinpeter, attorney for Juban’s, said eats up to much parking space and violates the agreement the two sides have regarding parking. It’s a recurring debate between the two parties. “We have an agreement that requires them to maintain a minimum number of parking spaces on their tract,” Kleinpeter told Daily Report. “I don’t think they will be able to meet the parking requirements for the current uses.”
Here’s a rundown of some of the other top local stories making headlines in Daily Report this week:
—Local real estate firm Beau Box Real Estate is embroiled in a trademark infringement lawsuit in Baton Rouge federal court. Beau Box rebranded its residential firm to Audubon Real Estate Associates several months ago. Metairie-based Audubon Realty soon sent Box two cease-and-desist letters, prompting Box to head to federal court, asking a judge to make a ruling. The two sides are now in a messy legal battle over whether Audubon Real Estate Associates might be confused with Audubon Realty. They are currently in the discovery stage of litigation.
—New Orleans-based radio personality Gerry V has taken over the local airwaves on the WJBO 1150 AM morning show after the two former hosts, Kevin Meeks and Karen Henderson, were let go because of a format change. An iHeartRadio programming executive told Daily Report that Gerry V’s show will be more interactive and listener-focused—a marked change from the old interview and question-and-answer format the previous hosts favored. Gerry V still hosts the morning show for WRNO 99.5 FM in New Orleans and is also taking over the same time slot at WBUV 104.9 FM in Biloxi, Mississippi.
—River House, the mixed-use development at 1480 Nicholson Drive that has been plagued by delays for several years, has finally broken ground. The development was approved by the planning commission in 2009, but was slowed by the recession and a change in the project’s financing. The development will include two four-story buildings that house 224 luxury apartments, a 4,600-square-foot community clubhouse, 15,000 square feet of retail space and a 34,000-square-foot office building.
—Stroubes Seafood and Steaks four weeks ago began offering service on Sundays and has enjoyed strong sales in the first month. Eric Carnegie, one of the owners, told Daily Report the proliferation of hotels, apartments and condos in downtown prompted the Sunday opening. Could this mean more restaurants previously shuttered on Sundays might follow suit and open? Davis Rhorer with the Downtown Development District said he certainly hopes so.
