DDD director says planned riverfront development could be game changer

DDD Executive Director Davis Rhorer says a planned mixed-use development along the Mississippi River could have “game-changing results for downtown.” “It has the potential to activate the entire downtown riverfront,” Rhorer says, noting that the need and opportunity for riverfront development has long been included in downtown’s master plans.
Also discussed at this morning’s DDD Commission meeting:
• Prescriptions to Geaux, downtown’s first drugstore in decades, should be up and running within a month, says owner T.J. Woodard. “My goal is to make everyone’s life downtown easier,” he says.
• The city-parish plans to advertise for bids Friday to convert St. Louis and St. Ferdinand streets to two-way as called for in the master plan for downtown. The bids will be opened Feb. 5.
• Consultants will be meeting with downtown stakeholders over the coming weeks to discuss the planned greenway, with public workshops slated for March 5, 6 and 7.
• Over the weekend, an 18-wheeler ran off North Boulevard and took out the power supply for the Town Square, Rhorer says, speculating the damage may take a few weeks to fix.
• A collaborative workspace for visual media professionals called Creative Bloc plans to open this summer, encompassing 11,500 square feet at the corner of Main and Eighth streets downtown.
• A new blues bar is slated to open before the end of the month in downtown Baton Rouge. The Blues Room will be on Lafayette Street in the former home of Tabby’s Blues Box. —David Jacobs