Eradicate blight, revitalize old buildings to improve the city

The revitalization of the Broadmoor Shopping Center on Florida Boulevard— and the success of its tenants, particularly its anchor, Planet Fitness—over the course of this year is a prime example of how older buildings in Baton Rouge can be resurrected into successful development projects, says Mark Goodson, vice president of the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority. Goodson was joined today by Jeffrey Hebert, executive director of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, to talk about the project and other recent successful rehabilitation projects in the area at a 2012 Louisiana Smart Growth Summit seminar called “Redevelopment in Action.” Meanwhile, the RDA and Mayor Kip Holden’s office are working toward implementing a new enforcement code that is designed to eradicate blight throughout Baton Rouge. In egregious cases, Goodson says, property owners can be persuaded to sell their property to the city by creative use of code enforcement. Some of those spaces could be returned to their natural state, or so-called green spaces. But it would be necessary to find an agency or organization, rather than the city, to maintain them, Goodson says. “Government can’t cut grass into perpetuity,” Hebert says, noting many municipalities have trouble financially maintaining parks and spaces they already have. Goodson notes the RDA in the future will help bring mobile farmers’ markets to parts of the city that have few grocery shopping options and says it’s currently working with the school board to improve lighting and sidewalks around schools. “That’s paramount to making communities sustainable,” he says. The complete schedule of events associated with the 2012 Louisiana Smart Growth Summit, which concludes on Wednesday, is available here. —Adam Pearson