The head of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber says his organization supports the work being done by the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority and that funding must be identified so the agency can continue addressing blight in inner city neighborhoods. BRAC President and CEO Adam Knapp’s comments come one day after RDA President and CEO Walter Monsour announced he is resigning in order to free up funds to help keep the cash-strapped agency afloat.
“I don’t think I’ve heard anyone say the importance of the work of leading redevelopment isn’t there,” says Knapp, who spoke to Daily Report today following a monthly meeting of BRAC investors. “The big question is how to support and sustain it.”
Late Monday, Mayor Kip Holden—who has said the city will not support the RDA with funds from the 2015 budget—told Daily Report he would like to see a “hybrid RDA” that would work closely with or be combined with similar agencies, such as the city-parish Office of Community Development. Knapp says BRAC is open to all ideas about how to keep redevelopment programs going.
“This is a program in need of resources and it is vitally important to the economic infill of our community to find new ways to do economic development in some of the under-invested urban centers in EBR Parish,” he says.
Baton Rouge Area Foundation Executive Vice President John Spain, who was guest speaker at the BRAC luncheon today, declined to discuss the recent turmoil at the RDA. BRAF was instrumental in helping create the RDA several years ago.
In his speech to the group, however, Spain suggested BRAF will be heavily involved in the work of community redevelopment. Specifically, he mentioned the Ardendale mixed-use project off Florida Boulevard, which will be developed around a new automotive training center and Baton Rouge Community College campus. The project was put together by BRAF and the RDA, though the RDA has been the lead agency of late.
“We’ve been working on it for six years and in December the state will award a $25 million contract to begin construction on the automotive training center,” Spain said. “We will work with our partners and ultimately develop that into a beautiful campus.” —Stephanie Riegel
