Two friends have turned their passion for discussing economic development in Baton Rouge into an interactive website that locals, real estate brokers and developers can use to track completed and in-progress developments going vertical in the Capital City.
Jason Broha and Brian Rodriguez created developingbatonrouge.com and sofly launched the website last week.
The website features an interactive map with more than 60 new restaurants, apartments, hotels, offices and mixed-use developments in Baton Rouge. It also includes aggregated content—primarily from Daily Report, Business Report and The Advocate, and also from 225—about each project, as well as renderings, status updates and links to the projects’ websites.
Broha emphasized that the site is not the official record for residential, commercial and mixed-used development in Baton Rouge. However, he says it can be a useful tool for developers seeking to share information about their projects or communicate economic development advances.
He also believes the website could inspire young professionals to take pride in the ever-changing Capital City—maybe even move to a part of the city they had not considered before.
“We both love this city and are excited about its future,” Broha says in a statement announcing the website’s launch. “New developments, from hospitality to civic and public spaces, will only help move the needle forward to make Baton Rouge one of America’s next great cities.”
Though not in the real estate development business, Broha says he and Rodriguez are engaged citizens who enjoy discussing growth in Baton Rouge. Prior to starting the site, Broha kept a running list of projects in the area.
They realized other people were passively having the same conversations they were having and decided to compile information about local projects in one place. It took about a month and a half to gather the materials and to create and launch the website.
While compiling and mapping the projects, Broha says he was surprised by the number of mixed-use projects in Baton Rouge and by the amount of activity occurring in the area along Nicholson Drive to Capitol Park downtown.
Projects featured on the website include @Highland, a new campus-style technology park that broke ground at the corner of Highland Road and Bluebonnet Boulevard; the Nicholson Gateway Project; BRQ, a new restaurant; and Adelia at Old Goodwood.
Broha admits some projects have probably been overlooked. He and Rodriguez are willing to add them to the site. Developers also can fill out an online form and request to have projects added to the website.
—Alexandria Burris
