The Metro Council on Wednesday authorized Mayor Sharon Weston Broome to renew a rental waiver program that Visit Baton Rouge and SMG use to attract events and conventions to the Raising Cane’s River Center.
The council voted unanimously to renew the program—which grants a facility fee waiver to qualified events for use of the River Center—retroactively from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020.
Visit Baton Rouge President and CEO Paul Arrigo said the agreement before the council raised the cap on the total amount of rental waivers that can be offered during any given calendar year from $350,000 to $400,000.
Approval for a waiver is based on the positive economic impact an event is expected to have on Baton Rouge, council documents say.
“It is a way to keep us competitive with other cities,” Arrigo told the council, adding that rental fee waivers have been offered since at least 2006.
The River Center—which is managed by private management firm SMG—has hosted more than 40 conventions and youth events that have brought more than 90,000 participants to Baton Rouge by utilizing the agreement, council documents say. It has resulted in roughly $60 million in direct spending on food, hotels and entertainment in the Baton Rouge metro area.
Also at its meeting Wednesday, the Metro Council introduced councilman Trae Welch’s appeal to overturn the Planning Commission’s approval of Cheval Trails, developer Windy Gladney’s mixed-use development near Zachary.
Welch contends the city of Zachary has changed a lot since the 760-unit development—with includes roughly 25 acres of commercial development—was approved more than a decade ago, and impact studies need to be updated. Welch also said the school district should be consulted, and acknowledged that Gladney has updated the stormwater impact study for drainage. He says it would be easier for Zachary to provide utility services if Gladney has the property annexed into the city.
Gladney, who said the recession slowed development of Cheval Trails, disputes all of Welch’s claims and says that all impact studies are current. Gladney said he doesn’t want the property annexed into Zachary despite paying taxes there.
The appeal will be heard at the Metro Council’s zoning meeting in March.
—Alexandria Burris
