The owners of five more office buildings on United Plaza Boulevard are seeking annexation into the city of Baton Rouge.
Attorney Charles Landry filed an amended annexation petition this afternoon with the Metro Council, adding the buildings to his original petition of October 21, seeking annexation for United Plaza IV, which he owns.
The additional properties added to the petition today are United Plaza buildings I, II, VIII and XIX, which are all owned by a legal entity affiliated with Stirling Properties, and 8660 United Plaza Blvd., owned and occupied by the Louisiana School Employees’ Retirement System, or LSERS.
United Plaza Boulevard itself, which is owned by a group comprising the owners of all the buildings on the boulevard, has also been added to the amended petition.
Stirling Properties Executive Vice President Grady Brame says Stirling decided to request annexation for a couple of reasons.
“One, we’re comfortable with the status quo,” he says. “More than that, though, we’ve had three or four tenants, unsolicited, call us up and tell us they want to be in Baton Rouge so we felt like this was the best course of action.”
A spokesman for LSERS did not return a call seeking comment before this afternoon’s deadline.
As for the other office buildings on United Plaza Boulevard, Landry says it’s too soon to say if or when their owners will request annexation.
“These are the ones that had the information and decided they wanted to do this now,” he says.
The annexation of the properties, provided the Metro Council accepts them into the city, would not represent a loss of sales tax revenues to St. George because the buildings do not generate retail activity.
However, they could represent a significant loss in property tax revenues to the proposed new city if, in the future, St. George were to impose a millage to support an independent school district.
A St. George spokesman says property owners should realize that if they’re annexed into the city of Baton Rouge they’ll be paying higher property taxes right off the bat.
“To those who filed annexation petitions: Apparently you want to pay higher taxes, because once you’re annexed into the city of BR, you immediately have an increase in your property tax and it’s substantial,” says Andrew Murrell. “You still have the opportunity to withdraw those petitions. Do your homework before you move forward.”
Property tax rates are higher within incorporated Baton Rouge, but by less than 10 mills compared to what is being paid within the footprint of St. George.
