Here’s the plan: The East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority this evening will present its master plan for the redevelopment of a roughly 100-acre Mid City site anchored by the former Entergy building at 1509 Government St. The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 185 Eddie Robinson Drive. The 100-acre area stretches from Interstate 110 to South 19th Street and from North Boulevard to Government Street, but the planning project will hone in on a 30-acre area designated as a “core site for redevelopment,” RDA officials have said. The 30-acre area, bordered by North Boulevard, South 17th, Government and South 14th streets, encompasses the 6.2-acre former Entergy site.
Under another name: Lafayette-based Home Bancorp Inc., the parent company of Home Bank, announced today that it has converted from a federal savings bank charter to a national bank charter. The change means the bank’s legal name is now Home Bank, National Association, and the company is now a bank holding company. Home Bancorp President and CEO John W. Bordelon says in a prepared statement the move was made “because we believe it is better aligned with the commercial and retail banking business model that we have operated under for more than a decade.”
All together now: Economic regionalism is not a new concept. Baton Rouge and Lake Charles, for instance, have long been part of multi-parish chambers of commerce or economic development organizations. Even the LaPlace-based River Region Chamber of Commerce comprises St. Charles, St. James and St. John parishes. The Advertiser reports the Acadiana region became one of the last areas in the state to regionalize its economy when the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce recently announced it is transforming into One Acadiana, an organization that aims to unite businesses and economic development organizations in Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion parishes. Read the full story.
