After 13 years at the helm of the board of directors of Build Baton Rouge, formerly the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority, John Noland has stepped down—not only from his position as chairman but from the board itself.
Noland was a key figure in the creation of the organization in 2007 and never wavered in his commitment to help bring Baton Rouge’s many blighted properties and underserved neighborhoods back into commerce.
“It’s been 13 years, and it’s time for new energy and direction,” Noland says. “I celebrated my 73rd birthday last week while traveling with friends and family and realize it’s time to enjoy the salad days of life.”
Among the major accomplishments of the RDA under Noland’s years on the board are the developments, still underway, of the Ardendale urban village in Melrose East, and Electric Depot in the former Entergy building at 1509 Government St.
“We have a redevelopment authority in large part because of John’s leadership, philanthropy and deep concern and care for this community,” says Build Baton Rouge President and CEO Chris Tyson.
Noland oversaw the agency during its early years under then-president and CEO Walter Monsour, when it was armed with a new strategic plan, flush with federal New Markets Tax Credits to invest in needy projects, and tasked by the city-parish with redeveloping more than 100 blighted houses.
He stuck with the agency when funding from the tax credits dried up, some of the ambitious goals in the plan proved more difficult to implement than envisioned, and the RDA was forced to operate on a shoestring budget.
He has seen the agency come back to life under the administration of Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, who invested and expanded in the RDA by combining the agency with the Office of Community Development. Under Tyson, it has tackled new types of projects and engaged in a rebranding campaign.
Amidst all the change, Noland says it’s time to let a new generation take over.
“Chris and the new board deserve a chance to lead without me,” he says.
Attorney Rodney Braxton, the mayor’s appointee to the board, is succeeding Noland as chairman. Attorney Charles Landry, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation’s appointee, is filling Noland’s vacant space on the board.
