Options still open for LSU Blockbuster building

There remains some uncertainty about what will replace the old 6,500-square-foot Blockbuster video store on Highland Road outside of LSU’s North Gates. Franchisee Billy Jacob intends to fill the space with one of the many Five Guys Burgers and Fries hamburger restaurants he’s opening in south Louisiana. But no lease has been signed yet. Austin Earhart, an agent with Beau Box Commercial Real Estate, says Jacob is only interested in one-third of the building, and parking-related obstacles have hindered the deal so far. “We have a commitment to Five Guys and we’re working with them, but there are a lot of other issues we have to work out before we enter into a lease agreement,” Earhart says. “But for right now the entire building is on the market, and we’re talking to lots of prospective clients.” Earhart says there are at least three other letters of intent for the building, most of them for only partial use of the space. All but one of the interested parties are restaurants, a significant fact because competition among restaurants being developed in that area is already keen; by contrast, there exists a conspicuous shortage of retailers there. “We’d like to have a diverse tenant mix to ensure the success of the redevelopment,” Earhart says. Jacob has started work on his first local Five Guys in Towne Center near Zea Rotisserie & Grill. For the rest of Real Estate Weekly, click here. —Rebekah Allen