Port Allen Walgreens under way; B.R. store to open Nov. 2

A 15,000-square-foot Walgreens is about four months away from being completed in Port Allen, and another further along in Baton Rouge at Highland Road and Lee Drive is scheduled to open on Nov. 2, says Jonathan Lanza, vice president of Lanco Construction, which is constructing both. The Walgreens in Port Allen, at 220 North Alexander St., is replacing a grocery store that was leveled for the pharmacy’s construction after having sat vacant for a number of months. “It’s the newer prototype design Walgreens is using—the same that’s being used on the one at Highland and Lee. It’s a more modern look,” Lanza says. West Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Stuart says the Port Allen store will be the first big-box pharmacy in Port Allen. “Our local mom-and-pop pharmacies do a great job … but this is a nice addition to that part of the city. And of course, it will add to the attractiveness of downtown Port Allen,” she says. “We’ve been seeing more interest from new businesses, specifically retail and restaurants, that are looking to expand in our parish, and we’re excited about it. It just adds to the industrial expansions that we’ve been seeing.” Read the rest of this story and get more local real estate news in the Real Estate Weekly e-newsletter here. —Steve Sanoski