Capitol Lofts, a proposed 115-unit development in Spanish Town, would require rezoning from A4 to A5, which the neighborhood civic association opposes. “They knew it was A4 when they bought it,” says resident John Sykes, who worries the new zoning would allow developers to go well beyond the project as it is proposed now. “Once the A5 goes through, it could be a skyscraper.”
The Historic Spanish Town Civic Association board voted unanimously to oppose the project, board member David Brown says. Recently adopted historic district guidelines say a development should not be higher than buildings adjacent to it, Sykes says. The development would be at the end of North Sixth Street, facing Arsenal Park. David Slaughter of developer Slaughter Holdings says he will attend a District 10 meeting at 6 p.m. tonight in the Metro Council chambers to talk about the project, which is set to go before city-parish Planning & Zoning Commission on June 22. Prominent local architect Rex Cabaniss is the lead designer. The Downtown Development District commission did not take a position on the project. The DDD has always supported residential development downtown, but has also strongly supported the historic preservation of Spanish Town.
Also at this morning’s meeting, Gary Graham, director of parking, traffic and transportation at LSU, announced three new bus routes that will run between LSU and the Garden District, downtown and the Stanford/Perkins area. The new routes, which start Aug. 1, may be limited to LSU students, faculty and staff, but Graham says opening the routes to the public is possible.—David Jacobs
