The East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority hopes to soon add housing to the Ardendale mixed-use development off Lobdell Boulevard, but first the agency must get approval to build in an area designated as jurisdictional wetlands.
The RDA has submitted a wetlands permit to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is awaiting approval to develop housing in the western portion of Ardendale, president and CEO Chris Tyson said at this morning’s meeting. Although there’s no water on the land, drainage activity has altered the land so that it classifies as wetlands, Tyson said.
Meanwhile, the agency also must wait for the city-parish housing authority to secure financing to develop affordable housing units. Once the RDA has the necessary approval and funding, Tyson said the agency will move forward with housing and other potential developments at the site in northeast Baton Rouge.
“We’ve had some interest in other developments at Ardendale, but at this point, we’re still waiting,” Tyson said.
Ardendale, overseen by the RDA, has plans to include mixed-income residential units, retail space and education centers. Baton Rouge Community College’s McKay Automotive Training Center opened on the site in 2016, and the East Baton Rouge School Board’s Career Academy is under construction there as well.
The RDA also has three other projects planned or in the works, including the Electric Depot at the old Entergy site on Government Street, the Plank Road transit revitalization project and two rail stations for the proposed passenger rail line to New Orleans.
While construction has begun at the Electric Depot, the rail stations and Plank Road transit project are still in the planning phases. HNTB, the engineering firm selected to design the rail stations, has been holding public meetings on proposed station sites, one planned for Mid City and another planned for the health district between Essen Lane and Bluebonnet Boulevard, Tyson said.
The Plank Road project depends on the Capital Area Transit System’s push to establish the state’s first bus rapid transit line on the corridor. If it moves forward, Tyson envisions an area revitalized with new developments built with an eye toward mobility.
“Plank Road is of concern to many in the city-parish,” he said. “The corridor has historical significance and is the most blighted corridor in north Baton Rouge. For CATS, Plank Road has the second highest ridership rates.”
