Staff also favors Capitol Lofts: Planning Commission members are recommending approval of developer David Slaughter’s request to demolish seven houses in Spanish Town to make room for his proposed Capitol Lofts apartment building. In a memo to the historic commission, planning staff listed 12 problems found in the houses, including wood deterioration, missing roof components and asbestos shingles, and other factors that create “severe health and safety issues.” The staff also recommends approving the development. The development is in a historic district, so the historic commission must approve the demolitions and the development before Slaughter can receive a building permit; he can appeal that decision to the Metro Council.
Branching out: Fidelity Homestead Savings Bank paid $2.15 million for a site near Bluebonnet Boulevard and Perkins Road with plans to open its second Baton Rouge branch there by the end of 2010. The New Orleans-based bank bought the 2.1-acre tract at Perkins and Hyacinth Avenue. Robyn Lott, a spokeswoman for Fidelity Homestead, says the plans are to build a two-story, 10,000-square-foot, full-service branch, with between 10 to 20 employees.
Holding on to houses: Baton Rouge ranked 158th on a newly released survey of foreclosure rates for 203 U.S. cities. During the first half of the year, there were 1,237 homes with foreclosure fillings in the Capital Region, or 0.39% of the homes in the area, says RealtyTrac. That’s far below the national average of foreclosure filings for 1.19% of U.S. housing units. RealtyTrac noted that foreclosure filings in Baton Rouge increased by 67% from the first half of 2008, but cautioned that the change may be due to changes or improvements in data collection.
