Redevelopment Authority teams with local firms for property evaluation system

A property evaluation system, developed by the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority with help from two local firms, to aid in combating blight may have other applications, says Mark Goodson, RDA vice president. The RDA worked with Leotta-Evers Consulting, which does GIS technology consulting, and Zehnder Communications, which built a smartphone application that allows the user to gather information on a property and send it back to the database. The authority has compiled data on every property in the city, noting information on each such as its condition and whether it is occupied, and is working with the Planning Commission to finish surveying the unincorporated areas of the parish. Most of the data will be accessible to the public at pet.ebrra.org. Goodson says the property evaluation tool and mobile applications could be marketed and provide a possible revenue stream for the RDA. A mobile damage assessment device, for example, could be useful after a major storm. Public utilities or agencies that inspect critical infrastructure are possible customers. “We think the opportunities are kind of endless,” Goodson says. —David Jacobs