Downtown Baton Rouge has come a long way in a few years, says Camm Morton, president and CEO of Ashby Hospitality and former president and CEO of Commercial Properties Realty Trust. Cultural, entertainment, lodging and dining options abound now compared to what used to be essentially a ghost town on weekends and after 5 p.m. on weekdays, Morton noted during a speech at this morning’s LSU Executive Education “Breakfast to Business” seminar at Café Américain. But a major piece is missing to get downtown to the level of a Charleston, S.C., or Raleigh, N.C.: residences. Morton says that without the residential component, retail can never truly take off.
Among the impediments to residential development is the relatively small size of downtown Baton Rouge compared to cities officials would like to emulate; the high prices landowners want for property downtown; relatively cheap housing in the rest of the city; and the lack of parking to accommodate more residents. Morton says parking downtown could be used more effectively, noting the new riverfront parking garage is off-limits to everyone but state employees and sits empty much of the time. Parking garages are expensive to build. Morton suggest subsidies to help pioneering developers get over that hurdle, setting the process in motion of attracting residents and retail.—Steve Clark
