River District—Nicholson mixed-use project—starting to come together

The team behind the mixed-use development planned for Nicholson Drive between LSU and downtown should be ready to announce project details by the end of this year or the first quarter of 2010, Stephen Keller says. Keller, who developed Towne Center at Cedar Lodge, is part of the development team along with Moreno Properties, a Lafayette group headed up by oilman Mike Moreno. Over the past year or so, Moreno purchased about 20 acres along Nicholson to assemble the development. The project is currently known as River District, Keller says. Steve Oubre, the Lafayette architect who has designed many TND projects in south Louisiana, did the original master plan and remains involved in the project. River District will include multi-family housing, including loft-style apartments, along with some retail and office space, Keller says. He expects the project to draw young professionals and empty-nesters. “It’s a blighted area, which gives some lenders pause, but if the city is behind you, it gives lenders the comfort factor they need,” he says. The East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority has made the area between LSU and downtown, known as Old South Baton Rouge, a priority for redevelopment.—David Jacobs