Smiley Heights planning funds in budget supplement

While recently breaking up and approving items within Mayor Kip Holden’s $11.1 million budget supplement, the Metro Council voted to approve $200,000 for the planning of Smiley Heights, marking some of the first dollars appropriated for implementing the FuturEBR master plan for land use and development. For Smiley Heights—a mixed-use development including education, retail, residential and commercial components in the Melrose East community, where Greenwell Springs Road and Ardenwood Drive intersect—$55,000 is allocated for consultant fees for wetland mitigation, and $45,000 is allocated for consultant fees for planning a new charter school and site of Baton Rouge Community College. The remaining $100,000 is allocated for implementing the rest of the Mid City Urban Renewal District, including finalizing district boundaries and securing revenue sources. The city-parish envisions that Smiley Heights—a part of the urban renewal district—will encompass 3,500 new households and create 20,000 new jobs by 2030. The development would occupy 196 acres of land that is currently vacant. “The vision, really, is to create an urban village,” says John Price, Mayor Kip Holden’s assistant chief administration officer. “It’s going to have community development, mixed-use housing, and education for an area that’s been underserved for a number of years.” Initial seed money, Price says, is expected to drive private investment in the area. The $11.1 million budget supplement is funded through surplus funds, including sales tax collections and savings. It will mainly be used to start a police academy on July 30 and get 30 new police officers on city streets, but will also help fund the hiring of 35 new firefighters and supply extra support for the sheriff’s and coroner’s offices. —Adam Pearson