A representative for a commercial and industrial equipment rental company looking to bring upwards of 40 jobs to north Baton Rouge convinced the Planning Commission on Monday to rezone five acres next to a Hooper Road subdivision for heavy commercial use.
United Rentals is considering building an office warehouse at 5592 Hooper Road, after one of its facilities on Airline Highway flooded in August and has yet to reopen.
CSRS Principal Travis Woodard, who represented the company before the Planning Commision, said the Hooper Road site is one of two locations the company is considering. The other site being considered is located in Port Allen, but the rezoning of the north Baton Rouge site clears the way for a purchase agreement to be inked for the Hooper Road land.
The commission unanimously approved the project—with some reservations, mostly regarding the rezoning of a site that has yet to be sold. The Planning Commission staff had recommended denying the request because of inconsistencies with the FuturEBR master plan for land use. And the vacant land, located just east of Plank Road, is located adjacent to a low density, single-family residential neighborhood and across from a football stadium.
Woodard told the commission there is an existing construction operations nearby as well as a storage sewer facility.
“While we do have one subdivision, there’s quite a few different uses (there),” he said, adding that United Rentals provides small machines and light industry equipment to companies like ExxonMobil.
He also says United Rentals has committed to submitting a SPUD for the project, has met residents and agreed to make concessions about setbacks and landscaping.
Despite the reservations, the potential economic impact of the project won out. Real estate broker Johnny L. Sumrall testified in support of the project, saying the property has been vacant for 70 years.
“It’s going to produce income for the people who live there because they’re going to be employed by these people to do work,” said Sumrall, who represents the current land owner. “That’s what north Baton Rouge needs. They needs jobs and this will create jobs.”
After clearing the Planning Commission, the item now requires Metro Council approval.
In other commission news, the commission agreed to strike references regarding cluster subdivisions from the city-parish ordinance. The commission also approved a rezoning request for The Royal Standard, allowing it to establish an in-store restaurant.
—Alexandria Burris
