Originally Posted on Baton Rouge Business Report
The Capital Region has seen considerable commercial growth over the past year. Several new project starts enabled the construction sector to become a main economic driver, and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s economic outlook predicts a strong surge of growth for the coming years. New retail, business, residential, medical, educational, dining and church plans are included. The following is just a sampling of some of the projects that have been announced, started or completed over the past year.
Acadian Village Shopping Center
Location: Perkins Road and Acadian Thruway
Description: The 76,000-square-foot shopping center includes Trader Joe’s, Galatoire’s Bistro, Baby Bump, Smarter Eyewear, Edit, Nadeau, Petco, and La Divina Italian Café.
General Contractor: Buquet & LeBlanc
Developer: Commercial Properties Realty Trust
Cost: $20 million
BullChicks
Location: 11135 Coursey Blvd.
Description: The Texas-based fast-casual restaurant chain will open a 3,155-square-foot space to serve burgers, chicken wings, sandwiches, wraps and salads.
General Contractor: Zitro Construction Services
Costco
Location: Airline Highway and I-12
Description: The 28-acre site of the former Coca-Cola bottling plant where Costco cleared the property and constructed a 150,000-square-foot store, which opened late April.
Cost: $12.15 million for land and original buildings
Crawfish Aquatics
Location: Siegen Lane near the intersection of Perkins Road
Description: A 40,000-square-foot swimming and recreational facility on the 4.8-acre property to include two indoor pools, an outdoor recreational pool and splash play area with indoor training and children’s play areas.
General Contractor: Eskew+Dumez+Ripple
CVS
Location: Intersection of Burbank Drive and Gardere Lane
Description: A 1.7-acre tract for a new store, which will be the 21st CVS in the area.
Cost: $1.35 million for land
The District
Location: Perkins Road near Dawson Creek
Description: Apartment complex consisting of 10 three-story buildings surrounding a three-story garage on nearly 11 acres, as well as a 5,000-square-foot clubhouse and leasing office.
Architect: JHP Architecture & Urban Design
General Contractor: Block Builders
Developer: Stephen Keller and Clay Likover
Cost: $33 million
The Emerge Center for Communication, Behavior and Development
Location: 7784 Innovation Park Drive
Description: Located in LSU’s Innovation Park, which is the 200-acre Gardere-area campus, this 26,000-square-foot facility will offer clinically effective therapies to children and adults with communication difficulties.
Architect: Coleman Partners Architects
General Contractor: Faulk and Meek General Contractors
Cost: $7 million
Former Capital One Bank building
Location: 440 Third St.
Description: Plans are to renovate the entire 111,000-square-foot building and add a ninth floor, which will be almost 6,000 square feet. Residential space will be added along with additional space for parking.
Architect: Dyke Nelson
Gastroenterology Center
Location: 6615 Perkins Road
Description: Baton Rouge General, in partnership with its private physicians network, Baton Rouge General Physicians, has opened the new center led by Drs. Karen Diamond, Shaban Faruqui, Paul McNeely, Alan Sonsky and Elizabeth Alonso-Rubiano.
The Grand Lady Apartments
Location: 310 Convention St. behind the City Club
Description: The 5,500-square-foot, two-story house built in 1905 is considered the last Victorian home in Baton Rouge’s downtown. It will be renovated into a 13-unit apartment complex, preserving the historical details of 12-foot ceilings and fireplaces while adding 4,500 square feet.
Architect: Chenevert Architects
G.W. Oliver Construction
Location: 9362 Interline Ave. near the intersection of Airline Highway and I-12
Description: A new 5,800-square-foot corporate office for the construction company. It will include a full conference center with a built-in bar and entertainment area for clients.
Cost: $800,000
The High Grove
Location: 10222 The Grove Blvd.
Description: A 192-unit high-end apartment complex behind the Mall of Louisiana using the green building certification program Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), offering a cyber café, fitness center and gaming lounge. It is a part of the Traditional Neighborhood Development The Grove, which will include a mix of residential, retail and commercial development.
Developer: Richard Carmouche
IBM Services Center
Location: Lafayette Street bordered by North and Main streets and River Road
Description: A technology center to include an eight-story office tower and a separate residential tower with 95 apartment units and nine luxury townhomes, with a 24,000-square-foot terrace connecting the two buildings.
General Contractor: The Lemoine Co.
Developer: Commercial Properties Realty Trust
Cost: $55 million
Leaps & Bounds Sports Center
Location: 30113 Eden Church Road, Denham Springs
Description: Approximately 34,000 square feet of building space on a 3.35-acre lot to expand offerings of gymnastics, cheerleading, tumbling, acrobatics and after-school programs.
Cost: $775,000 for land and building with an estimated $500,000 for renovations
Frais Marché LeBlanc’s
Location: 14635 Airline Highway at Duplessis Road, Gonzales
Description: The 55,000-square-foot location is the first that LeBlanc’s has built from the ground up since the original store and will serve as the anchor for the Lagniappe Centre, where several other retail operators will be opening. Offerings will include fresh squeezed juices, sushi, a salad and olive bar with fresh seafood delivered daily.
Cost: $3.3 million for land
LSU Hilltop Arboretum
Location: 11855 Highland Road
Description: A new 22,000-square-foot facility that more than doubles the existing space by adding a new education facility, courtyard and auditorium that has been submitted for LEED certification.
General Contractor: Lincoln Builders
Cost: $1.28 million
Our Lady of the Lake Heart & Vascular Institute
Location: 5000 Hennessy Blvd.
Description: The nine-story, 330,000 square foot Heart & Vascular Institute opened with 141 licensed beds with all-private patient rooms and six operating suites, bringing the total of operating rooms at OLOL to 41.
Architect: VOA+BBA Design Partnership
General Contractor: JE Dunn & MJ Womack Construction
Radiation Oncology Center
Location: 6180 Main Street on Lane Regional Medical Center campus, Zachary
Description: Joint effort of Baton Rouge General and Lane Regional Medical Center to offer a comprehensive cancer program with cancer treatment experts, physicians and caregivers.
Cost: $4.5 million
River House
Location: Nicholson Drive and Oklahoma Street
Description: Apartment, office and retail development with 34,000 square feet of office space and 15,000 square feet of retail.
Architects: Humphreys & Partners Architects
Developer: Marc Blumberg and Emanuel Organek
Cost: $26.4 million
Spanish Town Apartments
Location: 600 block of Spanish Town Road
Description: Commercial real estate broker Benjamin Stalter will partner with Robert Lay and Derek Fitch to retore two historic apartment buildings.
Cost: $185,000 for buildings
SpringHill Suites, Marriott
Location: 1 Cabela’s Parkway, Gonzales
Description: Property will contain 96 rooms as well as conference rooms, an outdoor pool, a fitness center and a bar
St. George Catholic Church
Location: Siegen Lane and Kinglet Drive near I-10
Description: A 24,000-square-foot church to accommodate 1,200 people is planned as well as a transformation of the current church into the Early Childhood Center for pre-K students.
Architects: Grace & Hebert Architects
Cost: $13 million
Target
Location: Siegen Lane and I-10
Description: Renovation of 21,000 square feet of the store to include an updated coffee area, mercantile sales floor, grocery sales area and back-of-the-house areas.
Architects: RSP Architects
Cost: $1.2 million
Venyu Data Center
Location: 7127 Florida Blvd. in Bon Carré Business Center
Description: The provider of cloud services is constructing a new 15,000-square-foot data center adjacent to its current location that will feature redundant power distribution, climate control, and fire suppression technologies.
Cost: $14 million
The Village at Willow Grove
Location: 11524 Settlement Blvd.
Description: Retail component of the residential development in The Settlement at Willow Grove. It will include a mix of shops, restaurants and offices with a pedestrian plaza featuring a 16-foot fountain, benches and trees.
General Contractor: Richard Carmouche
Developer: Richard Carmouche
The Water Campus
Location: Bordered by the Mississippi River bridge, Nicholson Drive, Oklahoma Street and the river
Description: A 27.6-acre world-class research park devoted to the study of coastal restoration and sustainability that will be developed along the riverfront. Initially it will encompass three buildings: an Education and Research Center at the old city dock, a facility housing a small-scale model of the lower Mississippi River that will be used by researchers, and a coastal research office building. The project is a combined effort of state government, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the city-parish, LSU and the Water Institute of the Gulf.
Cost: $45 million
333 Lofts
Location: 333 East Boyd Drive near the South Gates of LSU
Description: A luxury condo complex with 28 two- and three-bedroom units with floor plans ranging from 960 to 1,330 square feet.
Developer: Dantin Bruce Development
Cost: $5.5 million
* All locations are in Baton Rouge unless otherwise stated.