Executive Summary
For one week, starting June 26, 1998, hundreds of residents of Baton Rouge, came out - not to stop a highway, not to stop a high-rise. They came to participate in a planning charrette devoted to the future of Downtown. Plan Baton Rouge is the product of that effort and of the months of hard work examining the ideas generated during that exciting week.
How to use this plan
Plan Baton Rouge is not just a document. It is a new way of approaching urban planning and development, one that conceives of public action as an evolving process. That process began months prior to the charrette and will continue for years to come. Its aim is to identify action that will maximize further private investment.
The printed text that follows is a snapshot of its status as of the end of 1998, that sets forth the actions, designates responsibility, and identifies sources of funding that are necessary for Plan Baton Rouge to achieve its objectives. The document includes administrative actions, changes in government procedure, legislation, proposals for public action and proposals for private development. Some are already underway or will be executed over the coming months. Others will have to wait until conditions permit their implementation. One thing is certain: they will all change and change many times over the life of Plan Baton Rouge. For that reason this document is contained in a three-ring binder that makes it easy to remove, replace, or add pages as conditions change and projects are executed.
The Components of the plan
The proposals presented in this document affect the Districts and Neighborhoods that make up Downtown Baton Rouge, the revitalized Corridors that will reconnect them, and the Area in General. Some are already being implemented. Others will take years to bring to fruition. Together they constitute a detailed blueprint that will shape the future of Baton Rouge.
Contents
Introductory Notes
Notes on the Structure of the Plan
Notes on the Making of the Plan
Notes on the Strategy of the Plan
Districts
Catfish Town/Baton Rouge Landing District
The Old State Capitol District
The State Capitol District
The Central Business District
Corridors
The Downtown Park Corridor
The Riverfront Parkway Corridor
The Seventh Street Corridor
Neighborhoods
The Beauregard Town Neighborhood
The Spanish Town Neighborhood
Both Neighborhoods
General
Commercial Development
Transportation
Infill Housing in General
Codes in General
Streetscape in General
The Next Steps
A number of major projects set forth in this document are already underway. Others will be initiated during the coming months. It is crucial to focus public support for those that remain to be executed. Consequently, Plan Baton Rouge will issue regular progress reports highlighting recent achievements, tracking the status of unfinished proposals, and identifying major projects for future action. But whatever the opportunities for implementation may be, you will find the blueprint for further action among the pages that follow.
Download
A print version of The Plan is availalbe in PDF format. Click on the links below to download it by section.