DDD Commission backs mayor’s plan

• Advocate business staff
• Published: Aug 12, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:25 p.m.

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The Downtown Development District Commission voted unanimously to back Mayor-President Kip Holden’s $989 million capital improvements plan, which contains several major projects for downtown Baton Rouge.

On Nov. 4, East Baton Rouge Parish voters will decide the fate of a bond issue backing the projects, with a half-cent sales tax and a 9.9-mill property tax supporting the work.

DDD Executive Director Davis Rhorer said more than $49 million pumped into renovating the Governmental Building after the 19th Judicial District Court moves out would turn the building “into a real City Hall.” A $145 million River Center expansion would be joined by new parking garages and a private developer’s construction of two hotels.

“What’s important about that is it meets the (demand) we have downtown for convention center needs,” Rohrer said. “In this case, it would immediately lead to a $100 million private sector development’ with the pair of hotels, two ballrooms, a restaurant, bar and possibly ground floor retail spaces in the new parking garages near the River Center.

Of the proposed Audubon Alive! nature park on state-owned riverfront land across from the Pentagon Barracks, Rohrer said the city-parish’s $247.5 million contribution to that project would create an “Epcot-like experience,” a reference to the Disney World site in Florida.

DDD Chairman Derrell Cohoon called the $989 million parishwide plan, which also includes major drainage and traffic work along with new prison and criminal justice complexes, “a very visionary program,” one in which the DDD worked behind the scene with the mayor’s office for more than a year.

“This will make a big difference, not only for downtown, but for all of Baton Rouge,” Cohoon said .

The DDD also announced the unveiling of its new Web site: www.downtownbatonrouge.org, which features a new parking map for downtown visitors and information about events, attractions and developments downtown.