What to know about tonight’s Plan Baton Rouge III community open house

Downtown Baton Rouge. (Jordan Hefler)

The second Plan Baton Rouge III community meeting will take place Wednesday night at the Old State Capitol.

Plan Baton Rouge III is downtown’s new master plan, currently under development by international planning and design firm Sasaki. To guide the plan’s development, relevant stakeholders are gathering input from the community through in-person events and online surveys. Read a recent Business Report feature on Plan Baton Rouge III here.

Wednesday’s community meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a formal presentation in the Old State Capitol’s House Chamber. Then, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., attendees will be able to view exhibits and offer their input in the Senate Chamber.

Casey Tate, assistant executive director of the Downtown Development District, tells Daily Report that community input is essential to Sasaki’s work. In fact, the DDD recently published a blog breaking down why that’s the case.

“It is really important that people of all stripes are engaged and contribute to the master planning process,” Tate says. “Downtowns are the heartbeats of a city and the success of downtowns can be felt throughout all parts [of a city].”

Members of the community are welcome to drop in at any point during Wednesday’s community meeting. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Plan Baton Rouge III’s fiscal agent and coordinating entity, says registration is “appreciated but not required.” If you’d like to register, you can do so here.

A final master plan is expected to be delivered in Q1 2026. Individual projects that emerge from the plan will likely rely on a mix of public and private funds.