An oasis of recreation planned off Burbank

Published Jul 3, 2012 at 9:00 am (Updated Jul 3, 2012)

Picture batting cages, outdoor sand volleyball courts, a virtual golf center, and Baton Rouge's largest patio bar and deck surrounding a family-friendly sports bar and restaurant. This is the vision developer Chris Shaheen has in mind for The Oasis. At least, it's the first phase of the sprawling, "recreational retail development" Shaheen plans to put on a 10-acre tract off Burbank Drive between Lee Drive and Bluebonnet Boulevard, directly across from Lakeside Daiquiri & Grill.

With the Planning Commission having given The Oasis the green light on June 18 for a needed zoning change—and the Metro Council expected to give it final approval in the coming weeks—Shaheen Real Estate Development hopes to break ground on the project by the end of the year.

"I'd like to be ready for next summer, but it will probably be late summer—in time for the football season," says Shaheen, also a broker with Saurage Rotenberg Commercial Real Estate.

There's much to be done before then. The next major hurdle, aside from securing the blessing of the Metro Council, is finalizing a deal with an operator for the 5,000-square-foot sports caf� that will serve as the epicenter of the development.

"Then we can really begin to lay out the specifics," he says. "I'm negotiating with some local operators and a group out of Lafayette, and we should have a contract finalized with one of them soon."

Eventually, Shaheen plans for The Oasis to include town homes, too, priced around $190,000. The plan includes 16 medium-density lots over an acre, in addition to 20,000 square feet of commercial space. The entire project is estimated to cost upwards of $10 million to develop, with a total retail component of $1.4 million, not including the $3.5 million sports caf�.

Initially, the development will focus on the sports caf�—with special emphasis on that giant patio and deck—as well as the batting cages, volleyball courts and virtual golf center. But as Shaheen sees it, further additions could include activities such as an indoor rock climbing wall, a yoga and Pilates studio, a cross-training facility and much more.

"I want a place where you can do just about anything sports and recreation related," he says.

Editor's note: This story has been changed since its original publication.