BusinessReport.com

TND, big-box store under consideration: Woman's Hospital is looking at several uses for 125 acres next to its new campus under construction on the site of the Briarwood Golf Course. Those options include building a traditional neighborhood development or a big-box retailer for its new location on Airline Highway at Pecue Lane. "They've made no commitments," says Steve Oubre, the Lafayette architect who has designed most of the TNDs under construction or in the planning stages in south Louisiana. Oubre and Robert Daigle, the Lafayette developer who did River Ranch TND, were hired by Woman's to look at the feasibility of putting a TND on the land and evaluating costs. "Everything that's being looked at is what would be best for the hospital," Oubre says. New shopping center in the works: A 1.77-acre tract in Walker has been sold for $1 million to a group of developers who plan to build a 16,000-square-foot shopping center on the site. Kimble Development bought the land on Walker South Road from Alex and Loretta Theriot in a deal that closed Thursday. Kent Walker of Donnie Jarreau Companies, who represented Kimble Development, says the undeveloped land is between the Wal-Mart Supercenter and Stine Lumber. Come stay with us: Two hotels—a Holiday Inn Express and a Hampton Inn and Suites—are scheduled to open near the Interstate 10/La. Highway 415 exit during the first quarter of 2009. An 89-room Holiday Inn Express located near the interchange should open by February, says Deborah Biggs, executive director of the West Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce. An 83-room Hampton Inn and Suites will be located on Commercial Drive and should be open by March.