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Rolfe McCollister Jr. is a contributing columnist. The viewpoints expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Business Report or its staff.
I have lived in Baton Rouge my entire life, and my children and grandchildren also live here. Yet in recent conversations with others, I have become concerned that our Capital City is in decline. We are losing population, talent and confidence. We need a spark to light a fire of revival.
Having our city and downtown nestled along a riverbank is unique and special. I searched and found 10 other significant U.S. cities that have taken advantage of their riverfront status: Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Nashville, St. Louis, Kansas City, San Antonio, Richmond and Indianapolis. The other, of course, is New Orleans, and we’re all familiar with the first-rate developments they’ve made along a 2-mile stretch of the Mississippi River. I am envious.
While these cities have all worked for years to take advantage of their waterfronts, developing projects that provide quality of place, economic development and tourist attractions—we have only talked and talked about taking advantage of our prime real estate location. Baton Rouge once added riverboats venturing up and down the river, but those were permanently docked and are now transitioning into land-based gaming complexes. We are going in reverse.
Some of you may remember Plan BR, the 1998 effort headed by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the Downtown Development District and master planner Andres Duany, the creator of Seaside on 30A in Florida. He made us think differently. His fingerprints are all over downtown. Then, in 2006, there was Plan BR II. That was less successful. You can find both plans at downtownbatonrouge.org.
This month, a selection committee will interview national and international firms interested in spearheading Plan BR III. These firms have all done successful waterfront work. They will engage you and others in our community who want to dream about the future, help Baton Rouge create our distinct brand, instill pride and build momentum for quality growth.
Over 30 years ago, Butch Spyridon headed Visit Baton Rouge. He was so good that Nashville came calling. He has helped build that city into a thriving community and tourist destination for the last three decades. A former Nashville mayor told me, “No one person has had more of an impact on our success than Butch.” High praise.
Spyridon spoke in Baton Rouge recently, saying, “Without a downtown, you don’t have a city.” He also said our riverfront hasn’t changed since he was here 30 years ago. That is sad.
Spyridon is also aware of three major proposed projects that some call a “string of pearls.” These include downtown’s Plan BR III, a new LSU arena and surrounding development, and the Memorial Stadium sports complex.
In his speech, Spyridon said we can’t afford to do all three projects simultaneously and must set priorities. So which is most important and will have the most significant impact on our city daily? I believe that is Plan BR III for our downtown riverfront. It is our “front door” to new business and visitors. It builds on what has previously been done by adding something extraordinary to put us on the map. Spyridon agrees–and he’s done it before in Nashville.
The master planners will gather citizen input and present possibilities by showing us projects done in other cities and the results. Then create our plan.
The other “pearls” are big ideas, too, but both, as pitched, raise questions and concerns, including the $1 billion price tag on the Memorial Stadium complex.
The LSU arena is said to be needed for basketball and concerts. However, the development will likely include retail, housing, office buildings and a research park. It sounds like a quasi-downtown on the LSU campus. And it will be controlled by a yet-to-be-named developer, who will be given a taxing district to help cover the costs.
But wait: While we love LSU, we already have a downtown just a few miles from campus down Nicholson Drive. And Plan BR III is meant to enhance it, big time.
Baton Rouge has many investors and entrepreneurs with businesses and buildings that have paid taxes for years—and now LSU will pick “one winner” from somewhere and give them prime LSU property, a tax district, and restrictions on other concerts in town. Talk about incentives.
This project may well negatively impact many long-term investors in our community, including many native to Baton Rouge, LSU graduates and longtime donors to the Tiger Athletic Foundation and the university. How do President William F. Tate IV, our mayor, the chamber and area legislators support that?
There are still a lot of questions, and no one wants to challenge LSU and get answers. Right now, it’s all a secret. At some point, we must.
In the meantime, the top priority must be Plan BR III, which will have a planner this month and begin the community process in January. This is a project that all residents, businesses, investors and entrepreneurs can participate in and enjoy. It can serve the greater good by improving quality of life for young people and families, drawing tourists and conventions, and generating revenues for the parish. That’s a big winner for everyone.
Mayor’s race
Baton Rouge needs new leadership—and election day is Saturday, Dec. 7. Hanging in the balance is our safety and quality of life in the city and parish. Voters must decide between maintaining the status quo with the current mayor or deciding eight years is all we can stand and roll the dice for change. Wake up, Baton Rouge and smell the coffee. Vote for change!
Mainstream media loses
It wasn’t only Democrats who lost on election night. The media took it on the chin again. It so reminded me of 2016 as I watched into the wee hours and saw the faces of the network anchors as reality set in. Some of them are still melting down. It’s fun to watch them get their comeuppance.
The mainstream media were sure their polls were right, and they had done all they needed to influence the election to their desired outcome. Wrong.
It was apparent who these “journalists” were pulling for to win. Their credibility is now in the tank. Sadly, these once-trusted institutions are becoming irrelevant, and folks are tuning out and turning to social media and podcasters like Joe Rogan.
Stephanie Grace of The Advocate is the best local example of the liberal left. She’s our very own Rachel Maddow or Joy Reid. Grace is out of touch with the majority in Louisiana, which may explain why she lives in NOLA.
Recently, Grace set her sights on the governor during the tax session, gracing us with her opinions and even went off again on former Gov. Bobby Jindal.
With Gov. Jeff Landry raising taxes, she wants to talk about Jindal’s refusal to raise taxes but neglects to mention he ran on that promise and kept his word to voters. There’s a rare trait in Louisiana: honesty.
Jindal told me every legislator loves to cut taxes, but no one wants to cut spending. That doesn’t work.
Do you think Grace realizes that Jindal’s first annual budget in his second term in 2012 was $25 billion, and today, Landry’s first budget is $50 billion? It’s never enough.
And Grace brags on former Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards for giving more support to higher education. And how did that impact our national ranking? And why does Ohio, two-and-a-half times our size, have 13 four-year universities, and Louisiana has 14? Are we turning out more college graduates? And is that attracting more businesses?
Does Grace remember when Jindal tried to merge SUNO (with a single-digit graduation rate) with UNO? Or does she remember when Jindal ended Huey Long’s charity hospital system? Thank God that was gone before the pandemic.
Does Grace know that Louisiana gained residents every year that Jindal was in office—and then lost population for all eight years of Edwards? Why?
I am certain Grace will enjoy the next several years writing about President Donald Trump, Sen. John Kennedy and Landry—three of her favorites.
We love Mike
LSU and Mike the Tiger are big parts of Baton Rouge, and he is the No. 1 tourist attraction. I visited Mike as a child, and later brought my two daughters. Now my wife and I bring our grandchildren. We recently brought our youngest, 1-year-old Major Hebert, and Mike was very friendly. Major now has an engraved brick on the plaza with the phrase, “Born a Tiger.”
