OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGE Neighborhood

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OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGENeighborhood Economic
Revitalization StrategyPreliminary
Recommendations
RKG Associates, Inc. APD, Inc. EDSA SSA
Consulting, Inc. Jennifer Jones-Bridgett December
13, 2005
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MEETING AGENDA

• Review Revitalization Strategy 60 min.
• Program Elements
• Conceptual Vision Plan
• Individual Breakout Groups 30 min.
• Group Reporting 20 min.
• Next Steps 10 min.

DRAFT
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OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGENEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIC
REVITALIZATION STRATEGY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT APPRECIATION
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LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE

• Dr. Katrice Albert
• Felton Anderson
• Rev. Donald Bradford
• Deron Brown
• Yvonne Byrd
• Clark Cadzow
• Joseph Delpit
• Scarlett Duplechain
• Vera Ellois
• Mary Mitchell Felton
• Ruth Williams

• Kevin Smith
• Gerri John-Louis
• Eddie Johnson
• Sgt. Richard Lee III
• Ladan Rastin
• Pastor G. Robinson
• Iman Fahmee Sabree
• Patricia Haynes Smith
• Lydia Taylor
• Colonel Harold Webb
• John Williams

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STEERING COMMITTEE
STEERING COMMITTEE

• The Honorable Kip Holden
• Sean OKeefe
• John Spain
• Councilwoman Lorri Burgess
• The Honorable Byron Sharper
• Dr. Ernie Hughes
• Dr. Myrtle E. B. Dorsey
• Christy Casteel
• Adam Knapp
• James Gilmore, Jr.
• Troy Bunch
• Mark Thornton

• Davis Rhorer
• Camm Morton
• Richard Murray
• Ladan Rastin
• Clark Cadzow
• Patricia Haynes Smith
• Susan L. Turner
• David Cronrath
• John Noland
• John H. Williams
• Lori Bertman
• Reneé Boutte Myer
• Reverend Donald Bradford
• Dwight Brashear
• Dr. Katrice Albert

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CAPACITY BUILDING TEAM

• Muyiwa Akinniyi
• Lucinda Clark
• Marian Davenport
• Ms. Doris Dawson
• Ms. Janice Glab
• Mr. Henry Stewart, III
• Carla Thomas
• Christopher Toombs
• Carolyn Weatherspoon
• Ms. Trudy White
• Cynthia Jones
• Barbara and Kelvin Banks
• Wanda Salvage Johnson

• Charmaine Jones
• Reginald Morrison
• Elouise Paulfrey
• Pat Robinson
• Tiffany M. Ross
• Sharon Ryan
• Joette Smith
• Ms. Christine Sparrow
• William and Theresa Blount
• Ms. Ruth Williams
• Lydia Taylor

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MINISTERIAL GROUP
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THE PEOPLE OF OSBR
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PROJECT SCHEDULE
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OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGENEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIC
REVITALIZATION STRATEGY
PROPOSED REVITALIZATION ACTION STRATEGY
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WHAT WE HEARD PEOPLE SAY . . .

• Improve housing for the elderly
• Provide rehab assistance to homeowners
• We need a grocery store and better services
• Provide jobs and training for local residents
• Assist local businesses so they can grow
• Improve opportunities for young people
• Reduce crime and negative perceptions
• Recognize our history and tell our story
• Dont tell us one thing and do another
• Let us have a stake in our own future

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REVITALIZATION PRINCIPLES

• Neighborhood Conservation Livability
• Preserving OSBRs History
• Creating Jobs for Local People
• More Stores and Services for Residents
• Organizing Citizen Leaders
• Investing in Streets, Sidewalks, Sewers, etc.
• Youth, Recreation Education
• How to Get Things Done

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OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGENEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIC
REVITALIZATION STRATEGY

• HOUSING, CODE ENFORCEMENT NEIGHBORHOOD
  REGENERATION

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NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION STRATEGY

• ISSUE The historic, architecture, and community
  character of Old South Baton Rouge is important
  to its residents and must be conserved. In
  addition, OSBR should strive to become a more
  diverse community creating housing for
  economically and racially diverse households

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• GOAL To increase the number of homeowners in
  OSBR
• GOAL To improve housing diversity in Old South
  Baton Rouge
• GOAL To utilize available land resources as a
  catalyst to rebuild the neighborhood
• GOAL To minimize the displacement impacts on
  OSBR residents

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YOUR PRIORITIES

• Create a housing rehab program for elderly
  residents and renters
• Create a church outreach program to assist
  panhandlers in meeting daily living needs
• Create a local law to prohibit panhandling
• Create building trades training program for local
  residents (i.e. carpentry, plumbing, etc.)
• Create agreement with contractors to hire
  locally-trained people for housing rehab projects
• Inform local residents on how to obtain
  adjudicated properties
• Renovate housing where financially feasible

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OTHER ACTIONS

• Establish a community land bank to buy and hold
  vacant lots for future use/redevelopment
• Provide assistance to help first home buyers
  purchase homes in OSBR
• Create a model housing development of several
  blocks to reverse decline in selected
  neighborhoods
• Make sure rental property owners provide safe
  housing
• Work with builders to construct new affordable
  and market rate housing
• Minimize displacement of residents

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PRESERVING ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORIC CHARACTER

• ISSUE OSBRs history and buildings are
  being overlooked and lost to time. As such,
  those elements that do remain should be
  identified, preserved, and promoted to remind
  residents of the communitys rich heritage

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• GOAL To identify and preserve the best historic
  elements of Old South Baton Rouge

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YOUR PRIORITY ACTIONS

• Complete study of OSBRs history
• Provide money to help property owners renovate
  homes that contribute to the historic character
  of OSBR
• Work with local schools to create a living
  history project
• Promote history of Old South
• Adopt historic preservation design standards for
  building rehabilitation projects, but do not
  cause economic hardship to owners

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OTHER ACTIONS

• Establish two new historic districts at Swart
  subdivision and at corner of Thomas Delpit and
  Terrace
• Establish a design committee to make sure people
  follow OSBR design guidelines in building new
  homes
• Establish an OSBR history center at the new
  Carver Branch Library
• Organize an annual OSBR Heritage Festival to
  celebrate the communitys history
• Develop a website to tell the history of OSBR

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OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGENEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIC
REVITALIZATION STRATEGY

• ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• JOB TRAINING

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KEY JOB CREATING OPPORTUNITIES

• ISSUE New developments are needed in OSBR to
  jumpstart economic development activity at a
  sufficient level to create jobs, encourage
  investment, and to meet the needs of local
  residents

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• GOAL To stimulate public and private
  reinvestment in OSBR
• GOAL To stimulate the creation and expansion of
  businesses in OSBR
• GOAL To create new employment and business
  opportunities for OSBR residents

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YOUR PRIORITY ACTIONS

• Create a co-op grocery store in OSBR with local
  ownership and employees
• Create a Vocational Skills Academy involving
  McKinley Middle and High Schools to provide
  career options for students not going to college
• Assist local people who want to start or expand
  their own business

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OTHER ACTIONS

• Create Brickyard Landing Discovery Center at
  Old City Dock
• Redevelop northwest portion of OSBR for a
  mixed-use employment, resident, and entertainment
  center
• Create a Tax Increment Finance District to
  generate long-term revenues to revitalize the
  rest of OSBR
• Integrate North Gate development with OSBR
  neighborhoods and better serve local residents
• Train residents to be employed in building trades
• Convert Old Lincoln Theater into a OSBR Arts
  Cultural Center

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OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGENEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIC
REVITALIZATION STRATEGY

• YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

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CREATING POSITIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL YOUTH

• ISSUE Todays young people will become the
  homeowners, business owners, employees and civic
  leaders of the future. In order to achieve its
  revitalization vision, OSBRs young people must
  be nurtured, educated, and supported in their
  efforts to become successful and productive
  citizens and leaders

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• GOAL To create more productive outlets for OSBR
  youth and prepare them for future success

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YOUR PRIORITY ACTIONS

• Utilize story circles or focus groups to hear
  from local youth, their interests and needs, and
  to get them more involved in revitalizing OSBR
• Encourage parental involvement in youth education
  and after-school activities
• Create a partnership with the YMCA and BREC to
  offer more youth recreation programs

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OTHER ACTIONS

• Create a Vocational Skills Academy at McKinley
  Middle and High Schools to provide viable career
  paths for non-college bound students
• Develop more programs for youth to explore the
  arts and music in and outside of school
• Prevent youth/adult loitering on streets
• Establish Police Youth Academy to create
  mentoring relationships with local officers
• Create job training programs for teenagers

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OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGENEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIC
REVITALIZATION STRATEGY

• CREATING IMPLEMENTATION
• CAPACITY

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IMPLEMENTATION CAPACITY BUILDING

• ISSUE In order to implement the Old South Baton
  Rouge Neighborhood and Economic Revitalization
  Strategy, an organization must be created with
  broad powers and authorities to implement and
  access various funding sources. Neighborhood
  revitalization will also require a higher level
  of involvement by organized community leadership

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• GOAL To provide vision, leadership, and staff
  expertise to direct the revitalization of OSBR
• GOAL To organize neighborhood residents to
  become more involved in improving OSBR
• GOAL To utilize available land resources to
  jumpstart neighborhood improvements

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GOAL To minimize activities that might
displace OSBR residents GOAL To identify
public and private sources to carry out the plan
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YOUR PRIORITY ACTIONS

• Develop a process to speed up the transfer of
  adjudicated properties and inform local residents
  on the process of obtaining properties
• Acquire land and build new housing in
  neighborhoods with unsafe housing
• Disclose to the general public projects that
  could potentially displace residents and work
  closely with residents to minimize impacts and
  provide alternative housing

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OTHER ACTIONS

• Designate community development zones to target
  investment money and activities
• Create citizen organizations or committees to get
  involved in revitalization projects (e.g.,
  project regeneration)
• Provide new or replacement housing to residents
  before displacement occurs. Replacement housing
  should be in same neighborhood
• Create an OSBR Neighborhood Revitalization
  Partnership to manage revitalization activities
  and be accountable to local residents

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OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGENEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIC
REVITALIZATION STRATEGY

• NEXT STEPS

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Old South Baton RougeNeighborhood Revitalization
Partnership

• Powers Duties
• Lead Organization
• Create Plans and Establish Design Standards
• Project Planning
• Agency Coordination
• Community Outreach and Coordination
• Project Deal Making
• Working with Developers
• Housing Rehabilitation
• Assisting Local Businesses
• Project Funding

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BOARD MEMBERS

• Personal Integrity Credibility
• Real Estate Experience
• Housing Construction
• Banking Financial Experience
• Awareness of OSBR Needs/Opportunities
• Planning, Design Preservation Experience
• Knowledge of Fundraising
• Community Governmental Relations
• Marketing Promotional Expertise

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TRANSITION TEAM

• Who Members of Leadership Committee, Capacity
  Building Public Meeting
• What Nominate People for Revitalization
  Partnership Board of Directors
• When Next Few Months
• Why Its Time to Take Control of the Future

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OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGENEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIC
REVITALIZATION STRATEGY

• TRANSPORTATION, INFRASTRUCTURE URBAN DESIGN

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NEIGHBORHOOD DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS

• ISSUE A large portion of OSBR properties are
  located in low lying areas that are prone to
  flooding during heavy rains due to inadequate
  drainage, pump closures, and little capacity for
  storage

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• GOAL To correct drainage problems in low-lying
  areas of OSBR

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PUBLIC PRIORITY ACTIONS

• Improve capacity of existing pumping stations and
  minimize flooding in low lying neighborhoods
• Provide additional pipe connections between
  drainage structures
• Help property owners with soil erosion conditions
  due to improper drainage

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OTHER ACTIONS

• Establish communal stormwater management areas as
  an extension to Corporation Canal
• Restore portions of Corporation Canal back to a
  naturalized low flow stream channel
• Limit density of redevelopment in flood prone
  areas
• Routinely clean Corporation Canal to improve
  stormwater flows

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NEIGHBORHOOD ACCESSIBILITY

• ISSUE OSBR is negatively impacted by LSU game
  day, I-10 detour and industrial truck traffic
  along major north-south commercial corridors and
  east-west neighborhood streets. Limited transit
  service is provided throughout OSBR, the bus stop
  facilities and access to these facilities is
  inadequate in some areas. On-street parking
  resources and service areas are no longer
  adequate solutions for residents and businesses
  within OSBR. Cars and service trucks are
  becoming the dominant visual element throughout
  OSBR

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• GOAL To maintain and expand road connections
  within the OSBR neighborhood and surrounding
  areas
• GOAL To establish on-street and off-street
  parking solutions, for residents and businesses,
  that contribute positively to the neighborhood
  character
• GOAL To expand neighborhood transit options for
  residents within Old South Baton Rouge

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PUBLIC PRIORITY ACTIONS

• Designate and sign truck routes to minimize
  impact on residential areas
• Open up and reconnect dead-end streets to improve
  access and reduce conditions for crime
• Slow down and re-routing traffic on heavily
  traveled cut-thru streets, especially during LSU
  game day events

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OTHER ACTIONS

• Create shared public, off-street parking
  resources in underutilized properties for North
  Gate businesses
• Stripe parking spaces along neighborhood
  commercial streets to optimize parking spaces
• Create side yard driveways or alley-loaded
  parking for new residential development in OSBR
• Create an internal loop system to provide better
  public transportation for OSBR residents
• Make bus stops more visible and better designed
  for inclement weather

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NEIGHBORHOOD UTILITIES, STREET LIGHTING, TRAFFIC
SIGNALIZATION

• ISSUE Neighborhood utilities, lighting and
  signalization need to be updated to respond to
  increased development, streetscape enhancements
  and increased traffic.

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• GOAL To correct deficiencies in the current
  public utility system and plan for upgrades to
  the system as redevelopment progresses in OSBR

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PUBLIC PRIORITY ACTIONS

• No Priority Actions Identified

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OTHER ACTIONS

• Routinely repair existing street lighting in
  community gather areas, parks, commercial areas
  and areas of criminal activity
• Focus future sidewalk construction and street
  lighting in heavily traveled, key linkage
  corridors
• Install better signage and traffic signals where
  there are dangerous pedestrian/vehicle conflicts

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NEIGHBORHOOD LINKAGES AND SAFETY

• ISSUE Many of the connecting street linkages in
  OSBR lack sidewalks entirely, have inconsistent
  sidewalks or have sidewalks that are in need of
  repair or maintenance
• GOAL To create a more vibrant, pedestrian
  bicycle friendly urban neighborhood environment
  for Old South Baton Rouge

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PUBLIC PRIORITY ACTIONS

• New marked bicycle paths should connect to new
  levee top path and other existing bike paths at
  LSU and BREA parks

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PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS

• ISSUE First impressions of the OSBR
  neighborhood suggest a dated, underutilized and
  sometimes neglected public environment that does
  not serve or well represent the vitality and
  spirit of area residents and businesses

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• GOAL To create a more attractive and functional
  urban neighborhood environment for residents,
  employees, business owners and visitors to enjoy
  in the Old South Baton Rouge Neighborhood

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PUBLIC PRIORITY ACTIONS

• No Priority Actions Identified

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OTHER ACTIONS

• Reconfigure/redesign current neighborhood parks
  to better serve resident needs
• Create new neighborhood public squares in high
  density/high need areas as a catalyst to
  neighborhood revitalization
• Create new, attractive gateways into the OSBR
  community
• Continue local beautification projects throughout
  the community

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PRIVATE REALM IMPROVEMENTS

• ISSUE Many of the properties along key image
  streets within OSBR are also contributing to the
  blighted image in key areas. Zoning violations,
  vacant/derelict buildings, excessive signage,
  building code violations, inappropriate
  demolition, inadequate parking, etc. are all
  occurring on key residential and commercial
  properties that influence the neighborhoods
  character, marketability and long-term
  sustainability

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• GOAL To enhance the overall appearance and
  character of the Old South Baton Rouge area while
  improving the economic viability of the
  neighborhood

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PUBLIC PRIORITY ACTIONS

• Establish architectural guidelines to direct new
  construction and rehabilitation projects
• Target and improve high visibility areas that
  shape the image of OSBR
• Demolish vacant and blighted buildings
• Improve neighborhood businesses
• Remove graffiti from buildings
• Beautify local homes and create gateways into
  OSBR
• Sponsor an annual home beautification contest and
  recognize efforts of local residents
• Organize neighborhood block parties around
  neighborhood clean up projects

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OTHER ACTIONS

• Organize neighborhood associations throughout
  OSBR to plan and carry out grassroots projects
• Identify vacant, adjudicated or underutilized
  sites that could become part of a future
  revitalization project
• Create a partnership with Public Works Department
  to dispose of trash cleaned up by residents