Join the Growth Coalition in Shaping Our Future:

FUTUREBR Comprehensive Master Plan 5-Year Update

VISIONARY. INCLUSIVE. SUSTAINABLE.

These Are the Pillars of FUTUREBR, Baton Rouge's Comprehensive Master Plan

Baton Rouge’s City-Parish Planning Commission invites you to shape the future of our city-parish. The 5-Year Update to FUTUREBR, our Comprehensive Master Plan, is underway, and your input is essential. We encourage all community members to participate in one of six open house events, where you can share your thoughts, concerns, and ideas for our city's future. We can create a more visionary, inclusive, and sustainable Baton Rouge. We are asking the community to take our survey to help make our city a better place to live, work, and play.

PARTICIPATE IN OUR SURVEY NOW

 

FUTUREBR 5-Year Update Open Houses

 


Visit the FUTUREBR 5-Year Update Website

March News

MARCH 2023

WHO DO YOU KNOW?

The Young Leadership Council (YLC) recently elected Kade Johnston of Dantin Bruce Development as President and John Kyle Schwab of Lynn Levy Land Company, LLC as Vice-President. 

YLC membership unlocks benefits like members-only briefings with GC Board of Directors and creates professional development opportunities through events and workshops. Offering access to members-only events and MORE! 

Who do you know up to age 35 that would benefit from participation in YLC? For more information or to refer a colleague to YLC, please contact Kade Johnston kade@dantinbruce.com.

Membership Information

JOIN HERE


APRIL 19

Growth Coalition Luncheon

Louisiana Gubernatorial Candidate Stephen Waguespack will address the Growth Coalition on April 19.

Register NOW


MAYOR APPOINTS BANKSTON

Stormwater Task Force

In January, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced the creation of a community workgroup tasked with developing solutions to East Baton Rouge Parish's stormwater woes during her annual State of the City address. 

Since then, she has contacted GC Executive Director Larry Bankston to sit on this task force that addresses issues like public safety, the local economy, infrastructure, and stormwater. 

If you would like to read more about the stormwater improvement group, you can click HERE.

Good Growth Awards | October 26, 2023

 SAVE THE DATE for the Good Growth Awards Gala on October 26, 2023, a sell-out event!

The event will recognize outstanding recent developments that are a catalyst for future growth in Baton Rouge. This year, the event will be billed as a "Rougestone" theme, so get those boots shined and your best cowboy hat ready for a great night out on the town among colleagues!

In addition, sponsorship opportunities are still available at this time. To become one of this event's high-profile event sponsors, please register below.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES HERE.

For a list of past years' award recipients or to download an application, click HERE. Applications will begin to be accepted from June 1, 2023, until August 11, 2023.

Thank You to Our Growing

 List of Sponsors!

Growth Coalition

Brandi Chambless

318-789-5986

office@growthcoalition.com

www.growthcoalition.com

Entergy to Improve Procedures

GROWTH COALITION news & updates 1/30/23

Visit our Website

Entergy to Improve Procedures

Dear Members,

The Growth Coalition has been working with Entergy to improve the procedures for obtaining electrical service to new developments. The link below is to a subdivision checklist for your review and use.

Currently, there are long delays in obtaining transformers for new subdivisions. Hopefully, this checklist will help streamline the process.

Subdivision Developer Checklist

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

INFORMATION FROM MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH THE CITY-PARISH

Dear Members,

Each month the Growth Coalition meets with the Mayor, DPW, the Department of Development, the Department of Environmental Services, and the Permit Office. We are provided updates to various statistical reviews of permits issued, construction inspection status, and subdivision plan reviews. Below is a link to those reports. One of the important improvements that have been made; is the time spent on commercial and residential plan reviews. While the expedited review process is still available, the Department has greatly improved the standard application process. These reports provide a snapshot of the development activities in the Parish.

Below are some of the items discussed at this meeting:

Department of Development:

The Department presented its Stormwater Masterplan and UDC Chapter 15 Revisions. (Links to track changes and Masterplan powerpoint are found below.) Members of the board have been working with the Development Department to propose changes to the ordinance.

These are significant changes, and we urge you to review the revisions.

There will be a public meeting before the council on January 18, 2023, to consider the amendment to the UDC.

Permit Department:

Nearly all inspectors have now been cross-trained. This means one inspector will be able to review all construction trades.

Permit Department's environmental review process has improved greatly, and that office has been fully staffed.

The turnaround time for standard plan review has an average of 6.62 days (Residential) and 7.12 days (commercial). A link to this report is below.

Stormwater Division:

There are four certified stormwater inspectors doing onsite reviews.

The Department also inspects post-construction to ensure permanent structural controls are maintained.

The Department is working on an updated ordinance change for the UDC, including Appendix K. A draft will be available for review before its introduction.



The Growth Coalition continues to work with City-Parish on all aspects of development in East Baton Rouge Parish. 

Please contact our email address if you have any questions or comments. office@growthcoalition.com.

Growth Coalition Monthly Statistics

DES-Growth Coalition Update

FINAL EBR Stormwater Masterplan

ORDINANCE Chapter 15_Revisions - DRAFT 1

UDC Chapter 15 - track changes



ENTERGY FACES 7 TO 8-MONTH DELAYS IN RECEIPT OF TRANSFORMERS

Dear Members,

As you may know, the construction industry has critical supply issues. Entergy is facing lead time delays of seven to eight months for transformers. The Growth Coalition has been meeting with developers and Entergy to better understand the challenges going forward.  After several meetings, developers and builders have gathered information in the region concerning ongoing developments.

This information is being used to better coordinate with Entergy to supply transformers to those developments in which the need is critical.  If you have already provided this information, you can disregard this request.

           

For those that have ongoing developments or buildings in need of placement of transformers, please respond by providing the information requested on the excel spreadsheet.

The Growth Coalition is working to coordinate this effort. Please return this information as quickly as possible. The Growth Coalition will continue to work through this supply train shortfall.

Please email the form to: office@growthcoalition.com

Placement of Transformers Information Spreadsheet


STORMWATER UTILITY FEE

Dear Members,

Attached is the draft ordinance that the Metro Council will consider on October 26, 2022. In addition, there will be a public hearing on the matter.

Also, there is a link to determine the amount of the fee to be charged. Please see the link HERE  to the Stormwater Public Utility District website to find the tool's instructions. You can enter your street address to determine the cost.

STORMWATER UTILITY FEE ORDINANCE


City-Parish Proposes $46 Million Stormwater Fee

Dear Members,

On September 29, several board members were given a preview of the Stormwater Utility Feasibility Study. Unfortunately, we did not get the complete study by Black & Veatch, but we did request the actual document. We have attached the City-Parish presentation to the Growth Coalition.

In the past legislative session, a bill was passed to allow

parishes and cities to impose a FEE, not a tax, to pay for stormwater maintenance, water quality compliance, and program administration.

Unlike a tax, the fee can be adopted by the Metro Council without a vote of the people. The program would generate approx.—$ 46 million. We have yet to see a copy of the proposed ordinance. The devil is always in the details.

We were advised the following:

The Mayor will have a press conference on the proposal on October 6. The item will be introduced on October 12, and a public hearing will be held on October 26.

The Growth Coalition has requested a copy of the draft ordinance. Page 9 of the attachment describes the billing calculation. We were advised that the fee would be on your assessor’s tax bill for each parcel.

The billing unit (BU) is based on 500 square feet of Impervious Area. It will be your house footprint, driveways, and swimming pools for residential. It would be the footprint and all of the parking areas for commercial. Undeveloped property (no house or parking on the parcel) pays a maximum amount as described in the presentation.

The City-Parish has contracted with a company that uses GIS data to make that calculation. We were advised that the GIS website would be available soon to access the fee calculations on your tract of land. This fee would be imposed on the entire city and all unincorporated areas. It would exclude Zachary and Central.

At the present time, the City-Parish is spending $9.7 from the general fund for stormwater maintenance. We were advised that the City-Parish plans to spend approximately $56 million in federal money (ARP) over the next two years. 

The City-Parish advised that it is under the gun from the state and the federal government over water quality issues. A portion of this money ($4.9 million) is for water quality compliance.

As we get more information, we will keep you updated. The full board will discuss this issue at our member on October 12.

BATON ROUGE STORMWATER UTILITY FEASIBILITY STUDY


SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES ARE BEING PROPOSED TO THE UNIFORM LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE

Dear Members,

If you have interest in Ascension Parish, please be aware of substantial changes being proposed to Uniform Land Development Code. Attached are revisions to drainage, traffic, and other related items. These changes will be on the Planning Commission agenda for this Wednesday. We would hope that the Commission would delay action on these items in order for the public to provide input and comments. If you are inclined to do so, please contact the Planning Commission and express your desire to delay any formal action on these changes. Jerome Fournier is the planning director and can be contacted at 225 450-1002.

Item 12.B.7 Item 12.B.1 Item 12.A.5 Item 12.B.2 Item 12.A.2

Item 12.B.6 Item 12.B.3 Item 12.A.1 Item 12.A.3 Item 12.B.4

Sincerely,

Larry Bankston