A plan to increase the downtown population and draw visitors to the Mississippi Riverfront received its first in a set of approvals needed to set the plan into motion.
The East Baton Rouge Planning Commission on Monday unanimously approved Plan Baton Rouge III, the third iteration of a downtown master plan. Sasaki Principal Josh Brooks presented a summary of the ambitious plan, which he described as a roadmap to position Baton Rouge as a “riverfront city.”
The plan outlines 80 recommendations to spruce up downtown Baton Rouge over the next decade. Those include adding a youth sports and entertainment complex, a waterside promenade and housing to the riverfront, referred to as the city’s “front porch.” Spearheaded by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and design firm Sasaki, the plan sets a goal to triple the downtown residential population by increasing the quality of life with added retail, entertainment, housing and transportation…