Baton Rouge’s riverfront gets a rare blank slate
Ideas for replacing a stinking eyesore off Nicholson
Baton Rouge’s old central wastewater treatment plant—a 21-acre site on River Road between Coolidge and West McKinley streets—is being razed in a $2.73 million demolition project that should wrap up in early August.
Why it matters: The plant has been offline since 2016, when the parish replaced it with a larger facility on Gardere and Nicholson. Its removal opens a large stretch of riverfront in the sparsely populated corridor between downtown and LSU, where investment is already beginning to change the area's feel.
The big picture: The corridor is stirring. Commercial Properties Realty Trust controls 30 acres around and across from Magnolia Mound, where it plans to build houses first, then mixed-use across the street. Down the road is the Water Campus. An energy incubator is moving into the former Tin Roof Brewery. RedEye has also reported that a private developer is considering a large sports-tourism facility along the corridor.
With that much already in motion, the future of the former treatment plant matters more. Done well, the site could turn a repellant piece of infrastructure into a springboard for more growth along the riverfront.
Reality check: A riverfront site is a gift. This one comes with complications. Access is difficult, and the rail line cuts across the corridor, with only occasional crossings.
Between the lines: Sources told RedEye that one businessman was eyeing the site for a cement plant. To that idea, a business influencer told RedEye: “F*** no.”
That reaction says plenty about the stakes. Baton Rouge does not often get a blank slate this large on the river. Using it for heavy industry would feel like an act of civic self-sabotage, and an insult to people who live in the area.
What’s next: We asked a few experts who know this corridor well what should happen next on one of the most valuable blank slates Baton Rouge has.
• Whitney Hoffman Sayal, executive director of the Downtown Development District and a landscape architect:
“This decommissioned riverfront site presents a meaningful opportunity to better connect Downtown Baton Rouge and LSU with thoughtful redevelopment that could include housing, greenspace and neighborhood-serving destinations like a brewery or eatery. Just as important, any future vision for the site should be shaped with input from nearby residents and the public to ensure it reflects what the community wants to see there.”
She also shared one idea for inspiration, a riverfront brewery concept.
• Gwen Hamilton, a longtime government and civic leader who has lived in Old South Baton Rouge for 53 years and helped lead a master plan for the neighborhood:
“We need high-quality, true, mixed-income housing with views of the river. The apartments and amenities must be the same for the below-market-rate as they are for market-rate units. When working people live alongside higher-earning professionals, it builds community.”
• Camille Manning-Broome, president and CEO of the Center for Planning Excellence:
“This is a rare opportunity to reclaim riverfront land for the public and create a shaded, active green space that truly connects people to the Mississippi. To realize its full potential, we need to start by listening to the surrounding communities, especially those who have historically lacked a voice in shaping public spaces. Their insights should guide the design so the final result strengthens the neighborhood, supports economic activity and delivers a riverfront experience that truly represents our capital city.”
