Baton Rouge is about to start another master plan for downtown. Here's who could head it up.

The Mr. Andre II heads south in the Mississippi River as it passes in front of several barges moored on the east bank, Friday, September 27, 2024, along the levee front of downtown Baton Rouge, La. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Three firms have been selected as finalists to develop a master plan to revitalize and enhance downtown Baton Rouge.

The firms that made the shortlist to come up with Plan Baton Rouge III are Sasaki, based out of Denver, SOM, based in Chicago, and WXY, based in New York. Twenty-three agencies responded to a request to develop the plan. The planning groups will make oral presentations Monday during an event at the Water Campus.



A selection committee, which was formed by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, will make a recommendation as to which firm will develop the master plan. The members of the committee have not been disclosed. Eric Dexter, vice president of BRAF’s Civic Leadership Initiatives and chairman of the Downtown Development District Commission, said while the firm may be selected Monday afternoon, the announcement may not come out immediately, while a contract and the exact scope of work are negotiated.

The cost of Plan Baton Rouge III are budgeted between $850,000 and $1 million. Funding has come from BRAF, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Visit Baton Rouge, the city-parish and private donations. The firm selected to develop the downtown plan will start work in January and the work is expected to be finished before the end of the year.

Chris Meyer, BRAF CEO, said a new downtown master plan is several years overdue. Plan Baton Rouge I was launched in 1998, while Plan Baton Rouge II started in 2009. The two plans leveraged $500 million in public investment with more than $3 billion in private funding and led to developments such as the Shaw Center for the Arts, the Capitol Park complex of state government buildings, the redevelopment of the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center and the Rivermark Centre.

“There’s an enthusiasm to continue building downtown,” Meyer said..