The public will have two more opportunities to weigh in on the FUTUREBR comprehensive master plan for land use and development in East Baton Rouge Parish next week before the plan is presented to the Planning Commission and Metropolitan Council.
After public input from 16 Open House meetings, three parish-wide visioning workshops, four small area planning workshops, a transportation workshop, more than a hundred small group meetings and over 3,400 survey responses, the draft plan was released to the public on June 22nd. However, project officials say citizens can still provide input on the final plan that will be presented for adoption.
The Office of the Planning Commission and national planning consultant John Fregonese of Fregonese Associates will conduct Open Houses on Monday, July 11th at the BREC Headquarters at 6201 Florida Boulevard and Tuesday, July 12th at St. George Catholic Church, 7808 St. George Drive from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. These are the last of three open houses being held throughout the parish to review the plan before it is finalized. An Open House was held in June in the northern part of the parish.
At the public meetings, Fregonese will present the highlights of the plan, lead discussion and answer questions from the public. Those attending can review large scale maps and provide written comments that will become a permanent part of the plan. The plan may also be reviewed and comments submitted online at www.futurebr.com. A printed copy of the 460-page plan is available at each East Baton Rouge Parish Library for public review.
The FUTUREBR plan and public comments will be presented to the Planning Commission on August 22nd. After the Planning Commission reviews the plan and provides input, it will be presented to the Metro Council for adoption.
FUTUREBR is the update of East Baton Rouge Parish’s comprehensive master plan for land use and development by the Office of the Mayor-President and the City-Parish Planning Commission.
Fregonese Associates is an award-winning urban and regional planning firm based in Portland, Oregon. They have worked on plans in cities across the country including Chicago, Dallas, Salt Lake City and Denver. In Louisiana, Fregonese Associates was involved with the Louisiana Speaks project and led several parish plans and a best practices manual for Louisiana coastal communities.
