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What percentage of downtown BR is occupied?
Posted on 10/21/25 at 11:57 am
Posted on 10/21/25 at 11:57 am
Seems like there is a lot of empty buildings down there.
6
Posted on 10/21/25 at 11:58 am to RoosterCogburn585
Occupied by the homeless?? A lot.
Posted on 10/21/25 at 12:32 pm to RoosterCogburn585
It was broomed
Posted on 10/21/25 at 12:34 pm to RoosterCogburn585
Office occupancy is actually higher than I thought downtown - 85-87% or so. Keep in mind that a lot of the square footage is owner occupied (state gov, law firms, etc.), which is unique for a city that size but fairly common for capitol cities. There are other parts of the city that has lower occupancy, but generally it's easy to lease out high quality, newer office spaces in Baton Rouge.
Baton Rouge didn't have a big spec office tower building boom, so they aren't seeing a lot of vacancies now like the downtowns of larger cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, or Houston. Aim small miss small situation.
For retail and bars....couldn't tell you. Seems like more of the ground level restaurant/retail spaces are vacant now than before the pandemic. SWB kind of intentionally killed 3rd street, and it isn't bouncing back that quickly. That combined with the common post-pandemic trend of downtown areas emptying hasn't helped that retail/bar scene.
Baton Rouge didn't have a big spec office tower building boom, so they aren't seeing a lot of vacancies now like the downtowns of larger cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, or Houston. Aim small miss small situation.
For retail and bars....couldn't tell you. Seems like more of the ground level restaurant/retail spaces are vacant now than before the pandemic. SWB kind of intentionally killed 3rd street, and it isn't bouncing back that quickly. That combined with the common post-pandemic trend of downtown areas emptying hasn't helped that retail/bar scene.
Posted on 10/21/25 at 12:43 pm to GreenRockTiger
quote:
Occupied by the homeless?? A lot.
Don’t you live near Sherwood Forest
Posted on 10/21/25 at 12:44 pm to RoosterCogburn585
quote:
Seems like there is a lot of empty buildings down there.
Downtown BR is very busy at lunch on a weekday, then a ghost town on weekends. Many state offices in that area with few residents.
Posted on 10/21/25 at 12:45 pm to Shexter
Reanimate Kip
This post was edited on 10/21/25 at 12:46 pm
Posted on 10/21/25 at 12:54 pm to goofball
quote:
For retail and bars....couldn't tell you. Seems like more of the ground level restaurant/retail spaces are vacant now than before the pandemic. SWB kind of intentionally killed 3rd street, and it isn't bouncing back that quickly. That combined with the common post-pandemic trend of downtown areas emptying hasn't helped that retail/bar scene.
Yep, actually there was a thread 2 months ago or so that spoke about the bar scene/restaurants/events in the BR downtown area and how nowadays is practically dead.
Posted on 10/21/25 at 1:00 pm to RoosterCogburn585
In the 90's, downtown was a daytime only affair. It was offices and government only and they turned out the lights and locked the doors at 5:00 M-Fr. No one went down there at all on the weekends.
BRPD had a single police car with one guy assigned there for Swing and Midnight shifts and that was the post officers wanted if they hoped to catch a nap.
I drove through there a couple of times at night during this period and it was like a post-apocalypse movie set.
BRPD had a single police car with one guy assigned there for Swing and Midnight shifts and that was the post officers wanted if they hoped to catch a nap.
I drove through there a couple of times at night during this period and it was like a post-apocalypse movie set.
Posted on 10/21/25 at 1:02 pm to jbgleason
Parrot Beach brought it all back 
Posted on 10/21/25 at 1:05 pm to goofball
quote:
SWB kind of intentionally killed 3rd street, and it isn't bouncing back that quickly.
It’s crazy how it went from a fairly active night time area to complete ghetto in the course of a few years. It’s like overnight there were donut marks all over 3rd street
Posted on 10/21/25 at 3:44 pm to Sun God
quote:yes but I worked at the downtown library for years so I got up close and personal with plenty of homeless
Don’t you live near Sherwood Forest
Plus, where I live is irrelevant- why wouldn’t I know about the downtown area of the city I live in?
Posted on 10/21/25 at 5:02 pm to RoosterCogburn585
I’m sure most are Government offices
Posted on 10/21/25 at 5:10 pm to GreenRockTiger
quote:
yes but I worked at the downtown library for years
This explains a whole lot.
Posted on 10/21/25 at 5:11 pm to GreenRockTiger
quote:
why wouldn’t I know about the downtown area of the city I live in?
Well, if you read most threads on downtown there are usually multiple ignorant posts thinking anyone that goes downtown is risking getting shot. Surprised there haven't been any in this one, honestly.
Posted on 10/21/25 at 5:31 pm to facher08
quote:
Well, if you read most threads on downtown there are usually multiple ignorant posts thinking anyone that goes downtown is risking getting shot. Surprised there haven't been any in this one, honestly.
Considering how often I eat downtown and throughout the Government corridor, this board would have you think that I should have been murdered a dozen times over by now
Looking forward to my dinner reservation downtown tomorrow before the show
Posted on 10/21/25 at 5:42 pm to UptownJoeBrown
quote:what does it explain, Joe?
This explains a whole lot.
Come on … I’m waiting to hear the assumptions …
And where exactly is uptown in Baton Rouge, Joe?
Posted on 10/21/25 at 5:43 pm to Shexter
quote:
Downtown BR is very busy at lunch on a weekday
i ate lunch at poboy lloyds for the first time since pre-covid (or any place down town). it was almost empty at 12:30. he still slams the peppermints on the counter "to activate them."
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