Baton Rouge charter to build new, bigger school at Howell Place
Business Report
Stephanie Riegel
July 21, 2017
Baton Rouge University Preparatory Elementary, a charter school that has been operating in north Baton Rouge since 2013, has acquired a 6.4-acre parcel in Howell Place and will relocate the school to a new facility it plans to build on the north Baton Rouge site.
UP Elementary Founder and Executive Director Meghan Turner says the new location, which is only about a mile from the school’s current site at 5300 Monarch Ave., will enable the charter school to expand and serve more students. This fall, UP Elementary will have some 350 students in grades K-3. Eventually, the facility will enroll as many as 600 students in grades K-5.
While the new, 40,000-square-foot school building is under construction, UP Elementary will operate from 25,000 square feet of temporary building space on Howell Place. Construction on the new building is expected to take around two years and should be completed in time for the start of the 2019 academic year.
UP Elementary acquired the 6.4-acre parcel from Howell Place developer Richard Preis in a deal that closed Thursday. Turner confirms the sale price was around $1.5 million but declines to disclose the exact amount. Property transfer documents are expected to be filed later today with the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court’s office. Daily Reportwill update the story with the exact price when the documents are filed.
Turner also would not say how much UP Elementary plans to spend on construction of its new building, but she says the Howell Place location is ideal for the school, which has been growing by one grade per year since its opening.
“We’re really excited to stay in an area that is close to where we were previously located but that is part of the redevelopment of north Baton Rouge,” Turner says. “We’re excited there is a lot of growth and new housing going on there and we’re happy to be part of it.”
Preis says UP Elementary is a welcome addition to the mixed use development.
“We’re proud to be home of such a distinguished school as UP Elementary,” he says. “Education is a very meaningful addition to the health care, housing, hospitality, retail and finance services Howell Place provides for north Baton Rouge.”
The place to be: Howell Place’s rise in north Baton Rouge
Business Report
Robert Stewart
April 26, 2017
In an otherwise blighted part of town, Howell Place stands out as a hub of commercial activity since it first broke ground in the early 2000s. It has gone through plenty of changes since then, and it’s poised to see continued growth. Here’s a look at the history and future of developer Richard Preis’ 200-acre mixed-use plot, located just off Harding Boulevard near Interstate 110, the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport and Southern University.
380-unit senior living facility, apartments planned for north Baton Rouge
Daily Report
January 10, 2017
A Tennessee developer is planning to build a $44 million, 380-unit senior living center and multifamily apartment complex called Howell Village on Howell Boulevard, with construction beginning in March or April.
Gary Gibbs says he bought the land at Howell Boulevard and 72nd Avenue in north Baton Rouge, near the airport, several years ago for $6 million. Once he obtains a permit, his company, Nashville-based CPI Construction, will begin work on the project.
Gibbs says he plans to build several buildings, including cottages for seniors and apartments, and have the project done roughly 22 months after construction begins. Many of the rooms will be available before the entire project is finished.
Rooms will range from one to four bedrooms, and while Gibbs has not finalized the rates, rooms will be “very affordable,” he adds.
“Howell Place was always about bringing the services to the people,” says Richard Preis, developer of the 200-acre Howell Place on Howell Boulevard. “Senior living has always been in dire need in the northern part of the parish.”
Fitness Beyond Good Measure
by Smiley Anders, Advocate Staff Writer
“Fitness Beyond Good Measure” was the theme for the YMCA of the Capital Area’s annual meeting held May 12th at Boudreaux’s. David Field, Metropolitan Board Chair 2006-2008, presided over the event, along with Bob Jacobs, CEO of the YMCA of the Capital Area. Jacobs reported some of the highlights for the YMCA of the Capital Area, those included, 18 college scholarships were awarded thanks in part to the YMCA black achievers program and the YMCA tennis program, the YMCA Lamar Tennis center was host to 12 tennis tournaments (kids, adults, professional and wheelchair) making a 3 million dollar impact to the Baton Rouge area, The YMCA track and field program sent 29 youth to the National AAU, 16 came back with metals, 8 were all Americans and 2 set National Records.
