BRCC's Grand Opening of McKay Automotive Training Center

Originally published by BR Proud.

"BRCC is immensely proud to add The McKay Automotive Training Center to its family of educational sites. The eloquent design of the facility, along with the faculty and degree programs promise to provide the Baton Rouge community with trained and effective future leaders in automotive technology. We look forward to the economic growth and development the ATC will provide to the state, city, and surrounding community," said BRCC Chancellor Dr. Larissa Littleton-Steib. "BRCC is also tremendously grateful to everyone who supported this initiative, including Governor John Bel Edwards, the state legislature, the  McKay Family, the Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority, and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation."

The ATC is an 83,000 square feet state-of-the-art training facility with two fully equipped diesel labs, three industry standard diagnostic/technical labs, six high-tech classroom environments, and a 100-seat auditorium. Located in Ardendale, a 200-acre urban village that mixes homes, offices and education centers in an idyllic setting of parks and ponds, BRCC's $25 million ATC is the centerpiece of the newly-minted area.

"To have this beautiful, state-of-the-art facility bear our father's name is an honor for our entire family," said Matt McKay, President & CEO All Star Automotive Group. "Today brings things full circle. Our father was an educator for 30 years in the East Baton Rouge School System, and his first teaching job was at Melrose Elementary School, right down the street. Now his name will forever hang on the walls here at the Automotive Training Center."

McKay added, "There are a lot of people who made this a reality. I'd like thank both Gov. Bobby Jindal and Gov. John Bel Edwards for the initial and ongoing support of this project, as well as the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, the Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, and many others. None of this would be possible without each of them - my family and I are truly appreciative."

The purpose of Automotive Technology program is to provide specialized classroom instruction and practical shop experience to prepare individuals to engage in the servicing and maintenance of all types of automobiles at the entry level. The program, which offers two Associate of Applied Science degree options in Automotive Technology and Diesel Heavy Truck Technology, prepares the individual to select, safely use, and maintain hand and power tools, jacks, and hoisting equipment. Instruction in the diagnosis of malfunctions and the repair of engines; fuel, electrical, cooling, and brake systems; drive train; and suspension systems are included. 

"Congratulations to our automotive industry partners, Baton Rouge Community College, and the North Baton Rouge community on the grand opening of a world-class workforce training facility.  Thank you to everyone who played a role in making this facility a reality.  Specifically, I want to thank the Governor, the legislature, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the local automotive industry led by the All Start Automotive Group, and the Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority for their support," said LCTCS President Dr. Monty Sullivan.  "This facility represents another public-private partnership, which has been instrumental in our ability to respond to workforce demands. While we celebrate a new facility, today is truly about the students today and for years to come who will gain the skills and knowledge necessary to go to work in the automotive industry and make a living for themselves and their families right here in Baton Rouge."  

 Individuals interested in enrolling in the Automotive Technology Program can visit www.mybrcc.edu or call 225-216-8339.

BRCC transportation technology training center construction starting

Originally published by The Advocate.

Rendering provided by LOUISIANA'S COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES -- Construction is starting on Baton Rouge Community College's Center of Excellence for Transportation Technology for completion in late 2016 or early 2017. The automotive training center will be one of the anchors of the Ardendale development, which will be built on a 200-acre tract northeast of BRCC near Florida Boulevard. The center will train college and high school students to work as mechanics and give them a chance to become familiar with the latest equipment. The center also will be a place where veteran mechanics can complete certification programs.

A ceremonial groundbreaking was held Wednesday for the Baton Rouge Community College’s Center of Excellence for Transportation Technology.

The automotive training center will be one of the anchors of the Ardendale development, which will be built on a 200-acre tract northeast of BRCC near Florida Boulevard.

The center will train college and high school students to work as mechanics and give them a chance to become familiar with the latest equipment.

“There’s a tremendous need for people with mechanical skills in our market,” said Matt McKay, president of All Star Automotive Group. McKay is helping to develop the curriculum at the training center and getting support from auto manufacturers for the classes.

The center will also be a place where veteran mechanics can complete certification programs. Plans are to open the training center between fall 2016 and early 2017.

HUD Awards Nearly $4 Million to Spur Next Generation of Housing, Neighborhood Transformation

Originally posted by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Nine communities to craft plans to revitalize housing, communities

WASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today that nine communities across the U.S. will receive Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants. The $4.37 million awarded today provides these communities the resources they need to craft comprehensive, community-driven plans to revitalize and transform public or other HUD-assisted housing and distressed neighborhoods. Read more about these local planning efforts.

"Through this investment, HUD is providing the resources for local leaders to transform neighborhoods into thriving communities where families will choose to live," said Donovan. "The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative represents the next generation in a movement toward revitalizing entire neighborhoods by providing critically needed funding to support locally-driven economic development solutions in these areas. I look forward to working with these cities and communities as they work to build stronger neighborhoods for all."

2013 Choice Neighborhood Planning Grantees

State

AwardeeCity

Grant Amount

LA

City of Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton RougeBaton Rouge, LA

$500,000

CO

Housing Authority of the City and County of DenverDenver, CO

$500,000

CA

Youth Policy InstituteLos Angeles, CA

$500,000

CT

Housing Authority of the City of MeridenMeriden, CT

$500,000

NC

Housing Authority of the City of New BernNew Bern, NC

$400,000

PA

Philadelphia Housing AuthorityPhiladelphia, PA

$500,000

CA

Housing Authority of SacramentoSacramento

$500,000

MO

County of St. LouisWellston, MO

$474,000

NC

Housing Authority of the City of Winston-SalemWinston-Salem, NC

$500,000

HUD's Choice Neighborhoods Initiative promotes a comprehensive approach to transforming distressed areas of concentrated poverty into viable and sustainable mixed-income neighborhoods. Building on the successes of HUD's HOPE VI Program, Choice Neighborhoods links housing improvements with necessary services for the people who live there - including schools, public transit and employment opportunities.

The awardees announced today were selected from among 52 applications. Successful applicants demonstrated their intent to plan for the transformation of neighborhoods by revitalizing severely distressed public and/or assisted housing while leveraging investments to create high-quality public schools, outstanding education and early learning programs, public assets, public transportation, and improved access to jobs and well-functioning services. HUD focused on directing resources to address three core goals:

• Housing: Transform distressed public and assisted housing into energy efficient, mixed-income housing that is physically and financially viable over the long-term;
   
• People: Support positive outcomes for families who live in the target development(s) and the surrounding neighborhood, particularly outcomes related to residents' health, safety, employment, mobility, and education; and
   
• Neighborhood: Transform neighborhoods of poverty into viable, mixed-income neighborhoods with access to well-functioning services, high quality public schools and education programs, high quality early learning programs and services, public assets, public transportation, and improved access to jobs.

The grantees will use the funding to work with local stakeholders - public and/or assisted housing residents, community members, businesses, institutions and local government officials - to undertake a successful neighborhood transformation to create a "choice neighborhood." The awardees will use the funding to create a comprehensive Transformation Plan, or road map, to transforming distressed public and/or assisted housing within a distressed community.

Choice Neighborhoods is one of the signature programs of the White House Promise Zones Initiative where the federal government will partner with and invest in communities to create jobs, leverage private investment, increase economic activity, expand educational opportunities, and improve public safety. Working with local leadership—and bringing to bear the resources of a number of the President's signature revitalization initiatives from the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Agriculture—federal programs and resources will support local efforts to turn around 20 of the highest poverty urban, rural and tribal communities across the country.

Congress approved the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative with the passage of HUD's FY2010 budget. Funding is provided through two separate programs - Implementation Grants and Planning Grants. With this announcement, HUD has awarded a56 Planning Grants totaling of $16.9 million in cities and counties across the country.

Jindal touts auto training center

Originally published by The Advocate.

Gov. Bobby Jindal committed Wednesday to $13.9 million to build an automobile training facility as part of the Baton Rouge Community College's new campus in Smiley Heights.

Administration officials are preparing the paperwork and the state Bond Commission will be asked to approve the funding, Jindal said during the announcement ceremony on the BRCC campus.

Jindal said recent studies showed that Louisiana has more than 2,700 unfilled jobs for auto mechanics and technicians. That number is expected to grow 17 percent by 2020, he said.

"Without question, this is a growth industry, but we aren't filling the positions available right now," Jindal said.

Other studies show that the Baton Rouge auto industry would need about 250 automotive technology graduates annually, Jindal said.

Baton Rouge Community College Chancellor Andrea Lewis Miller said the new facility would help meet the state's workforce needs while expanding opportunities for students.

Although BRCC would run the school, the venture is envisioned as a private-public partnership with expensive teaching equipment donated by local industry. The state is putting up $13.9 million, but private donors and grants are expected to donate about $10 million more in equipment and cars for use in the classrooms.

Matt McKay, of AllStar Automotive Group, said modern cars are highly technical machinery and fixing them requires more training than in the past.

The 60,000-square-foot auto training facility, to be called the Center for Excellence in Auto Technology, will be located on BRCC's new East Campus in the Smiley Heights neighborhood of Baton Rouge. Construction on the campus and the auto training facility is estimated to begin at the end of 2014 and be completed by late 2015.

Mayor Kip Holden said, "I promise you this, when this facility is finished, people from all across the country, and indeed the world, will be coming to see what we're doing in Louisiana."

Holden said the facility would anchor the new 200-acre BRCC East Campus, which is a prime part of efforts to develop the Smiley Heights neighborhood.

Smiley Heights is northeast of BRCC near Florida Boulevard, in a neighborhood bounded by Greenwell Springs Road and roughly between North Ardenwood Drive and North Lobdell Boulevard.

Smiley Heights is a mixed-use development, which will consist of a residential neighborhood, retail establishments and a charter school. The development is estimated to create 3,500 new households and 20,000 new jobs in the Baton Rouge metro area by 2030.

Jindal explained to the crowd that local legislators and elected officials have more demands and needs than state government can meet.

"I ask them to prioritize," Jindal said. "What are your most important projects?"

The legislators, businessmen and elected officials here, Jindal said turning to the group standing behind him during announcement, represent districts with different interests all over the Baton Rouge area.

"When they put together their list, they thought very, very hard about what is good for the entire region. This was one of their top priorities," Jindal said.

Ardendale, formerly Smiley Heights, unveiled Thursday

Originally published by The Advocate

Mid-City development was formerly Smiley Heights

The master plan and designs for what Mayor-President Kip Holden said is the first new neighborhood built in Mid City in more than 50 years were unveiled Thursday evening.

Ardendale, formerly known as Smiley Heights, will consist of 850 residential units, 35,000 square feet of retail space, Baton Rouge Community College’s Center for Excellence in Auto Technology and the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board’s Career Academy.

“Revitalization is all about providing for a fresh start without turning your back on your heritage,” said Walter Monsour, East Baton Rouge Parish Redevelopment Authority CEO.

Monsour said because Smiley Heights is getting a new look, it needed a new name that reflected the best of the surrounding neighborhoods: Ardenwood and Lobdell.

The 200-acre tract is northeast of BRCC near Florida Boulevard, in a neighborhood bounded by Greenwell Springs Road and roughly between North Ardenwood Drive and North Lobdell Boulevard.

The first phase of Ardendale involves developing a 40-acre tract in the northeast quadrant that will be home for the two schools and 168 multi-family housing units, said Steve Oubre of Architects Southwest in Lafayette, who served as the town planner.

Oubre based his plans on a week long series of meetings that he held with about 150 stakeholders and community members. Oubre said Ardendale is one of the first large-scale developments, if not the first large-scale development, to come out of the FutureBR master plan for Baton Rouge. “We view this presentation not as a new project, but a new pattern or tool we can reuse throughout the community,” he said.

Plans are for the development to provide affordable housing to families earning at least 80 percent of the area median income, which is equal to $36,200 a year for a single adult household and $46,500 for a three person household.

Rental properties in Ardendale will go for under $1,000 to $1,500 per month.

“This will have a major positive impact in the fight against blight and crime,” said Holden, who also said he hopes people who work at the IBM Services Center downtown end up moving into Ardendale.

The Ardendale planned unit development is set to go before the East Baton Rouge Parish Planning Commission on Dec. 16 and before the Metro Council on Jan. 15. If approved, the first phase of infrastructure work should begin in August 2014. That will involve removing concrete from a drainage lateral and turning it into an environmentally friendly bayou and turning North Ardenwood Drive, which bisects the neighborhood, into a tree-lined street.

By late fall 2016, the automotive school and career academy should be open and the first phase of residential construction should be underway. Future plans for the development include building a Boys and Girls Club, adding baseball and soccer fields for Baton Rouge Community College on the site and building a 50-room hotel on Lobdell.

“Mid City will be better off because of this development,” Oubre said. He noted that Ardendale will lead to infrastructure improvements in the area and add amenities and retailers to the neighborhood.

Field of Dreams

Originally posted by Baton Rouge Business Report.

RDA Seeks Permanent Funding to Revitalize Neighborhoods and Eliminate Blight

According to the proverbial man on the street, Baton Rouge's three biggest issues are crime, traffic and public education. Directly or indirectly, the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority addresses all three.

The RDA, as it's commonly known, seeks to eliminate blight, which correlates closely with crime. It also wants to revitalize core neighborhoods, and when people live in the city, they don't have to commute as far, relieving congestion and reducing the need for new roads and bridges.

The education connection is more tenuous, but the defining trait of “failing” schools is a high percentage of poor kids, particularly black kids, from tough neighborhoods. It's not a tremendous stretch to suggest that, if certain areas start to turn around, children from those areas eventually might perform better in school.

“Those are three boxes that we'll check off on almost anything and everything that we do,” says RDA President/CEO Walter Monsour. “One key to neighborhood schools is you improve the neighborhoods.”

The RDA, a political subdivision of the state, opened shop in 2009. It's still fairly obscure, although it has deployed nearly $67.4 million for various projects. But if all goes as planned, the authority could become one of the most high profile—and powerful—agencies in the parish.

Redevelopment agencies are not a new concept. The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh is credited with helping spur that city's resurgence after the steel industry left town. At the other extreme is California, where local redevelopment agencies are blamed for bankrupting municipalities, siphoning billions from schools and infrastructure, and abusing eminent domain for private developments benefiting cronies of the powerful. The backlash was so severe that the California Legislature disbanded the state's redevelopment agencies altogether.

On Oct. 18, Monsour, following remarks by Mayor Kip Holden and board Chairman John Noland, presented a progress report to a packed room on the second floor of the Old State Capitol.

“If we're going to have a healthy Baton Rouge,” Noland said, “it's going to have to become a whole lot more socially and economically just than it is right now.”

The authority also is developing a mixed-use “urban village” on a 198-acre tract at Smiley Heights, northwest of the Bon Carré Business Center in Mid City. Gov. Bobby Jindal supports a $13.9 million capital outlay for a Baton Rouge Community College automotive technology center there, and the EBR Parish School System plans to build a Career Academy high school.

It's the first project the RDA will lead, and it's on one of the last large, undeveloped sites in the heart of the city. If the RDA succeeds where others have failed, it would send a message about what the agency can do.

“We see [Smiley Heights] as a very special opportunity to get the attention of the entire area, just to show what an urban TND could be,” says Samuel Sanders, executive director of the Mid City Redevelopment Alliance.

But to succeed, the authority needs money. The East Baton Rouge Mortgage Finance Authority and fees derived from New Markets Tax Credit deals have funded operations thus far. The tax credits, along with federal Community Development Block Grant and Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds, have been invested in projects.

Those project funds are tapped out. And while the RDA has applied for more tax credits and will continue to seek grants, permanent funding is the long-term goal. Part of the solution could be collecting fines through a beefed-up code enforcement effort the authority is undertaking with the city-parish.

The most intriguing, and potentially controversial, possibility Monsour mentions is an urban renewal district in Mid City, from which the authority could collect tax increment financing. That revenue stream, say $3 million a year, could be used to obtain $45 million from the bond market, essentially paying for current projects with future tax revenue. Theoretically, the RDA only would be capturing revenue that wouldn't exist without RDA-backed projects.

“I want to go after both sales and property taxes,” Monsour says. As the authority begins making money from equity stakes in projects, the TIF could be replaced with self-generated revenue.

Baton Rouge's RDA can expropriate property to address blight with the Metro Council's consent, but not for economic development. That's a power the RDA would like to have, although it's currently illegal under Louisiana law.

“If that were to be reversed, you would see a much easier path,” Monsour says. “There will be plenty of checks and balances.” In Scotlandville and in the area around the old Lincoln Theater on Myrtle Avenue, a few landowners insisting on above-market prices are holding back potentially catalytic projects, he says. The mere possibility of expropriation can bring people to the table.

“The accountability [for the RDA] is with the board of directors, and the fact that it all has to be done in a public forum,” Monsour says. Of the board's five members, three are appointed by the mayor president, one by BRAC, and one by BRAF.

“We have a high sense that projects that come before us are going to work, they've been well thought out, and they have been vetted through so many committees that report to the board,” says board Vice Chairman Van Mayhall Jr. The federal programs used in many projects have their own superstructure of regulations, he adds.

Assembling the Smiley Heights property, which has been out of commerce for decades and was owned by 11 different organizations, is an example of something only the RDA could do, Mayhall says. Most of the RDA's work has been concentrated in the five majority-minority Metro Council districts, because that's where the greatest needs are.

The priorities of FuturEBR, the parish's new comprehensive master plan, and those of the RDA, are nearly one and the same. Monsour says that, so far, he's had unanimous support from the council. But he concedes that, “as the ticket gets a little bit larger,” that could change.

“If I do this right, I think the community will demand it,” Monsour says. “If I can't make the case for the community to go up [to their representatives] and say 'T his is what we want,' then shame on me.”

HOW IT ADDS UP

The East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority has deployed nearly $67.4 million since its inception in 2009. Where did the money go?

• $60 million in New Markets Tax Credits deals [$12.3 million in equity]

• $17.5 million Honeywell, for green technologies to keep the plant running in north Baton Rouge

• $17 million Hampton Inn & Suites in downtown Baton Rouge

• $11.4 million Americana YMCA in Zachary

• $8.1 million The E merge Center for Communication, Behavior & Development, a Baton Rouge Speech & Hearing Foundation project, to be built at the LSU Innovation Park

• $6.1 million ExxonMobil YMCA at Howell P lace in north Baton Rouge

• $365,000 in business improvement matching grants for nine businesses and shopping centers

• $4.8 million in gap financing toward 760 affordable housing units worth $116.7 million

• $2.23 million for 218 developable acres in target areas

The RDA also claims:

• 3,350 jobs created and retained [mostly temporary construction jobs]

• $130,500,000 in wages created

• $8.2 million in net new local taxes

• $9.5 million in net new state taxes

Governor Jindal Announces Funding for Center for Excellence in Auto Technology

Originally published by The Office of the Governor - Bobby Jindal

Governor Bobby Jindal announced a commitment of $13.9 million in capital outlay funding to build a Center for Excellence in Auto Technology at Baton Rouge Community College.

The Governor emphasized that the new center will serve as a training ground for students who want careers in the auto industry and also help fill a need of the auto industry in Louisiana for more skilled workers.

The Jindal Administration w ill be seeking approval for the funding of this new facility at the State Bond Commission.

Governor Jindal said, “As part of our efforts to keep our kids here at home and grow our economy, one of the key things we look at is what industries are growing and what type of skills our people need to get jobs in those industries. One of the industries where we expect to see significant grow this at auto dealerships, specifically jobs for auto technicians. In Louisiana, recent data shows that there are over 2,700 open auto mechanic and technician jobs in Louisiana, and that number is expected to grow by 17 percent by 2020. Without question, this is a growth industry, but we aren’t filling the positions available right now.

“Today’s announcement is about closing this gap. If we are truly going to grow our economy and have the best skilled workers in the world, then we need to solve this problem and ensure we have a first-class training program that puts our people ahead of the pack. This new facility will continue to strengthen our community and technical college system, keep our sons and daughters here at home and continue to grow Louisiana’s economy.”

The All Star Automotive Group, Louisiana Auto Dealers Association, BRAC and a consulting group studied the local auto industry’s specific workforce needs and what actions could be taken to better prepare people for jobs in the industry. The study found that:

• Louisiana is slightly below the national average in the number of service technicians employed per 1000 vehicles.

• There is a need for nearly 250 automotive technology graduates annually to meet the industry’s demand, 10 percent of whom would specialize in diesel mechanics.

• Auto technician programs in Louisiana aren’t able to turn out highly skilled specialists that are capable of maintaining the efficiency and integrity of new vehicles.

• Auto technician Programs in Louisiana are shorter in length and less thorough and rigorous than those in most other states, which focus on state-of-the-art techniques for a longer period of time.

• Seventy-five percent of the auto graduates in Louisiana receive no more than one year of training in their programs, and fewer than 3 percent receive two or more years of training in their programs.

• Of the over two dozen auto tech training programs in Louisiana, none are capable of delivering state-of-the-art technician training that auto employers require today.

The East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority is working with the All Star Automotive Group to develop potential partnerships with automobile technicians and manufacturers. For instance, the center will serve as a site for manufacturers to host training on new equipment and will provide access to vehicle training aids that aren’t available at current programs across the state.

The 60,000-square-foot auto training facility will be located on BRCC’s new East Campus. Construction on the campus and the auto training facility is estimated to begin at the end of 2014 and be completed by late 2015.

Since 2008, the Jindal administration has appropriated and financed more than $600 million dollars in critical higher education infrastructure investments across the state. This total includes general fund and capital outlay investments, including more than $225 million for Louisiana Community and Technical College campuses.

The Center for Excellence in Auto Technology w ill be part of the Smiley Heights – a mixed-use development that is more than six years in the making which w ill consist of a residential neighborhood, retail establishments and a charter school. This new development is estimated to create 3,500 new households and 20,000 new jobs in the Baton Rouge metro area by 2030. The goal of the development is to reduce school dropout rates, reduce inner city crime, and reduce traffic congestion.

All smiles

Originally published by Baton Rouge Business Report.

RDA completes purchase of 198 acres for Smiley Heights

Originally published by Baton Rouge Business Report.

Roughly one year after the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority began working with 11 nonprofits to purchase land from them for the proposed Smiley Heights development in Mid City, the authority closed Tuesday on 198 acres for $1.96 million.

"It was extremely difficult, as you might imagine, just to acquire the property, considering there were 11 different owners and five different tracts that make up those 200 acres," says Walter Monsour, redevelopment authority president and CEO. "The property owners had to be very cooperative on a number of fronts, and fortunately for us, all of them were excited about our vision for the property."

The vision certainly is ambitious. Described as an "urban traditional neighborhood development," Smiley Heights is a mix of education institutions²in partnership with Baton Rouge Community College and the local school district²as well as retail, commercial and residential developments. Eighty-six of the acres are to be preserved as wetlands, with trails for hiking and biking.

With the land in hand, Monsour says the redevelopment authority will now begin looking for a master developer for the project.

"We will begin working on a request for proposals for a master developer to see how the developers of the world would come in and take our vision and build out the whole property," he says. "I would say we're looking at six to nine months to develop the RFP, get [proposals] returned, evaluate them and begin negotiations."

Monsour says professional consultants who have worked on projects similar to Smiley Heights will also be hired to assist in finding a master developer.

The sellers of the 198 acres are: Tulane University (50%), Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center (24%), Istrouma Area Council, Boy Scouts of America (3.9%), and Our Lady of the Lake, Baton Rouge Medical Center, LSU Foundation, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Bob Jones University, Evergreen Presbyterian Ministries, French Camp Academy and Shriner's Hospital for Children (all at 2.7%).

In April 2011, the Metro Council OK'd using $1.5 million of a disaster recover\ grant to partner with the redevelopment authority in purchasing the land. Monsour sa\s the rest of the mone\ for the land came from an East Baton Rouge Mortgage

Smiley Heights deal to be signed in 2012

Originally published by the Advocate

The East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority expects to complete a deal next month to purchase the land for Smiley Heights, a 200-acre development just north of Florida Boulevard anchored by the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board¶s new charter school and Baton Rouge Community College’s east campus.

Project manager Susan Ludwig told the RDA¶s board Thursday that a $1.96 million purchase agreement with the land’s 11 owners — mainly nonprofits — should be signed by Jan. 31. The property for the long planned project is between Ardenwood and Lobdell, just south of Greenwell Springs Road.

The Louisiana Technical College System plans to build a $26 million, 75,000-square-foot automotive training center run by BRCC in the development’s 8-acre first phase, with $10 million in automobiles donated from the local industry.

RDA board Chairman John Noland praised the training center, noting it gets to the heart of a state study several years ago that found that Louisiana couldn’t fill 100,000 jobs because it lacked trained, qualified workers, with “auto mechanic” among the jobs at the top of the list. He pointed out that people who completed the course could find work in a business that pays well enough to support a family.

The School Board’s $18 million charter school, which is on about 10 acres, will open with enrollment of about 400 students and quickly make its way to 1,000.

It will focus on workforce development in digital media and culinary arts, among other subjects.

These two anchors are expected to spur development of homes and apartments, as well as retail and other commercial development throughout Smiley Heights, lifting the fortunes of that area just north of Midcity.

In other business:

The RDA approved an amended budget for 2011, with no notable deviations, and a budget for 2012. The RDA will have $1.5 million in total revenue and $1.3 million in operational expenditures, including salaries, legal and professional fees, rent and utilities, with an ending balance of $1.6 million.

RDA Vice President Mark Goodson said the ending balance will come almost entirely from fees the RDA collects from allocating new market tax credits to projects that have included the YMCA at Howell Place and the Hampton Inn and Suites downtown.

Its programs, which are accounted for separately by state law, include $236,000 for the neighborhood stabilization program; $1.7 million for gap financing, façade improvement and landbanking efforts; and $3.3 million to finish out community development block grants the RDA got from the federal government after hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

Goodson pointed out that 2012 will mark the end of the grants that have funded these programs and that the RDA will likely have to look into possible sources of permanent, ongoing funding. Even the fees from the new market tax credits depend on annual allocations that will not necessarily always be there, he said, noting many of the country’s largest and most successful redevelopment authorities have permanent funding.

James Anderman discussed the RDA’s efforts to take tax-delinquent properties off the hands of the city-parish and put them back into commerce. He said the Metro Council last month gave the RDA control over 11 new properties, eight around the Lincoln Theater – the redevelopment of which is an ongoing project the RDA is involved in – and three in Scotlandville, an RDA target area. The RDA to date has sold eight properties for the cost of clearing title, seven of them to Habitat for Humanity.

Anderman said there are 121 properties, in addition to the 11 transferred last month, that the RDA hopes to have clear title on by the end of next year.

Anderman told the board that, at this point, it takes an average of $5,000 per property to clear title, most of which comes from legal fees. Once they are in the possession of the RDA, it costs $740 a year per parcel to keep properties up before they are put back into commerce.

President Walter Monsour told the board the RDA recently turned down inquiries from property owners who wanted to hold onto land because it was next to their home.

He said the purpose is to put properties back into commerce and, unless they go to a church, on the tax rolls. The properties are not for individuals “to speculate on or hold as their own,” he said.

Anderman said that one of the eight properties that didn’t go to Habitat did go to an individual, though that individual had committed to putting improvements on the property, increasing its value on the tax rolls.