In our special report on Wednesday night, we took you to North Baton Rouge, where some residents say they feel neglected by the city. One Baton Rouge Metro Councilman who heard their call wants to help.
“I think that for many years, it has just been a neglected area. There’s a lot of blighted properties. There’s a lot of education issues up there,” said Metro Councilman John Delgado. “North Baton Rouge is represented by several council members, and none of it is my own council district, but I think it is important for us to look at our community as a whole and our parish has a whole.”
So Delgado said he wants to create an “economic opportunity zone” to encourage more businesses to move to that area.
“Under my plan, that business that relocates to North Baton Rouge can lock in their existing property tax at the current level and not have to pay those increases for the next 10 years,” said Delgado.
North Baton Rouge Resident Tyrone Thomas said it’s about time.
“If they’re going to do it,” Thomas said. “Mr. John Delgado and them, I welcome them. I welcome anybody to the North Baton Rouge area, that can make our area look like something.”
Thomas said he still thinks more work needs to be done to fight the blight and crime in the area.
“I welcome the city council members to call a town hall meeting, and I’ll be glad to tell them what we want,” Thomas said.
Delgado will propose this ordinance for the opportunity zone at the Metro Council meeting on Wednesday, December 9th.
“We want to incentivize those businesses to say ‘hey look, take a chance on North Baton Rouge, there are opportunities here. There’s great land. There’s great connectivity,'” Delgado concluded.
Councilwoman Chauna Banks also wants to help out North Baton Rouge by starting a development district, modeled after the city’s Downtown Development District.