South of Baker and north of Downtown, that is where you’ll find the area of the Capital City called North Baton Rouge.
“A lot of people here are low income families, so you know, money is hard and tight right now,” said Musa Rahman, who works at Super Style Fashion off Plank Road.
Rahman said there is a great need for economic growth here.
“Everything, we need more businesses, and hopefully businesses that generate more funds for schools and different other projects for the kids,” Rahman said. “So, I think by bringing new businesses here, it would increase the income for our community.”
That’s what Baton Rouge Metro Councilman John Delgado is trying to accomplish.
“When you have an area that is high crime, that has low income and low education, then that affects the entire parish,” said Delgado.
Delgado announced his plan for an Economic Opportunity Zone a couple of weeks ago. Since then, he says he’s gained a good bit of support.
“So I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback, and I know that several council members and along with State Senator Regina Barrow have been working on development opportunities for North Baton Rouge and really working to bring businesses to the North,” Delgado said. “So I want to work with them to really bring together the best possible plan, and have everybody working at the same table to fix the situation in North Baton Rouge.”
The goal is to attract more businesses to the area by offering incentives to business owners.
“We’re going to be able to fix your property taxes at its current level to save you some money over the next ten years,” Delgado explained.
This is just the beginning stage of the legislation, but Rahman said it looks promising.
“I think it’s great because this is the land that’s been forgotten,” Rahman said. “So, I’m really excited about it.”
Delgado formally introduced the initiative to the council Wednesday evening to get feedback on the proposal. Members will vote on it in January.