BATON ROUGE - The Redevelopment Authority has started soliciting plans from developers about what to do with a Mid City eyesore: the old electricity facility on Government Street.

“The redevelopment of this property has the potential to serve as a gateway linking to downtown, which is experiencing a renaissance of new investment, and Mid City, which is emerging as an economically vital commercial district focused on Government Street,” John Fregonese of Fregonese Associates, the creators of the East Baton Rouge master plan, said in a statement Thursday.

Developers must submit proposals by April 28; the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority board is set to choose a team or teams this June. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2017.

“The RDA is open to a broad range of ideas and uses – new mixed use development, residential, retail, and or commercial/office. The adaptive reuse of the two prominent historical buildings on the site is key to the proposal,” the RDA wrote in its request for proposals.

The power plant at 1509 Government was the first in Baton Rouge. It operated until 1940 and was used as a warehouse until 2011. The city’s trolley service operated from the buildings and the train station was next door, the RDA said.

Entergy donated the property to the RDA two years ago. The property is six acres and both brick buildings are eligible for listing National Register of Historic Places. The area is zoned for multi-story, mixed-use buildings.

The RDA has taken an active role in revitalizing the Mid City area.

“One of the best outcomes the RDA foresees is life returning to inner-city neighborhoods,” said John B. Noland, RDA board chair.

There is an interactive tour of the site HERE.

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