Amenities
Q: What type of neighborhood services do you anticipate for Rouzan?
A: At this point, our vision for Rouzan includes such conveniences as boutiques, delis, and cafes, as well as professional office space for services like medical and dental care. Rouzan's location is perfect for a village center. We have an exciting opportunity to rapidly create a "front door" for the city of Baton Rouge. We're not talking about the big-box blight that so many cities are dealing with. We envision a beautiful, human-scaled village center that simultaneously serves as a hub of economy and a destination for residents and visitors.
Q: What is your plan for the public spaces in Rouzan?
A: Our goal is to bring together those elements that foster a greater sense of place and community. With that in mind, we envision Rouzan being home to numerous parks and outdoor meeting places for social gatherings, events and celebrations. For children, we're including a Montessori school and a library branch. Plans also call for a nondenominational church and a civic/community center.
JTS is working with Project for Public Spaces (PPS) to create a system of parks and green spaces for the Rouzan community and surrounding neighborhoods to enjoy. PPS is a nonprofit planning, design and educational organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communities. The organization's pioneering Placemaking approach helps citizens transform their public spaces into vital places that highlight local assets, spur rejuvenation and serve common needs. PPS has become an internationally recognized center for resources, tools and inspiration about Placemaking.
Through research, conferences, and strategic partnerships, PPS promotes Placemaking as a transformative agenda to address some of the most pressing issues of our time. In its broadest application, Placemaking is a catalyst for building healthy, sustainable and economically viable cities of the future.
Q: What can you tell me about the proposed library?
A: The East Baton Rouge Parish Library Board formally accepted the land donation from JTS on April 21, 2010, to build an approximate 15,000 square foot, state-of-the-art branch facility in the Rouzan community. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2011. The library has been designed to be the iconic center of the commercial village of Rouzan. The library is expected to attract more than 500 visitors per day to the community; an elaborate town square will introduce the library's front entry to the community. Numerous retail and restaurant destinations also have been designed in locations close to the library so that interaction among Rouzan guests is further promoted outside storefronts and at cafes.