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ZION CITY & GLEN OAKS

Is bordered by Plank Road to the west, Robert's Canal to the east, Harding Boulevard to the north and Sumrall Drive to the south. This area, originally known as Roppoloville, was first mentioned in the 1924-25 City Directory with the Roppoloville Meat Market. Some of the houses in the area date back to 1911. A 1979 Louisiana Conference on Neighborhoods reported that the property values began to deteriorate when residents sold to developers and many of the homes became rental properties in the 1970’s. The Baton Rouge Metro Airport also conducted a large property buyout that contributed to the residential decline of the area. Ford Street is currently under construction to become a boulevard as part of the City’s Green Light Program thus creating a strong connection between Plank Road and Mickens Road.

 

Zion City & Glen Oaks Community Improvement Plan

• The Zion City & Glen Oaks Community Improvement plan is complete. Follow the links below to view the plan, appendix, or implementation matrix.
• Community Improvement Plan   (22.8 MB)
• Appendix   (21 MB)
• Implementation Matrix   (283 KB)

 

News

19 March 2010 - Our first public meeting

A group of about 70 Zion City & Glen Oaks area residents gathered Thursday at the Glen Oaks Middle School to work with members from the RDA and its consultant team to discuss and map out ideas for revitalizing their community. The meeting consisted of residents identifying assets within the community and challenges that need be addressed. Along with these challenges, the residents helped to locate potential sites for much needed development and revitalization projects. Types of development include: grocery stores or other types of shopping & services, clinics & pharmacies, daycare facilities, community centers, and new housing needs.

All the work and concerns voiced by the residents at this meeting are currently being evaluated and incorporated into plans that will be voted on by the residents at the next public meeting.

We greatly appreciate all the residents who volunteered their time at this meeting to let their voice be heard and helped to shape the future of Zion City & Glen Oaks Communities. Please stay informed for future public meetings to continue the progress of moving forward in a positive direction.

Visioning Workshop Input Results

Analysis of stakeholder input at the first meeting indicated an overwhelming lack of small businesses offering the following: grocery or farmers market, elderly care, child care, pharmacy/clinic, and community center. Many of the residents identified the large undeveloped property west of Plank Road between Ford Street and Cadillac Street as an ideal location for commercial development. Analysis of the stakeholder’s survey also indicated a need for commercial and healthcare specifically on the corner of Simplex Street and Ford Street. The property on the southeast side of this intersection is adjudicated and available for development. Additional locations identified during the survey include a library/community center located at the intersection of Ford Street and Kissel Street, potentially on the southeast corner where a large adjudicated lot exists; and a police sub-station on the southeast corner of Cadillac Street and Paige Street. More general trends indicate a desire for new businesses to be focused on Plank Road or Ford Street, while housing redevelopment and day care facilities be focused along Cadillac Street.

Alternative & Implementation Workshops 2010.05.22

The intent of the Alternatives & Implementation Workshop on May 22, 2010 was to gain public input on the catalyst area concepts developed by the Phillips-Davis Legacy, BROWN+DANOS team based on conducted market analysis and information received from the community at the Visioning Workshop on March 15, 2010. First, an introduction regarding the East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority’s mission and an outline of the 5 CIPs project was given by Mark Goodson and Karen Phillips followed with a brief description of the process completed up to this point. Following the introductory presentations, Dana Brown revealed the concept plans created for the two identified target areas within Scotlandville Gateway. Attendees were given digital voting devices and were asked to vote on the concepts as a whole as well as individual components within each. After voting was completed, respondents took a brief break to visit participants of the Resource Fair while the consultant team made adjustments to the concepts. Finally, attendees reconvened at the tables and were shown an overall vision for the area and the preferred concepts illustrating their input were revealed. The Phillips-Davis Legacy, BROWN+DANOS team will continue to develop the Zion City & Glen Oaks Community Improvement Plan based on input received at both the Visioning and Alternatives & Implementation Workshops, technical analysis, collaboration with theRDA, and the team’s expertise.

Analysis of input received by area residents at the Zion City & Glen Oaks Visioning Workshop identified two target areas for future catalyst development. The first area along Plank Road illustrated resident desires focusing primarily on commercial development with some housing needs. The second area, Simplex Street, showed residents requesting additional housing, community gardens, playgrounds, and neighborhood services. Some commercial was proposed but primarily along Ford Street. Market analysis of the area was conducted to determine what types of catalytic development could be supported and conceptual designs were developed based on both the market analysis and the input from community residents. Two concepts for each of the two target areas were created for presentation to the public.

Plank Road - Catalyst Plan

Zion City & Glen Oaks - Inventory Maps