Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish Kip Holden opened the third public meeting for Plan Baton Rouge Phase II with a salute to the whole community for the growth of the downtown area.Plan Baton Rouge Phase II began in October 2008 to continue building on the first plan, which started in 1998, to revitalize the metro area, and the team suggested areas of Baton Rouge most in need of improvement. The third and last public presentation was Monday night, and final drafts are going to be submitted to the Mayor’s office in June.The team of developers presented the plans, which improve the greenery downtown, manage parking areas, provide more affordable housing and create a larger entertainment district.”We continue to send a signal across America that this is a place you want to come and see, because this is a place where people are on the move,” Holden said. The team of consultants suggested downtown needed more housing opportunities and parks within the city. One suggestion in the master plan was to build two signature urban parks connecting neighborhoods such as Beauregard and Spanish Town.The team said the metro area needs to be greener and more sustainable. Besides creating more parks, the team suggested planting more trees in the area. Large cities have pledged significant tree planting since 2000, including Houston, Boston, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.Cooling the city, oxygen enhancement, absorption of water and controlling water all are benefits to having street trees, the team said. Davis Rhorer, Downtown District Developer director, said the project was a collaboration of many organizations.The funding partners include Baton Rouge Area Foundation, City of Baton Rouge, Fannie Mae, Center for Planning Excellence, Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and Downtown Development District. The team of consultants highlighted the limited amount of space offered in the area. More than 50 percent of all the spaces downtown are not available to the general public. On-the-street parking makes up 13 percent of available space. The team also suggested affordable housing was needed. The available acres in Baton Rouge were outlined at specific areas including River park that has 22 acres, East Downtown area has 14 acres and Nicholson Drive Corridor has 66 acres available for housing. Two ways to cut the cost of housing are subsidizing more funds and finding more private lenders.”But ultimately the vision is one of a city that is green … and a variety of new residential opportunities,” said Alan Mountjoy, project manager for urban design and planning.  “And it has a variety of ways one can wander about through and between these great attractions and destinations.” He said the steps to becoming a more vibrant downtown area began with small steps but grow into larger, more developed ideas. –Contact Joy Lukachick at [email protected]