One of the highlights from the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s annual canvas trip was observing how one of the universities near Richmond, Va., helps develop the downtown area, according to Baton Rouge Downtown Development District officials.Davis Rhorer, Downtown Development District executive director, described Virginia Commonwealth University’s contribution to the city’s success as “inspiring.” About 140 people from different organizations in Baton Rouge, including the Downtown Development District and University Chancellor Michael Martin, attended this year’s canvas workshop hosted by BRAC and the Office of the Mayor-President. The theme for BRAC’s 5th annual trip was “Learn, Unlearn and Relearn.” The trip began Sunday and ended Tuesday. The workshop costs $2,100 per participant and aimed to continue moving Baton Rouge forward by observing Richmond’s success to learn how these accomplishments can be applied in the Baton Rouge area, according to a BRAC news release.Some of the main goals of the trip were to look at Richmond’s success in its education system, regional cooperation and Riverfront development, urban restoration and recruiting international businesses.Large areas of downtown Richmond once faced high crime, but the city improved safety measures, in turn creating a great entertainment district and increased residential opportunities in the area, according to a BRAC news release.”The residential component is their real secret for downtown success,” Rhorer said.Rhorer said Richmond has student housing downtown for the university, which has about 30,000 students. The school is now a part of downtown, he said.The Downtown Development District would like to market housing that is affordable for all, including LSU students, Rhorer said. This plan is incorporated into the Plan Baton Rouge Phase Two, he said.Plan Baton Rouge Phase Two is going to be presented to the public Monday at the Old State Capitol, and the team will present the final draft for specific proposals to the downtown area, Rhorer said. The workshop included studying all aspects of the city and looking at the approach Richmond takes to market to visitors, Rhorer said. The trip has allowed key members of the Baton Rouge community to study the good and bad components of another successful city, he said.Richmond was ranked in Forbes Magazine as one of the top 10 “Best Places for Business and Careers,” according to a BRAC news release.—-Contact Joy Lukachick at [email protected]