WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Spanish Town battle boils hotter

Spanish Town battle boils hotter

By Caroline Moses - bio | email

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Spanish Town neighbors are stepping up their fight against one local land owner because they want him to stop moving or tearing down homes in their community.

Local lawyers, realtors, and even former residents of Spanish Town are organizing against what they call attempts to "supersize" their neighborhood. "This development will not fit in this neighborhood," said Foundation for Historical Louisiana Chairman Mark Upton. Land owner Richard Preis is working with developer David Slaughter. They want to remove seven historic homes to build a new apartment complex called Capitol Lofts Apartments.

"The Historic Spanish Town Civic Association has voted against the proposed apartment complex and we will fight to protect each and every one of those seven homes," said Spanish Town resident and lawyer David Brown. The developer says he has drawn more than three different proposals in an attempt to appease Spanish Town residents, but neighbors say they will not be happy unless the homes in their historic district are saved.

"We simply seek the enforcement of existing law," said Brown. They're concerned if historic guidelines allow these homes to be torn down, then Baton Rouge's oldest neighborhood is at risk of disappearing. "Keep this neighborhood awesome. Don't super size it," said Foundation for Historical Louisiana Director Carolyn Bennett.

Added to their concerns is the history this neighborhood has with land owner Richard Preis. He tore down several homes in this neighborhood in the 1990s. "Part of the reason for our ordinance was to prevent people from doing wholesale destruction, the type of destruction that the same owner did way back in the 90s," said Darryl Gissel. "The properties he tore down then sit today as vacant lots."

There is a Historic Preservation Commission meeting on August 12th. The commission will decide whether to approve developer David Slaughter's newest proposal.

©2009 WAFB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.