St. George Sports Complex Vote: What Baton Rouge Should Know
Ever spent a Saturday driving to another town just so your kid could play in a volleyball tournament? St. George wants to change that. The St. George City Council is voting on a new economic development district that could help pay for an indoor sports complex right here in East Baton Rouge Parish. Here's the quick rundown, plus what it could mean for the area.
What's on the table
The St. George City Council has a public hearing and vote set for 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 13 on creating an economic development district, officially "Economic Development District No. 1 of the City of St. George."
Where: just over 55 acres of empty land near Antioch Road and Airline Highway, spread across seven tracts northwest of that intersection, according to The Advocate.
What it would fund: a public indoor facility for sports and community events.
Who pays: the district would only apply to new businesses and hotels that develop in that area, not current residential properties, WAFB reports.
The tax rate: not set yet. Mayor Dustin Yates said the council would decide the rate at a later meeting if the district is approved. Economic development districts in Louisiana can levy new sales and hotel occupancy taxes.
The numbers behind the idea
Youth sports are big business. Visit Baton Rouge estimated that youth sports tournaments in 2024 had an indirect economic impact of about $37 million, according to The Advocate.
Mayor Yates has pointed out that the city doesn't have a youth sports facility, so families travel to other towns for volleyball, cheer and basketball. He has also said the building could double as a civic center for graduations, small conferences and conventions, which could help bring nearby hotels and restaurants. He even mentioned it could help attract charter school partners, since they wouldn't need to build their own recreation facilities.
A few other key details:
The city would own the facility. As Yates put it to The Advocate, the dollars the district generates would go back to "a facility that the public is going to own."
Other partners will be announced later, and no construction timeline has been set.
Councilman David Dellucci has said he wants the building to host events year-round, not just sports.
Yates described the project to WBRZ as being in "the very beginning phases."
Why it matters if you live in St. George or nearby
This corner of Airline Highway is already seeing new activity. The Long Farm Village mixed-use development, which includes a Rouses Market, sits nearby. Not far away, BREC has shared plans to redevelop the 133-acre Airline Highway Park with a large baseball complex, sports fields, a walking trail and a recreation center, with phase one funded at roughly $9 million to $10 million, The Advocate reported.
For homeowners, projects like these are worth keeping an eye on. New public amenities, more event traffic and new businesses can all change how an area feels day to day, from what's within a short drive to how busy the roads get on tournament weekends. It's also worth knowing that the district covers new businesses and hotels that build inside it, not current residential properties.
What to watch next
Tonight's vote. If the council approves the district, the next step is setting the actual tax rate at a later meeting.
Partners and timeline. The city says partners will be announced later, and there's no construction date yet.
The bigger picture on Airline. Between this proposal, BREC's park plans and nearby commercial growth, this stretch is one to watch over the next few years.
I'll keep tracking this one and share updates as decisions get made.
Want the deeper dive?
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— Brian Mackey, here in the trenches gathering the news in the Baton Rouge area.
Featured photo by Alejandro Stuardo on Unsplash.
