At its meeting Wednesday, the Metro Council approved an ordinance in support of LSU’s proposed $300 million on-campus arena by a vote of 10-1-1.
The ordinance recognizes the benefits of the Tiger Athletic Foundation’s development of the arena, which would host sporting events for LSU as well as entertainment and music events for the Capital Region, but it also serves as a noncompete agreement for the Raising Cane’s River Center.
The ordinance details that a competing facility in the region would prevent the development of the arena, therefore the Metro Council would need to restrict certain entertainment and music activities on property owned by the city-parish—like the River Center—once the arena is built.
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In practice, this probably means that the River Center will be geared more toward conventions instead of entertainment once the arena is constructed. The ordinance authorizes the mayor to identify strategies for developing additional convention capacity and a headquarter hotel at the River Center.
Chauna Banks, the only member of the Metro Council to dissent, argued that the restrictions on the River Center are unreasonable and may not meet the legal requirements for a noncompete agreement.
Earlier this week, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Visit Baton Rouge and Mayor Sharon Weston Broome all announced their support for the arena.
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Aside from a few standouts like Garth Brooks, Baton Rouge has struggled in recent years to attract big-name talent. Some believe that is because Baton Rouge lacks a best-in-class venue to host such talent, while others think it simply comes down to Baton Rouge’s proximity to larger markets like New Orleans.
This story originally appeared in a March 14 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.