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Building Communities of Opportunity and Choice

BR Choice works to transform neighborhoods in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by implementing a strategy of resiliency, placemaking, and innovation in implementing grants from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Choice Neighborhoods program.

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OUR WORK
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Vibrant outdoor mural on a brick wall featuring a colorful tree and the word "Growth."
BR Choice neighborhood with multi-story apartment buildings and townhouses.
A smiling woman in a blue "LA" sweatshirt sits at a wooden table in a bright, modern living room.
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BY THE NUMBERS

Real Transformative Growth

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$400M+

Investment Leveraged

$32M in HUD Choice Neighborhoods funding has leveraged more than $400M in public and private redevelopment across the BR Choice area.

170

Homes Built

Our housing strategy replaces aging units with modern, workforce homes that strengthen the neighborhood and gives families a safe place to build their future and attracts new investment.

5,000+

Families Impacted

The BR Choice Neighborhoods Initiative targets an approximately 1.6 square mile area of three adjoining neighborhoods at the heart of North Baton Rouge — East Fairfields, Smiley Heights, and Melrose East.

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Empowering
Baton Rouge
Families

We support families, businesses, and communities through targeted investments and comprehensive neighborhood transformation strategies.

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Modern office building with a dark metal facade and a sign that reads "ARDENDALE" in teal letters.
Mural of a woman with braided hair picking oranges from a tree, with large hands holding blue fruit nearby.
BR Choice neighborhood with multi-story apartment buildings and townhouses.
A man in a suit and white "Cypress at Ardendale" hard hat laughs while talking to colleagues.
Children gardening outdoors, planting and tending to yellow flowers in a Baton Rouge community neighborhood, made possible by BR Choice.
Local residents and supporters of BR Choice's neighborhood paint colorful murals on an outdoor wall along a street.
A man in a light green hoodie and white beanie stands on a sunny sidewalk in a residential area.
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our framework

Resiliency

Strengthening people and systems to support long-term stability, opportunity, and community well-being.

Our Vision of Resiliency
  • Assembling a team of local and nationwide experts in design and community development.
  • Attracting and effectively deploying capital for critical housing and community development needs.
  • Planning people-centered systems that support sustainable growth.
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our framework

Innovation

Applying forward-thinking strategies to solve complex challenges and expand opportunity.

Group of diverse people socializing outdoors on a sunny day, with some wearing business attire and hard hats.
Our Vision of Innovation
  • Preparing students for post-secondary education and a competitive workforce.
  • Creating pathways through quality education, internships, and partnerships with public and private entities.
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Placemaking

Creating vibrant, connected neighborhoods that reflect community identity and foster economic and social vitality.

Colorful mural of a neighborhood map highlighting streets and areas including East Fairfield, Melrose East, and Smiley Heights with a 'You Are Here' marker.
Our Vision of Placemaking
  • Creativity fuels place value.
  • Integrating art into community rebuilding that stimulates local economies and leads to increased innovation, cultural vitality, and civic engagement.
  • Designing streets and shared spaces with intention, including using names like Imagination Parkway, Scholars Avenue, and Discovery Avenue to reinforce identity, aspiration, and a sense of possibility.
  • Arts and culture taps into the neighborhood’s unique character and history stimulating initiatives related to crime prevention, redevelopment of blighted properties, environmental sustainability, education, and employment.

The BR Choice Approach

Our Framework

Resiliency, placemaking, and innovation shape everything we do.

Resiliency

Strengthening people and systems to support long-term stability, opportunity, and community well-being.

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Innovation

Applying forward-thinking strategies to solve complex challenges and expand opportunity.

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Placemaking

Creating vibrant, connected neighborhoods that reflect community identity and foster economic and social vitality.

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Building Stronger Neighborhoods

From planning to execution, we’re driving intentional growth through investment and collaboration.

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Modern white townhomes with dark roofs under a bright blue sky with wispy clouds.

News & Gallery

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Community News

New North Baton Rouge community opens first phase after decade of planning

New North Baton Rouge community opens first phase after decade of planning
Community News

‘A new energy’: Cypress at Ardendale takes next step in decade-long Baton Rouge development

The Advocate spotlights Cypress at Ardendale’s $400M transformation bringing housing, seniors, and education together in North Baton Rouge.

‘A new energy’: Cypress at Ardendale takes next step in decade-long Baton Rouge development
Group including staff in blue uniforms poses with the $29.5M HUD grant check.
Group including staff in blue uniforms poses with the $29.5M HUD grant check.
Media Gallery

CNI Check Presentation, 10/24/2019

CNI Check Presentation, 10/24/2019
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