[fla_tiger]

A site plan shows the layout for more than 1.2 million square feet of retail space, 385,000 square feet of medical and office space and more than 1,100 residences proposed for the Juban Crossing development along I-12 near Denham Springs in East Suburban Baton Rouge.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e173/fla_tiger/BTR-CE/jubancrossingart121406.jpg

DENHAM SPRINGS — The “new urbanist community” of Juban Crossing will include more than 1.2 million square feet of retail space, 385,000 square feet of medical and office space and more than 1,100 homes, developers said Wednesday.

With a mile of frontage on Interstate 12, the complex will include a movie theater, hotels, “lush water features,” plentiful parks, green space and restaurants that range from casual to fine dining, said developer Stephen Keller.

The businesses in the nearly 500-acre complex should produce more than $500 million in retail sales per year, Livingston Parish President Mike Grimmer said in making Wednesday’s formal announcement of the project.

Creation of the complex should result in several thousand jobs, including more than 1,000 permanent positions upon completion, officials told the 400 people attending a Greater Denham Springs Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Juban Crossing will provide a place where people can reside, work, shop, dine and recreate. It will include townhouses, cottages and more traditional homes, developers said.

It will be situated on the north side of I-12 at the Juban Road interchange.
Construction on Juban Crossing should begin next summer.

[Shasta]

How the hell is that thing considered new urbanist? It's a sprawling collection of strip malls surrounded by massive amounts of surface parking all fronting a highway! I don't care if it's mixed-use. This isn't new urbanist at all.

[alon504]

I think the development appears attractive from the rendering. With the fountains, trees, and greenery, it will be an attractive development fronting over a mile of I-12.

[fla_tiger]

How the hell is that thing considered new urbanist? It's a sprawling collection of strip malls surrounded by massive amounts of surface parking all fronting a highway! I don't care if it's mixed-use. This isn't new urbanist at all.

Whoa there!
The definition of "new urbanism" according to Wilkipedia is "New urbanist neighborhoods are walkable, and are designed to contain a diverse range of housing and jobs. New urbanists support regional planning for open space, appropriate architecture and planning, and the balanced development of jobs and housing. They believe these strategies are the best way to reduce the time people spend in traffic, to increase the supply of affordable housing, and to rein in urban sprawl."
Even with the parking, the development appears to allow for all components of the definition. I guess the parking is for those that don't live there or are too lazy to walk!