“The Godfather of Growth”: Charles Landry Featured on the Cover of the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report’s September Issue

Fishman Haygood partner Charles A. Landry is featured on the cover of the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report’s September 2024 issue. In “The Godfather of Growth,” the magazine highlights Landry’s career as a real estate attorney, developer, and community leader in the city he has lived and worked in for more than 50 years. While his long list of accolades, as noted by the publication, “reads more like the combined resumes of a dozen people than a single man,” Landry’s commitment to building a better Baton Rouge only grows stronger. Read the full story in the Baton Rouge Business Report or click here to see the PDF version.

Over the years, Landry has seen—and done—it all in the development business. Yet, as detailed in the article, he feels as if current momentum is on the City of Baton Rouge’s side: “There’s never been a time that we’ve been as well positioned to have a generational change in the quality of life for all citizens.”

The impetus of that generational change? Several key upcoming projects, with Landry at the helm, are expected to transform the sports and entertainment landscapes of Baton Rouge: the new LSU arena, the repositioning of the Raising Cane’s River Center, and the Memorial Park Redevelopment.

Landry has been retained by the Tiger Athletic Foundation (TAF) to represent it in connection with the development of a new $400 million LSU arena. The arena will host both university sports and major entertainment events, serving not only campus members but also residents of the greater Baton Rouge area—and beyond. Six potential developers have been narrowed down to one finalist, whose proposal is currently being reviewed by TAF; the project team optimistically forecasts that the arena will be up and running by the end of 2029.

To bolster an influx of crowds at the new LSU arena, the Raising Cane’s River Center is set to be repositioned as a convention center, including the construction of a complementary headquarters hotel. Though the project is still in the early planning stages, city officials like Mayor Sharon Weston Broome support its timely progression. Landry was retained by the City of Baton Rouge – Parish of East Baton Rouge in connection with the project.

Finally, the Memorial Park redevelopment will provide Baton Rouge residents with better space to live, work, and play. Preliminary plans include major renovations to Memorial Stadium and Goldsby Baseball field, but other ideas for the 44-acre site are still in discussions. Possibilities include indoor and outdoor courts, ancillary entertainment venues, retail and commercial developments, trails, and community areas for activity, recreation, and use by a professional sports team. The City of Baton Rouge – Parish of East Baton Rouge also retained Landry in connection with this project, among the largest mixed-use capital investments in state history.

With these major community projects on the horizon, Landry sees a unique opportunity. He refers to them as a “string of pearls,” projects that—in isolation—may be good, but tied together by transportation, access, and programming create something greater.

Despite declining population numbers in Baton Rouge and across the state, Landry remains hopeful that the projects’ potential impact on the economy and community will encourage the next generation of young leaders to get involved—and to stay. Read the “Godfather of Growth” here.

Louisiana has experienced unprecedented developmental growth over the last 10 years. Billions of dollars have been invested in greenfield development and expansion, and Landry has been retained by developers for industrial, commercial, mixed-use, and residential projects throughout the state. He has represented numerous parties in a wide range of real estate transactions, which include residential developments, office buildings, shopping malls and centers, hotels, medical facilities, golf course communities, and industrial developments. Landry also is known for his deep knowledge of public-private partnerships in Louisiana, having represented groups in numerous complex projects. Read more about his practice here.