Whitney Hoffman Sayal, AICP

As Executive Director for the Downtown Development District (DDD), Whitney Hoffman Sayal is responsible for carrying out the mission to initiate, incubate, and support partnerships that develop and enhance Downtown Baton Rouge. Hoffman Sayal previously worked over eight years for the DDD as Development Project Director, assisting with project management of special Downtown Development District initiatives, forming and maintaining partnerships with the public and private sector, formulating policies and procedures to implement projects, developing and managing marketing and public relationship initiatives, evaluating and updating downtown ordinances and city codes, developing grant application and reporting materials, implementing bicycle and pedestrian programs and infrastructure, and furthering the vision outlined for downtown in various Downtown Master Plan documents.

Under her leadership, the DDD and City-Parish have received several grants that funded public spaces and bicycle and pedestrian projects including the Downtown Greenway and River Road. Many of the projects she has worked on at the DDD have been recognized/awarded at the local, state, and international levels. These projects include Yazoo Plaza, North Boulevard Town Square, Repentance Park, The Crest, City Hall Plaza, Central Green, Florida Riverfront Access, Downtown Greenway, and River Road.

Whitney Hoffman Sayal has planning experience and knowledge of community and urban planning, architecture, and landscape architecture systems that she gained from her professional work and education. She has a professional bachelor’s architecture degree from Louisiana Tech University and landscape architecture master’s degree from Louisiana State University Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture. Hoffman Sayal is a professional planner, certified by the American Planning Association since 2012 and currently serves as the Immediate Past President of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Planning Association. In addition to her work at the DDD, Hoffman Sayal gained professional experience in the private, non-profit, and government sectors managing multiple types and scales of projects, plans, and programs.

Contact Whitney at w.hoffmansayal@brla.gov