One part of the massive project transforming the former Belle of Baton Rouge riverboat casino into a land-based casino and renovating the 10-story hotel is complete. Daniel Hutchinson, director of hotel operations at Bally’s Baton Rouge Hotel, said at Tuesday’s Downtown Development District mee ting that the down-to-the-studs transformation of the 10-story hotel was completed last month, with the hotel opening officially on March 31. The hotel has 242 total guest rooms with 63 signature suites and two supreme suites. Hutchinson says 25,000 square feet of gaming, a sports lounge and dining options will be available in the fourth quarter of this year. As construction continues on the casino, the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino’s temporary space is open at 103 France Street. The site offers nearly 10,000 square feet of Vegas-style gaming space with over 240 slot machines and three table games. The total cost of the casino project is estimated at $141 million. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board approved a merger between Bally’s Corporation and The Queen Casino Entertainment in February. The deal merged Bally’s Shreveport Casino Hotel, The Queen Baton Rouge and the Belle of Baton Rouge under one entity. The only officially approved property name change is the hotel. The casino’s name change has not yet been approved. The Belle of Baton Rouge riverboat was towed from downtown on the Mississippi River to Gibson in January to be dismantled. It was sold to Louisiana Scrap Metal Recycling.  Also on Tuesday, the DDD announced a public meeting at 5 p.m. on April 30 at the Louisiana Art and Science Museum to gather input on Plan Baton Rouge III, the latest initiative to advance downtown Baton Rouge. Colorado-based Sasaki was chosen to lead Plan Baton Rouge III, which will build on previous plans, including Plan Baton Rouge I II, launched in 1998 and 2009. ...read more read less