I'd really want some kind of commitment to change how the existing revenue is used before I'd feel comfortable voting for something like this, definitely something more than a hint. I don't mind voting for tax increases of this size IF it comes with a promise of specific projects. But at the moment, I'm not particularly comfortable with or confident with how tourism strategies are being led for the region.
You want to fix up Riverfront Park, expand the Lansing Center, etc? I'm down with that. Bu it's got to be more than ad campaigns and subsidies for festivals/events, or I'm not really interested, quite frankly.
I could not agree more. I was unaware that the tax was currently producing that much revenue much less where it was going. I'd like to see something like 70%-80% of the expanded revenue go to bonding out capital improvements. The higher rate would raise $114 million over 20 years not accounting for growth or inflation, that's more than enough to do something significant. That being said, I will be voting for this measure just due to the fact that it is a tax mostly paid by visitors so it is not a burden to locals. It'd be nice to always have guarantees written into these ballot measures but I'd also like to think local officials will make good decisions moving forward.
My first realistic wish is an expansion of the Lansing Center's exhibition space to the east completing the Cedar St facade, also adding to the north if deemed necessary, adding a parking ramp and/or partnering with a developer on a hotel at Museum & Cedar. There's room on the east parking lot for about 40k-50k of new main exhibition space plus a lobby/common area along both streets, that'd bring it to 120k of space in the main hall, just ahead of the ~100k sq ft that seems common in small metros. Of course they'd want to so a study with so much public money involved but that pathway seems reasonable to me.
This talk has me wondering, has anyone seen the new events center coming to Kalamazoo? How is it they can get something like that and the Lansing Center has stood stagnant for decades? We've got a larger university nearby and a larger population...
Being on I-94, they are naturally better placed, and take better advantage of it. They highly promote that they are equally distant between Chicago and Detroit. But, also, they don't have anything like the Lansing Center downtown, currently, so this would essentially be throwing them into that mix. My understanding, too, is that the center is a private development, mostly. I think their state reps got a law passed in 2020 to allow them to fund it with an expanded hotel tax, but I think they ultimately didn't go in that direction.
They really need it. I attend the Wings Center kind of out in the middle of nowhere earlier this year for the first time, and it's just a dinky, unimpessive venue. Makes Breslin and Munn look like palaces. lol
That's fair enough, you do make some good points. I forgot that it is mostly privately funded.
I guess I don't get to Kalamazoo all that often and probably didn't understand the need, or desire, so I appreciate you breaking that down some. The new center looks like it's going to be quite something.
Kalamazoo is pretty nice and forward-thinking; its' development pattern/built environment sort of reminds me of a smaller Lansing. I get the sense that their institutions are more on the same page/better coordinated than our's (i.e. city, county, state reps, economic development orgs, universities, etc.).
City Council unanimously approved the resolution, last night, opposing a move of the downtown library, so they are on record about that. An LSJ article quotes CADL's executive director as saying any move would be years off, so it sounds like they've been spooked by the opposition. lol She also says that the building needs a full renovation, so we've kind of pushed her that being an option. As is the case, they site a limited budget to be able to do this. But I think voters would easy pass a capital improvement millage for a renovation, and I'd like to see the powers in the city publicly push them in that direction and offer to help campaign for such a thing.
Also of note, the building, itself, is owned by the Lansing School District and CADL leases it from them for $10, and can break the lease with 60-days notice. This makes it very easy for them to talk about moving since they basically not paying rent. LSD says they only do "high-level" maintenance, which also sounds like a cop-out.
Again, a millage, either by the school district or CADL would be a pretty easy sale. LSD doesn't want another empty building and worry about how to fill it, and neither does the city government. This doesn't seem like rocket science, to me.
BTW, the CADL executive director did get in a nice dig at the city, I can not lie. She said she hoped the the city of all parties would be empathetic about wanting to move from an old building in which they didn't want to pay to upkeep. She did get them, there. lol Y'all already know my opinion on that want; I do not disagree. lol
Regarding the new arena in Kalamazoo: First, I fundamentally disagree that Kalamazoo is better positioned to host events/conventions than Lansing. The Lansing area itself is larger, our local university is larger, we're better geographically positioned within the state given the freeway access from every major metro and we're the state capitol. I don't know how much Kalamazoo can benefit from their being at the Detroit/Chicago/Grand Rapids confluence but I honestly doubt it's that much. That being said as far as I can tell their plans don't even call for any significant convention space. I don't see MSU moving away from Munn or Breslin and they're currently planning another arena for on-campus (that I wish they'd at least consider putting closer to the city, maybe on the old car dealership next to Red Cedar?), so having something totally analogous to the Kalamazoo facility seems very unlikely. I doubt Lansing can support a minor league basketball/hockey team at this time so I don't see a mid size arena as something that's viable in the near future of downtown, I'm all for it if someone wants to take a risk or studies showed it was feasible, just no half-assing it if we're going to do it. The space from the back of the Lansing Center to Museum Dr is perfectly sized for such an arena.
A millage in this case would have to be by CADL for me to even consider supporting it, it has to capture more than just city money. It'd also have to include CADL buying or 100 year leasing the building. It'd have to be very specific in their plans, no Lansing public safety millage repeat. And realistically, they'd have to make it a system-wide capital improvement millage to get it to pass, I think. I'd want to see the sites where any new facilities are going along with square footages and dollar values for any improvements/renovations at minimum. I'd like the main branch plan to at least have conceptual floorplans, renderings, etc for any planned additions. I'm not interested in paying for a new building for them, if I'm paying a millage for new building I want it to be a new science, technology & industry museum, I'd pay $50/yr or so for that. Just my personal stance.
Anything along I-94 gets more cross-thru-state travels than anything off of it in the state. Always has. It's not that Kzoo can do more than Lansing; that's not what I was implying. It's that it can punch far above its weight. In any case, in addition to its location, it's just a forward-thinking little city. It's not Ann Arbor, or anything, but they are definitely willing to try and support new things.
CADL is supported by a county millage. I'd be willing to support a simple millage increase for renovations for the main branch; it'd pass easily, as CADL millages don't fail.
Comments
You want to fix up Riverfront Park, expand the Lansing Center, etc? I'm down with that. Bu it's got to be more than ad campaigns and subsidies for festivals/events, or I'm not really interested, quite frankly.
My first realistic wish is an expansion of the Lansing Center's exhibition space to the east completing the Cedar St facade, also adding to the north if deemed necessary, adding a parking ramp and/or partnering with a developer on a hotel at Museum & Cedar. There's room on the east parking lot for about 40k-50k of new main exhibition space plus a lobby/common area along both streets, that'd bring it to 120k of space in the main hall, just ahead of the ~100k sq ft that seems common in small metros. Of course they'd want to so a study with so much public money involved but that pathway seems reasonable to me.
They really need it. I attend the Wings Center kind of out in the middle of nowhere earlier this year for the first time, and it's just a dinky, unimpessive venue. Makes Breslin and Munn look like palaces. lol
I guess I don't get to Kalamazoo all that often and probably didn't understand the need, or desire, so I appreciate you breaking that down some. The new center looks like it's going to be quite something.
Also of note, the building, itself, is owned by the Lansing School District and CADL leases it from them for $10, and can break the lease with 60-days notice. This makes it very easy for them to talk about moving since they basically not paying rent. LSD says they only do "high-level" maintenance, which also sounds like a cop-out.
Again, a millage, either by the school district or CADL would be a pretty easy sale. LSD doesn't want another empty building and worry about how to fill it, and neither does the city government. This doesn't seem like rocket science, to me.
A millage in this case would have to be by CADL for me to even consider supporting it, it has to capture more than just city money. It'd also have to include CADL buying or 100 year leasing the building. It'd have to be very specific in their plans, no Lansing public safety millage repeat. And realistically, they'd have to make it a system-wide capital improvement millage to get it to pass, I think. I'd want to see the sites where any new facilities are going along with square footages and dollar values for any improvements/renovations at minimum. I'd like the main branch plan to at least have conceptual floorplans, renderings, etc for any planned additions. I'm not interested in paying for a new building for them, if I'm paying a millage for new building I want it to be a new science, technology & industry museum, I'd pay $50/yr or so for that. Just my personal stance.
CADL is supported by a county millage. I'd be willing to support a simple millage increase for renovations for the main branch; it'd pass easily, as CADL millages don't fail.