I went through Okemos Sunday and was expecting to see more in the way of progress at this site. I really could not see anything except the fence surrounding part of the area. I did not get out and look around so maybe there more happening than meets the eye as you drive by. Has there been any news about this project?
On my post dated August 11 a page back I talked of an LSJ article saying that they hoped to have the buildings demolished by the end of the year. They weren't ever planning construction this year.
Funny you should ask, as I received an email update a few days ago from the developer's email newsletter. According to the email, the site is secure and stabilized for the winter. Hamilton Road will remain open until demolition restarts in the late spring. It sounds like they are trying to coordinate with the township and county on a construction schedule so as to minimize road closures. I haven't seen or heard anything else that would reset expectations for construction to start sometime in 2020.
MERIDIAN TWP. – There's still ongoing progress on projects intended to transform downtown Okemos and Haslett Village Square despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The Village of Okemos hit a slight hiccup not related to COVID-19, according to Ken Lane, director of economic development for Meridian Township.
People should see demolition work continue and keep that development moving along soon, though, he said.
Pine Village — the senior living community proposed for part of Haslett Village Square — is still going through the approval process, Lane said.
Cypress Partners, the developer for that project, hasn't been impacted by the pandemic yet, he said.
He's what happened over in the Village:
Crews started demolition and environmental cleanup last year to make way for the $110 million Village of Okemos development.
Workers successfully demolished a former dry cleaner, Lane said, but work stalled after the developer learned the environmental clean-up would be more extensive than called for in the original plans.
The former Bottoms Up dance wear store, the former Okemos Ace Hardware and other buildings still remain on the site, Lane said.
"The goal, I think of everyone, is to try to get those buildings demolished as soon as possible," he said. "They don’t live up to the standards of buildings in Meridian Township."
It's not clear exactly when next steps will happen, Lane said.
The developer and the state are close to working through the remediation process, he said, and should be able to restart demolition work once those details are hashed out.
"It’s not an if, it’s a when," he said.
Lane estimates new building there could start next construction season.
And we get a rendering of the Pine proposed for part of Haslett Village Square, the shopping center at the southwest corner of Haslett and Marsh:
Reading some of the comments on a local news site from the township board of trustees, though, they sounded like they are having typical trolly NIMBY concerns thinking this is too big a development for the location, worried about it becoming student housing years from now, etc.
HASLETT — Developers have submitted conceptual plans to bring 301 new housing units to Meridian Township with a Haslett Village Square project they hope to start this summer.
At a Meridian Economic Development Corp. meeting Thursday, developers Chad Koster and Mike Bosgraaf talked about their plans and how, in a perfect world — if they get all the approvals needed, they could start demolition work this summer to clear out existing strip mall buildings on the property.
If the project is approved by all involved entities, the development could include a fitness center, outdoor patios with fire pits, a dog park, pickleball courts, electric vehicle charging stations, a food truck vendor hub and a commercial space for such things as a coffee shop with a drive-thru or brewery.
Looks like the Trader Joe's across from Whole Foods is moving forward. I'd not known the Golden Wok had closed. From the City Pulse:
MONDAY, April 18 — Long-sought plans to bring a Trader Joe’s to Greater Lansing are moving forward as scheduled after developers submitted a request this month to Meridian Township officials to attach two large signs on two walls of the unbuilt grocery store.
A memo filed last week in township records shows site plans to build a 13,500-square-foot “Trader Joe’s specialty grocery store” at 2755 Grand River Ave. in East Lansing have been approved. The former Golden Wok building on the 2-acre property was demolished last month, leaving a dirt patch in its place. And while no crews were working in the snow today, developers at Strathmore Real Estate Group said they expect the store to be ready to open by “early 2023.”
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He's what happened over in the Village:
And we get a rendering of the Pine proposed for part of Haslett Village Square, the shopping center at the southwest corner of Haslett and Marsh:
Reading some of the comments on a local news site from the township board of trustees, though, they sounded like they are having typical trolly NIMBY concerns thinking this is too big a development for the location, worried about it becoming student housing years from now, etc.