They rebuilt/expanded Okemos south of I-96 last year I think. I also read something within the last year about them reworking the Jolly/Okemos intersection, I think the main improvement was supposed to be adding right turn lanes, but there may have been more to it. I'd guess that work is for this summer.
I didn't read anything about how the market will function but I got the impression that it was just part of the development, it could very well be that this will be the new home for their existing market though.
I like the design of the buildings but I wish there would be some green space inside of the development. Converting one of those surface lots to a grassy field would be an improvement.
Does seem like a lot of parking and roadway in the site plan....and only one entrance and exit?
There's a lot going on at Jolly/Okemos rd. I hope the township/county start working aggressively towards making this area walkable and pedestrian friendly. Could be a great little town-center. A lot of families and seems like a pretty diverse population out there, too. I could see a little transit center ....and tie the whole area together with greenways. This is what smart suburbs are doing to stay viable.
*tie the area in with greenways that already exist. For what was started as an isolated freeway exit, this area has pretty good bones for more urban kind of development.
The 1-acre lot across the street from the fire station on Okemos Road near Jolly is being developed. It was previously home to a single-family ranch, but it was cleared some years ago. A new 8-unit apartment building is being built on the site now. Each unit will have three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, one-car garage and a full basement. Two extra parking spaces per unit will be provided on-site. The units are 1,315 sq ft, and each unit will be licensed for three unrelated individuals.
Here are some pictures of the construction progress from today.
OKEMOS – A $60 million development combining apartment units, an indoor farmers-type market and various businesses is back on track at Meridian Township’s southern limits.
The proposed development, called Okemos Pointe, will be located just west of the Meridian Crossing commercial area at Okemos and Jolly roads. Plans call for 19 apartment buildings, a mixed-use structure and the repurposing of two existing buildings.
The whole thing will be tied into Meridian’s pathways system, and that excites Brent Forsberg, who is president of T.A. Forsberg Inc., the Okemos-based real estate firm developing the property.
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Forsberg said he anticipates a ground-breaking around the end of September, with the first apartments ready for leasing by the summer of 2017.
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Also:
There will be 19 three-story apartment buildings, with residences also included in other structures. There will be up to 390 units in all, Forsberg said, covering 37 acres but the developers will start out with about 120 “core” units and expand from there.
Apartments will have one to three bedrooms.
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Along with the apartment buildings, an existing building that T.A. Forsberg owns at 2362 Jolly Oak will be converted into an “Okemos Pointe Market Place.” Kieselbach said vendors will be able to sell items such as fruit and produce, baked items, canned goods and crafts.
Forsberg expects a 2018 opening for the market.
T.A. Forsberg’s offices, also on Jolly Road, would be moved to a mezzanine in the market building, he said.
Another existing building, at 2398 Jolly Road, will be for various commercial ventures. The Cancun Mexican Grill and Woody’s Oasis are there now, but four other suites are unoccupied. Forsberg said developers are looking at a health-food retailer or possibly a food business incubator taking up shop.
Plans also call for a mixed-use structure in another existing building to the immediate north.
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Market building:
I do hope they do a bit more with the architecture, but it's just good to see a bit more density in development going on in Meridian Township. That said, reading the article, it's clear to me that Meridian Township needs to change it's zoning codes. The developer had to get a special land use permit just to get a mixed-use development, and this has always been a problem there. Meridian has always tried to limit development like few other municipalities in the area, but it's zoning code actually exacerbates sprawl. I remember some years back someone wanting to convert an upstairs above a shop on Grand River into an apartment and all the hoops they had to jump through for that.
The description stated that this may not be how the buildings will appear, so perhaps that means they will look better than theses drawings. The apartments look interesting but the market building looks like the Lansing City Market. I am not a big fan of the market's design which looks like a fancy pole barn.
It said that they are preliminary drawings, not necessarily that the final designs would be radically different. I suspect what we see is largely what we'll get.
Anyway, the market building you see is an existing building (a metal-sided warehouse) that they are going to refurbish as a market.
Thanks, I have not been out that way during my year back home. When I moved east there was nothing out there, so I guess I should go find out there is a whole mini-city out there, with more to come. Maybe not as looks like kind of more of the same, the Jackson Life building looks very nice however.
Comments
I didn't read anything about how the market will function but I got the impression that it was just part of the development, it could very well be that this will be the new home for their existing market though.
There's a lot going on at Jolly/Okemos rd. I hope the township/county start working aggressively towards making this area walkable and pedestrian friendly. Could be a great little town-center. A lot of families and seems like a pretty diverse population out there, too. I could see a little transit center ....and tie the whole area together with greenways. This is what smart suburbs are doing to stay viable.
Here are some pictures of the construction progress from today.
@MichMatters Didn't you mention some apartments that were supposed to go there but you heard they were cancelled or something?
Also:
Market building:
I do hope they do a bit more with the architecture, but it's just good to see a bit more density in development going on in Meridian Township. That said, reading the article, it's clear to me that Meridian Township needs to change it's zoning codes. The developer had to get a special land use permit just to get a mixed-use development, and this has always been a problem there. Meridian has always tried to limit development like few other municipalities in the area, but it's zoning code actually exacerbates sprawl. I remember some years back someone wanting to convert an upstairs above a shop on Grand River into an apartment and all the hoops they had to jump through for that.
Anyway, the market building you see is an existing building (a metal-sided warehouse) that they are going to refurbish as a market.