@Jared You do have a very good point about adding some first floor space for something. Just having a small retail/office space facing Washington would make this building palatable, adding in some faux second floor windows should be enough to make it look like a real building. At the very least, even if they choose not to add any occupiable space they should add faux windows to make it look like a two floor building.
I do appreciate that the BWL doing extra stuff to sorta sell this to the community though, they're extending the River Trail on the north side of the river while adding improvements and stairway access to Washington for the River Trail to the south of the river and making improvements to Scott Park. We'll see how this plays out, they explicitly stated in the article that they're going to ask for public input on the exterior design so hopefully that aspect of the proposal will improve. This does seem like it will move very quickly assuming the City approves everything.
This is a substation we're talking about. The last thing they'd want to do is offer any kind of access to the internal space no matter if its still seperated from the most inner workings of the inside. It's the whole reason for the expansion of the wall in the first place. Really, what this is trying to make the best of a bad (asthetic) situation. What is obvious from watching the television news reports of this is that the the BWL had two problems: 1.) It needs a new substation for the area and 2.) it doesn't have the money to buy land and would require a rate hike if it had to buy land for this. Essentially, the city is giving them the land for free, so it's a two-birds/one-stone situation.
I'd be lying after seeing these conceptual renderings to say that I'm pleased with this. The vehicle access right off of one-lane, more pedestrian-heavy Washington - particularly with that also being the new pedestrian access to the riverfront - instead of some non-descript entrance off Malcolm X strikes me as particularly bizarre. The whole wall looks cheap to me. In my mind, if they have to do this, I'd rather them just build up the existing stone wall and not call any more attention to the site. Maybe stretch some ivy up the sides and continue the expanded wall around Malcolm X. I'd rather they not bring attention to a wall. It can't look nice no matter how much you gussy it up because it's a wall.
I really just wish that GM could have offered them that parking lot to the south of the site. That area is already industrial and would be more out-of-the-way. The BWL is usually fairly good at working utility structures into the neighborhoods in which they are located, and while this isn't the worst I've ever seen - they could really just put up a chain-link fence around a concrete platform that holds all of the equipment - it goes to the other extreme of looking kind of tacky and drawing attention to itself. Hopefully, with some more community, they'll make this better. First thing I'd do is cut it out with the red/brown brick and make it (dark/dull) decorative stone or something, something to draw attention away from the actual wall and then maybe your eyes would be drawn more to the other visual elements decorations.
While I don't realistically expect them to incorporate any occupiable space here, there's nothing about it being a sub station that would necessarily preclude it from having occupiable space. It's my understanding that in larger urban areas substations are often underground or incorporated into larger buildings where space is tight. I don't think there's much you'll be able to do to hide a 20+ foot monolithic wall built out to the street, you just have to put in the effort and investment to make it look good. I still think that given the context of the neighborhood, the most fitting way to do this is to "hide" it by making it look like just another building, but in order to not be cheesy and/or obvious there would have to be some care taken in the design.
There's no way I'll be happy to see a substation here, but If they get the design of its surrounding walls right I might be able to live with a substation here, they can make me happier about it by making meaningful improvements to the River Trail along with Scott Park and its gardens.
This brownstone in Brooklyn is actually a facade and is a subway ventilation building. They did a pretty nice job of not making it look ugly in the middle of the neighborhood.
I'd also add that I think MSU did a pretty good job of making their parking structure on Grand River look like the Circle Drive buildings. It's not really noticeable as a parking garage when driving down Grand River unless you know it is there or look closely at it.
I live right next door in REOtown and this whole thing caught me by surprise,I had not heard anything about this plan. Yesterday the city was there trimming trees and cutting out vines and brush next to the stone wall. It had looked like it had been a long time since they did anything like that. Maybe the mayor is going to hold a press conference. When I was a kid that area was fenced off and all overgrown, we would sneak in there to find the secret garden. I remember the carpets of white snow bells and mertal [spelling] flowers growing in the underbrush that are still there and blooming today. Now, I like to take a little time to sit in the sunken garden it is so beautiful and nicely taken care of. It is sad to say but I rarely see anyone else there.
I think if they have to build a sub-station why not build it right next to the small sub-station that is right there in the parking lot at GM. That lot is never full there would be plenty of space. If it has to be in Scott Park then why not in the parking area between the two buildings back off the street on the high bank of the river. I know that history means little in this area, as this is where the Barnes and Olds mansions once stood, but do they have to destroy what little is left when there are so many vacant properties and already industrialized areas in Lansing. How about right across the tracks from the new REOtown plant there is still a lot of undeveloped land in former REO plant property.
All the other improvements would be great without the sub-station. The walks landscaping and river trail enhancements would really help people find and use Scott Park. I always thought the Scott House would make a great youth hostel.
Really, the GM site is the perfect location for it. But there is also the land on the other side of Washington where the Deluxe Inn stood. It wouldn't have to stop any other development from coming in and using whatever is left of the site.
I'd spoken about it above, but they picked the Scott Gardens site because the city already owns the land and the BWL didn't want to do a rate hike to buy land; the general manager and mayor made this comment on the news the other day. It just seems like they could have found some money somewhere to buy the empty land on either side of the gardens. I think Ingham County (Land Bank) owns the Deluxe Inn site and GM owns the parking lot to the south. Seems like they could have negotiated some kind of deal that wouldn't have cost them much money, since either of them are both good neighbors and do stuff for the community.
In fact, given where the transmission lines and existing substation are currently located, the GM parking lot to the south off of Townsend makes even more sense. Maybe, if people feel strongly about this, they could shoot this idea over to the BWL:
While it is understandable that the city already owns the park, it seems to me the cost of moving the garden and all the rest could be saved by siting the sub-station on a ready to build site like the Towsend Street GM parking areas. Maybe they could find a way to use the Olds administration building.
I just took a walk down there on the river trail and a building up there would loom over the south bank and take out a lot of nice trees that could not be moved. It's the only wooded high bank on the north side between Grand River Park and North Lansing. The sunken garden is unique in Lansing and is the nicest formal garden here. This has to be the place they have to build a power station?
Thank you for the contact info. I'll be sending them my thoughts.
@Jared I think your example of that rowhouse is a great example of how to hide utility structure in an urban area. The same philosophy should be adhered to with this substation's design.
@gbinlansing I also find it hard to believe that the BWL has $24 million to build the substation but couldn't come up with $1 million or so for a plot of land somewhere else.
Comments
I do appreciate that the BWL doing extra stuff to sorta sell this to the community though, they're extending the River Trail on the north side of the river while adding improvements and stairway access to Washington for the River Trail to the south of the river and making improvements to Scott Park. We'll see how this plays out, they explicitly stated in the article that they're going to ask for public input on the exterior design so hopefully that aspect of the proposal will improve. This does seem like it will move very quickly assuming the City approves everything.
I'd be lying after seeing these conceptual renderings to say that I'm pleased with this. The vehicle access right off of one-lane, more pedestrian-heavy Washington - particularly with that also being the new pedestrian access to the riverfront - instead of some non-descript entrance off Malcolm X strikes me as particularly bizarre. The whole wall looks cheap to me. In my mind, if they have to do this, I'd rather them just build up the existing stone wall and not call any more attention to the site. Maybe stretch some ivy up the sides and continue the expanded wall around Malcolm X. I'd rather they not bring attention to a wall. It can't look nice no matter how much you gussy it up because it's a wall.
I really just wish that GM could have offered them that parking lot to the south of the site. That area is already industrial and would be more out-of-the-way. The BWL is usually fairly good at working utility structures into the neighborhoods in which they are located, and while this isn't the worst I've ever seen - they could really just put up a chain-link fence around a concrete platform that holds all of the equipment - it goes to the other extreme of looking kind of tacky and drawing attention to itself. Hopefully, with some more community, they'll make this better. First thing I'd do is cut it out with the red/brown brick and make it (dark/dull) decorative stone or something, something to draw attention away from the actual wall and then maybe your eyes would be drawn more to the other visual elements decorations.
There's no way I'll be happy to see a substation here, but If they get the design of its surrounding walls right I might be able to live with a substation here, they can make me happier about it by making meaningful improvements to the River Trail along with Scott Park and its gardens.
I'd also add that I think MSU did a pretty good job of making their parking structure on Grand River look like the Circle Drive buildings. It's not really noticeable as a parking garage when driving down Grand River unless you know it is there or look closely at it.
I think if they have to build a sub-station why not build it right next to the small sub-station that is right there in the parking lot at GM. That lot is never full there would be plenty of space. If it has to be in Scott Park then why not in the parking area between the two buildings back off the street on the high bank of the river. I know that history means little in this area, as this is where the Barnes and Olds mansions once stood, but do they have to destroy what little is left when there are so many vacant properties and already industrialized areas in Lansing. How about right across the tracks from the new REOtown plant there is still a lot of undeveloped land in former REO plant property.
All the other improvements would be great without the sub-station. The walks landscaping and river trail enhancements would really help people find and use Scott Park. I always thought the Scott House would make a great youth hostel.
In fact, given where the transmission lines and existing substation are currently located, the GM parking lot to the south off of Townsend makes even more sense. Maybe, if people feel strongly about this, they could shoot this idea over to the BWL:
http://www.lbwl.com/About-the-BWL/Newsroom-Welcome/
sxs@lbwl.com
I just took a walk down there on the river trail and a building up there would loom over the south bank and take out a lot of nice trees that could not be moved. It's the only wooded high bank on the north side between Grand River Park and North Lansing. The sunken garden is unique in Lansing and is the nicest formal garden here. This has to be the place they have to build a power station?
Thank you for the contact info. I'll be sending them my thoughts.
@gbinlansing I also find it hard to believe that the BWL has $24 million to build the substation but couldn't come up with $1 million or so for a plot of land somewhere else.