Ha!, yes! The EL Az building... Have we seen any renderings or heard any recent news about that? This block has the potential to be the coolest block in the metro area.
I can't find any renderings for the El Az building, I think it's still a year or more away from work beginning. While looking though, I found the following bit in the April 16th City Council minutes:
Held a public hearing and approved an application from Wolf River Development Company for Site Plan and Special Use Permit approval for the property at 504 Michigan Avenue to demolish existing gas station and construct a four story, mixed-use building. The property is zoned B-2, Retail Sales Business District.
This is the BP gas station that is between the many developments near Harrison and Michigan Ave. Nice to see how filled in that area is getting once the zoning changed.
I found the plans for the 504 Michigan Avenue development.
This will be the front of the building. The metal gate you see in the middle is decorative and not designed to be an entrance for cars. Entrance to the first floor parking will be via Louis St.
The commercial part of the building will be 1200 sq ft, only about enough for a small Subway or convenience store. It would have been nice to see more commercial along the front of the building. I wonder what kind of requirements the city has for parking, in other words, is the city requiring a minimum number of spaces and that's why they can't add more retail?
The Barnes & Noble location on Grand River in downtown East Lansing now has some interior remodeling underway. I haven't seen anything posted in the news about it, but they have all the windows covered with construction paper and taped shut. Only a couple weeks ago all the windows were uncovered and the location was being used as a public meeting space.
I'm hoping a business has leased it out and is working on getting the location ready for occupancy before the school year starts in the Fall.
Gillespie Group has a link to a siteplan for the old Silver Dollar location on Michigan Avenue.
It looks like they are proposing a midlevel building (~4 floors) with a bank in the front. The building will have a narrow frontage but run deep along the property. It looks to have first floor parking with three floors of residential above it. There will be a limited size surface lot.
If they can pull it off, then I would expect that PNC Bank would move into the building and vacate their current building which is next door. It'd be nice if another building got built in place of the PNC Bank. It's my understanding that the building was designed to only be temporary, so it has long outlived its intentions.
Here are some mockups from the DTN proposed development on Grand River that would tear down the original Biggby location and use the vacant land directly across the street.
Location: 300 Grand River
Type: Mixed-Use
Year: Anticipated to start in 2013
Status: Pre-construction
Commercial: 2,300 square feet
Residential: proposed 148 units
This would rebuild a new Biggby in essentially the same location with the addition of a drive-through, and additional commercial/retail space along Valley Court. There will be 2 levels of parking for the residential and commercial users. Delta Street would remain where it is. The proposed building will bridge over the top of Delta St.
It's great to get the vacant land occupied as well as a better use of the Biggby land. I don't think there is really anything architecturally significant about the Biggby building, except for the historical significance that it's the original location.
I'm disappointed that they want a drive-through here. Drive-throughs really shouldn't be allowed in urban cores, as they create too many hazards for pedestrians and cyclists. They also promote the car-heavy traffic, and don't push people to support the surrounding businesses.
Part of me likes how the development bridges Delta St, but the other part of me doesn't like how it closes off the park and makes Valley Court park seem very hidden to people on Grand River.
I agree on all points, Jared. Hopefully, the drive through will be incorporated into the enclosed parking and will share an exit with the parking.
I have no idea what I'm looking at when I see that rendering. It's a cool idea, but the rendering looks like something from Star Wars. I can't get any sense of what it will actually look like when built- especially the scale of it... I guess it's important to remember that it will be 6 stories tall, so what looks like a really narrow and short opening for vehicles is maybe 12 feel tall? Is that a glass walkway over Delta St?
It will have a big presence on Grand River Ave and will really change the feel of the area. That's for sure.
Comments
This will be the front of the building. The metal gate you see in the middle is decorative and not designed to be an entrance for cars. Entrance to the first floor parking will be via Louis St.
The south and west elevations and the north and east elevations. More information can be seen on the full plans.
I'm hoping a business has leased it out and is working on getting the location ready for occupancy before the school year starts in the Fall.
It looks like they are proposing a midlevel building (~4 floors) with a bank in the front. The building will have a narrow frontage but run deep along the property. It looks to have first floor parking with three floors of residential above it. There will be a limited size surface lot.
If they can pull it off, then I would expect that PNC Bank would move into the building and vacate their current building which is next door. It'd be nice if another building got built in place of the PNC Bank. It's my understanding that the building was designed to only be temporary, so it has long outlived its intentions.
Here's a link to the site plans, http://www.gillespie-group.com/docs/MidtownSitePlan.pdf
http://screencast.com/t/f6GcSxTT7tu
http://screencast.com/t/iOwWp3d2V
DTN proposal mentioning the project It's great to get the vacant land occupied as well as a better use of the Biggby land. I don't think there is really anything architecturally significant about the Biggby building, except for the historical significance that it's the original location.
I'm disappointed that they want a drive-through here. Drive-throughs really shouldn't be allowed in urban cores, as they create too many hazards for pedestrians and cyclists. They also promote the car-heavy traffic, and don't push people to support the surrounding businesses.
Part of me likes how the development bridges Delta St, but the other part of me doesn't like how it closes off the park and makes Valley Court park seem very hidden to people on Grand River.
I have no idea what I'm looking at when I see that rendering. It's a cool idea, but the rendering looks like something from Star Wars. I can't get any sense of what it will actually look like when built- especially the scale of it... I guess it's important to remember that it will be 6 stories tall, so what looks like a really narrow and short opening for vehicles is maybe 12 feel tall? Is that a glass walkway over Delta St?
It will have a big presence on Grand River Ave and will really change the feel of the area. That's for sure.