The whole NIMBY argument here is so out of whack with the market. You only have to drive to the edges of East Lansing to see that the demand is not being let in to the city. The people fighting against this development are going to make developers lose their profit margins and make projects like these not possible. It does cost more to build density. Taking off the top two floors can be a deal breaker for a project.
East Lansing's whole NIMBY thing just blows my mind. By national standards, we are a fairly slow growing metro area. It'd be different if developers were proposing 20-story condo buildings in downtown East Lansing, but we're talking projects that can't by ordinance cross about 10-stories.
It kind of makes me wish developers would take more of a chance on downtown Lansing since East Lansing is so averse and picky with this kind of development. Hell, Virg would make sure even a 50-story condo tower could get through even if someone proposed it on Clara's parking lot. lol
Yeah, I can't believe these people. It's like they've been completely oblivious to the changes that are happening around them and to the trends in the housing market in general. One of the quotes was someone concerned about property values, it's as if they think a vacant lot and underused properties are good for property values.
With no inside knowledge, I think there will be a project announced for the frontage of Frandor Plus, including the current National City building. That building should be demolished when National City moves in to the new Midtown development on the site of the old Silver Dollar Saloon.
The extended parking lot has had a build-to-suit sign posted there for a long time, but I could see more mixed-use residential/retail moving in there depending on how occupancy rates at the Midtown are.
I wouldn't doubt it, especially if Gillespie were the developer (he could easily have a deal with National City for their building). It'd be wise for him or anyone else to capitalize on the future Red Cedar development as much as they can before property values change significantly.
Random question here - I think it would be cool to see some photos of our condominium building while it was under construction. The building is Brentwood Park Condominiums in East Lansing, and it was only finished in 2003. A while back I emailed the architectural firm but received no reply (and it looks like their website hasn't been updated since 2008), and our management company doesn't have any photos either. At one point I dropped in city hall to see if they would have anything, drawings or building permits that might be interesting - actually they couldn't find anything on the building at all! Makes you feel good right there. Anyway... any other suggestions? Surely some photos were taken.
I remember that plot of land before it was Brentwood. There used to be a house on the land that had a sizable yard (the lot was the full size of the Brentwood development). The property backed up to a dirt pathway that connected Pin Oak Lane and Eastminster Presbyterian Church. The trail included some dirt jumps and I used to ride my BMX bike on it back in the day When they started construction on Brentwood and Park Place (next door), the construction removed the pathway.
I too wish there were some pictures of it. They have to exist somewhere, but probably not online.
Wait, so the multi-story portion is recessed to the back of the site? I'm not sure why I was under the impression that they were going to demolish everything and reconstruct it with apartments on top.
@david_shane The only other things I could think of trying would be finding out the general contractor and asking them, persuing the architect further or just digging deep into Google or the various photo sites hoping to find something.
As for the Showroom Shine building, I wouldn't of guessed that they were going to keep the old building on the site either. On the plus side at least it looks a little interesting compared to similar buildings around there, even though the rendering doesn't give too much hope to the quality of the building.
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It kind of makes me wish developers would take more of a chance on downtown Lansing since East Lansing is so averse and picky with this kind of development. Hell, Virg would make sure even a 50-story condo tower could get through even if someone proposed it on Clara's parking lot. lol
The extended parking lot has had a build-to-suit sign posted there for a long time, but I could see more mixed-use residential/retail moving in there depending on how occupancy rates at the Midtown are.
I too wish there were some pictures of it. They have to exist somewhere, but probably not online.
http://screencast.com/t/XuXRvxV1dCYQ
http://screencast.com/t/69pJgFGrSsC
http://screencast.com/t/P4ZohROeZf
http://eastlansing.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=307&meta_id=17524
As for the Showroom Shine building, I wouldn't of guessed that they were going to keep the old building on the site either. On the plus side at least it looks a little interesting compared to similar buildings around there, even though the rendering doesn't give too much hope to the quality of the building.