There really isn't much other use for that site. I'm surprised they aren't putting up another gas station, to be honest. With how the road is layed out (it's a highway) this is a decent enough usage.
The previous gas station that was there had a problem with robberies, due to the way the city required the gas station be developed. I would believe that the city would require the same style gas station if another were to be built or reoccupied, and that may be what turns off that use.
I was just saying that at that prominent corner in such a suburban setting, the use for that site is very limited. That's a very large and busy intersection, and very auto-oriented, so there isn't much use for it besides something very car oriented.
The work that is going on at the corner of Hagadorn and Mt. Hope in East Lansing/Okemos is for another student housing complex dubbed "The Hamptons". The State News is reporting that it will be 1,200 sq ft (an obvious typo, unless they mean per unit). They don't mention how many units, but they do say that there is plans for first floor retail.
The hotel that is planned for Trowbridge Rd may be a Hilton franchise. This will be East Lansing's seventh hotel, and East Lansing would like to see another hotel built within the East Village development.
I think its a great place for a hotel, but it seems like a strange location for a "Hilton". I realize the brand has languished in the last few years, but Trowbridge isn't at all what I would picture as a location for a Hilton hotel.
What Trowbridge really needs is a quality gas station. I'm pretty sure that Marathon closed up because they were consistently more expensive than most of the other gast stations in the area (I think it's a trend among Marathon stations). As a commuter student, I'd love to have a decent gas station put back at that corner. If for no reason other than there isn't one anywhere near that location really.
Gas station exits on freeways can afford to be much higher priced. BTW, I don't think they went out of business because their prices were to high, rather they've been pulling out of the area, in general. This is also happening with Shell, who has closed down all of their Lansing locations, I believe. Gas stations are freeway exits never go out of business because they are overpriced. In fact, high-priced gasoline absolutely thrives at freeway exists.
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Cite: http://www.statenews.com/article.phtml?pk=40273