EL is considering making part of the Bailey Neighborhood a testbed for a new form-based code. It certainly sounds like a positive to me, I've long hoped to see EL be a little more friendly to redevelopment of some the student oriented single family neighborhoods near Grand River into something more dense and although the details aren't settled it sounds promising:
The city hasn’t yet adopted a new code for this area, but what planners have been discussing is implementing a form-based code here to encourage the demolition of old rental housing stock to replace that with small apartment buildings and townhouse-style homes.
Yeah, only about four blocks though, looks like just the southern two blocks Orchard and Kedzie St fall within both boundaries. It's an odd historic district anyway, I'd hope the city reconsiders its status as time goes on.
There's now some insight on the EL government drama recently. There's a lot to digest here but it seems to basically boil down to a power grab gone awry.
The work on the exterior of the new MSUFCU building looks to be about finished, they put up the signage at the top and street level of the building and all together imo! the building looks pretty nice, like it is easy on the eyes, just a nicely designed building at least from my view. It does block the sun from our patio in the afternoon so it would have been extra annoying to have to look at an ugly building besides! Albert Ave is closed for the summer so now it will be great when they open up all the south bound lanes of Abbot Rd... Remember the Art Festival is this weekend, so parking will be crazy. I'd park out in the commuter lot and ride the CATA bus if I was coming from out of EL.
There's a proposal for a 5 floor, 120 unit affordable apartment building on the city lot at Albert & Bailey, this project would leave an open lot at the corner. Construction could start by the end of the year.
Sounds like a good plan by people who have the funds and the experience for this sort of project. The depiction of the new building is OK, not very exciting but at least it will be a street level building not adding to the parking ramp canyon on Albert Ave... I like the idea of more non-student housing, which helps the whole downtown community.
Even though they present it as non-student housing I fully expect it will be 85%+ students/recent grads living there. The income requirements just require that a student is not claimed on their parents tax returns. Once the building is 40%+ students, the 30+ year old population will leave.
The building looks decent. Peanut Barrel will suffer losing the parking lot. I'd like to see the city give the first 2 hours free in the lots. I think that will really help bring more people downtown.
Comments
https://eastlansinginfo.news/special-east-lansing-district-identified-as-ripe-for-redevelopment/
https://eastlansinginfo.news/just-released-8-page-memo-shows-plan-to-remake-east-lansing-government-sheds-light-on-resignations/
https://eastlansinginfo.news/developer-wants-to-build-affordable-workforce-housing-on-bailey-parking-lot/
The building looks decent. Peanut Barrel will suffer losing the parking lot. I'd like to see the city give the first 2 hours free in the lots. I think that will really help bring more people downtown.
2hr free parking would definitely take a barrier away for people wanting to visit down there, do they not do any parking promotions now?