I was checking the EL planning agendas for the first time in months and there's actually a small item of note: A developer proposes tearing down the office building at 601 Abbot to build a 32 unit condo building that would be three floors over parking. (June 11th planning board meeting)
I think this will be a good test to see if people, and the bureaucracy, of EL are amenable to such developments. I imagine there's a pretty good demand for such condos along portions Abbot, Harrison and Grand River.
It is interesting to note that this relatively recently built office building would be replaced with non-student housing. I could see a couple more office buildings being replaced with housing along Abbot, I believe that the building across the street was also an office building that has been repurposed as studio apartment building. I like that in this case they want to build a new building, and I would think that it fits into the neighborhood and there would be no abjections.
The conflict of interest didn't stem from the sidewalk itself, but the retaining wall that the city installed which bordered the office of the city attorney.
The owners of The Student Bookstore want to build a 14 floor 325 unit apartment building on the site of their building, they're asking the city to revise it's requirement for low and lower income housing. Apparently the city is at least being mildly receptive, which is promising given the lack of new construction there despite favorable national and local trends. If they do revise their rules I'd expect a lot more happening in EL.
I guess agree to disagree. I believe the ordinance does create a not-insignificant barrier to development, look no further than the City Center/The Abbot saga where they still have not complied with the requirement, or Landmark which did market rate senior housing instead (a market with limited demand in downtown EL). You can't build $400k or $600k per unit buildings and lease them for "affordable" rates without having some very wealthy residents paying exorbitant rents to subsidize the whole scheme, not exactly something this region is overflowing in.
EL politicians and the misguided NIMBY residents that back them may ultimately be the biggest barrier to development, they nitpicked the next phases of the HUB out of existence even though it was in their designated student housing district after all, but the ordinance is not helping the city in any way. EL is hurting itself and in doing so hurting the region.
BTW, this is the same city that turned down a 100% affordable housing development to preserve a parking lot.
Just so you know the Landmark is all student housing, it is the Newman's Lofts a separate building on Albert that is senior market rate housing. I live in the Newman Lofts building and I would say it is nearly 90% leased, the rents are not really out of line with most in the area these days. We do add a little diversity to the neighborhood and year-round customers for local business. I believe that affordable senior housing would be a good thing for downtown EL, I wonder why the locals would oppose that. Albert Ave downtown is in no one's back yard.
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I think this will be a good test to see if people, and the bureaucracy, of EL are amenable to such developments. I imagine there's a pretty good demand for such condos along portions Abbot, Harrison and Grand River.
https://eastlansinginfo.news/a-longtime-east-lansing-business-owner-wants-to-build-housing-downtown-first-the-city-will-have-to-change-its-policies/
EL politicians and the misguided NIMBY residents that back them may ultimately be the biggest barrier to development, they nitpicked the next phases of the HUB out of existence even though it was in their designated student housing district after all, but the ordinance is not helping the city in any way. EL is hurting itself and in doing so hurting the region.
BTW, this is the same city that turned down a 100% affordable housing development to preserve a parking lot.