Well, this came out of nowhere and is a big deal. Someone on city council is introducing an ordinance this week that would create a downtown overlay district that would finally allow buildings over 140 feet in the city.
It would raise the height another 20 feet to 160 feet, which I'm fine with. I don't mind height limits for downtown East Lansing, even though I'm sure some people would want to get rid of it altogether. But given how physically constrained it is, 140 feet is just not enough.
Now that the 10ish story buildings are up downtown, I think it is becoming obvious that they are not the overpowering monoliths that the EL NIMBY's feared. So why not go higher!
Wasn't the height limit just increased from 120 to 140 feet for Park Place? There is definitely a proposal that is the cause for an increase to 160. It could be Park Place wanting to go higher. If not there, maybe we'll finally see a proposal for the lot behind Peanut Barrel?
Jared, there may be but I haven't heard of it. It may just be that they realize that 140 feet is too constraining. The borders for this new district do indeed include part of Park Place. But it also includes downtown in general, which is why I'm thinking this wasn't proposed for a particular project.
I'm thinking this may actually be a replacement for the proposal last month that would have allowed extra height for Park Place. I think they realize that these height increases for Park Place and earlier for East Village are too piecemeal. The overlay district would be a more comprehensive solution.
BTW, increasing the max to 160 feet is still pussy-footing around a bit, though. Ann Arbor's max height limit is 180 feet. Personally, I'd just rip the band-aid off and set the max at 200 feet. That get you a 15 to 20-story building depending on the height of the lower floors and/or any architectural crowns and such.
I think it'd give developers enough leeway to mess around with and create some distinctive roof-top crowns and other architectural elements. What I kind of fear is that 160 feet may still not be enough, and what we'll end up with is just taller versions of what we're already getting with Park District, Park Place, Hub, etc. But this is certainly a start.
Another interesting thing Ann Arbor does - and many other cities do - to cut down on overly massive/bulky buildings is the use of FAR (Floor Area Ratio). Before I fully understood it I was opposed to on the idea that I thought it simply regulated height, but it doesn't explicitly do that. So I'm more open to the idea as a way to address concerns of buildings like SkyVue over in Lansing.
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Valley Court! Great name
Well, this came out of nowhere and is a big deal. Someone on city council is introducing an ordinance this week that would create a downtown overlay district that would finally allow buildings over 140 feet in the city.
http://eastlansing.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=1842&meta_id=70743
It would raise the height another 20 feet to 160 feet, which I'm fine with. I don't mind height limits for downtown East Lansing, even though I'm sure some people would want to get rid of it altogether. But given how physically constrained it is, 140 feet is just not enough.
Now that the 10ish story buildings are up downtown, I think it is becoming obvious that they are not the overpowering monoliths that the EL NIMBY's feared. So why not go higher!
That would be nice. And more upsizing East of Bogue St. too.
https://eastlansinginfo.org/content/green-grocer-and-upscale-market-coming-downtown-east-lansing
I did see that. I really hope they have a good cheese selection. A nice fromagerie would fill a notable gap in the local food scene IMO.
Yes to upsizing east of Bogue. It's totally ripe for it. Wasn't there a 6-story building being proposed at one point, built around a tree
??
Jared, there may be but I haven't heard of it. It may just be that they realize that 140 feet is too constraining. The borders for this new district do indeed include part of Park Place. But it also includes downtown in general, which is why I'm thinking this wasn't proposed for a particular project.
I'm thinking this may actually be a replacement for the proposal last month that would have allowed extra height for Park Place. I think they realize that these height increases for Park Place and earlier for East Village are too piecemeal. The overlay district would be a more comprehensive solution.
BTW, increasing the max to 160 feet is still pussy-footing around a bit, though. Ann Arbor's max height limit is 180 feet. Personally, I'd just rip the band-aid off and set the max at 200 feet. That get you a 15 to 20-story building depending on the height of the lower floors and/or any architectural crowns and such.
I think it'd give developers enough leeway to mess around with and create some distinctive roof-top crowns and other architectural elements. What I kind of fear is that 160 feet may still not be enough, and what we'll end up with is just taller versions of what we're already getting with Park District, Park Place, Hub, etc. But this is certainly a start.
Another interesting thing Ann Arbor does - and many other cities do - to cut down on overly massive/bulky buildings is the use of FAR (Floor Area Ratio). Before I fully understood it I was opposed to on the idea that I thought it simply regulated height, but it doesn't explicitly do that. So I'm more open to the idea as a way to address concerns of buildings like SkyVue over in Lansing.
MJ - yes there was. As far as I know, that project is still in limbo...