They've even done some solid projects down the road in Ann Arbor. So, it really just seems to have something to do with the difficulty of the process of developing in East Lansing, and particularly at this site. It's just been a series of unfortunate events, though with Chappelle finally seemingly 100% cut off from this site, I have faith that the Park District will get done in some fashion.
Anyway, if there is a connection between Park District and Center City District, it might just be proof that it has been the problem of Chappelle all along that's disrupted and bedeviled Park District.
Interesting. Fortunately, these don't sound like significant delays, and everything is still tentatively on schedule. I'm glad to hear everyone is being so thorough and doing their due dilligence.
Yeah, for as much as ELi has investigated and uncovered, and this article is a great look at the insides of how the sausage is made, we still haven't heard too much about Red Cedar Renaissance. I can imagine that their project faces similar issues around financing and the order of construction.
I really hope this goes through as planned. That East Lansing Info article is very worrisome. Those are the same sorts of seemingly innocuous details that keep tripping up 100 Grand River (or whatever it's called today). I get sad imagining this and 100 Grand River getting caught up in a bunch of delays, holding all of that real estate hostage. Being right across the street from MSU, that stretch should be full of life. Instead it's starting to look a bit forlorn. I know that's temporary - but temporary sure can be a long time.
To me, it sounds like East Lansing has really been pushing for projects that are too grandiose. The financing always sound very much stretched to the limit. I say scale down a tad. If the resulting buildings only end up being 6 stories tall or something, it won't be a disaster. If the market demands it, one day they can build something taller a few blocks away. I almost think East Lansing would be served better by a more incremental scaling up anyway, rather than a few shock and awe developments.
I've noticed that East Lansing Info articles always take a worrisome angle. Sometimes they are right (100 Grand), but I also feel a lot of the times they are concerning trolling. In this case, the issues don't seem that similar to 100 Grand. They are still significant ones, but ones mostly different. Namely, Center City District isn't dealing with disputed tax credits or a former dead-beat trying to throw a wrench in the works.
I'm not sure we're rouding the corner to home quite yet on this one, but this does seems quite a bit more safe than the always precarious situation that 100 Grand was in.
Isn't this who owns the lot issue similar to the BLW substation site where one city department "owned it" and just transferred the site to another city department? They are more like Mass. out there in E.L., everyone of scores of different boards and offices having their say. Maybe 20 or 30 different people to contact and inform and convince. It takes for ever to get something built in some locations like the Aquarium Parking Garage in Boston . I hope they will get it together at some time it would be nice to see these projects built.
East Lansing is a college town of 50k people, in the Midwest. It should be way easier to get a project done there than in Boston. If I lived in EL I'd be voting everyone out.
Also, would Ann Arbor be working this hard to get a Target on Liberty Street? To me it doesn't make sense and is contrary to how a good college town functions. You want lots of quirky spaces for independent businesses. I feel like EL's ultimate vision is to turn downtown into a glorified strip mall.
I think something like Target should be on the outskirts of downtown, not smack dab in its heart. But I guess that's why they don't pay me the big bucks.
This is crazy. Downtown EL is nothing but indendent businesses; there is only so far you can go with one type of retail segment. The urban Target is literally the thing that's talked about as the game-changer and why the project is so exciting. There has to be some diversity of business. And, yes, every town and the momma is chasing urban Targets.
Comments
I agree.
What's surprising is that Convexity does really nice projects, and don't seem to have a problem developing anywhere else.
https://convexityproperties.com/completed/
They've even done some solid projects down the road in Ann Arbor. So, it really just seems to have something to do with the difficulty of the process of developing in East Lansing, and particularly at this site. It's just been a series of unfortunate events, though with Chappelle finally seemingly 100% cut off from this site, I have faith that the Park District will get done in some fashion.
Anyway, if there is a connection between Park District and Center City District, it might just be proof that it has been the problem of Chappelle all along that's disrupted and bedeviled Park District.
http://eastlansinginfo.org/content/major-parts-center-city-deal-still-air
Interesting. Fortunately, these don't sound like significant delays, and everything is still tentatively on schedule. I'm glad to hear everyone is being so thorough and doing their due dilligence.
Yeah, for as much as ELi has investigated and uncovered, and this article is a great look at the insides of how the sausage is made, we still haven't heard too much about Red Cedar Renaissance. I can imagine that their project faces similar issues around financing and the order of construction.
I really hope this goes through as planned. That East Lansing Info article is very worrisome. Those are the same sorts of seemingly innocuous details that keep tripping up 100 Grand River (or whatever it's called today). I get sad imagining this and 100 Grand River getting caught up in a bunch of delays, holding all of that real estate hostage. Being right across the street from MSU, that stretch should be full of life. Instead it's starting to look a bit forlorn. I know that's temporary - but temporary sure can be a long time.
To me, it sounds like East Lansing has really been pushing for projects that are too grandiose. The financing always sound very much stretched to the limit. I say scale down a tad. If the resulting buildings only end up being 6 stories tall or something, it won't be a disaster. If the market demands it, one day they can build something taller a few blocks away. I almost think East Lansing would be served better by a more incremental scaling up anyway, rather than a few shock and awe developments.
I've noticed that East Lansing Info articles always take a worrisome angle. Sometimes they are right (100 Grand), but I also feel a lot of the times they are concerning trolling. In this case, the issues don't seem that similar to 100 Grand. They are still significant ones, but ones mostly different. Namely, Center City District isn't dealing with disputed tax credits or a former dead-beat trying to throw a wrench in the works.
I'm not sure we're rouding the corner to home quite yet on this one, but this does seems quite a bit more safe than the always precarious situation that 100 Grand was in.
Isn't this who owns the lot issue similar to the BLW substation site where one city department "owned it" and just transferred the site to another city department? They are more like Mass. out there in E.L., everyone of scores of different boards and offices having their say. Maybe 20 or 30 different people to contact and inform and convince. It takes for ever to get something built in some locations like the Aquarium Parking Garage in Boston . I hope they will get it together at some time it would be nice to see these projects built.
East Lansing is a college town of 50k people, in the Midwest. It should be way easier to get a project done there than in Boston. If I lived in EL I'd be voting everyone out.
Also, would Ann Arbor be working this hard to get a Target on Liberty Street? To me it doesn't make sense and is contrary to how a good college town functions. You want lots of quirky spaces for independent businesses. I feel like EL's ultimate vision is to turn downtown into a glorified strip mall.
I think something like Target should be on the outskirts of downtown, not smack dab in its heart. But I guess that's why they don't pay me the big bucks.
This is crazy. Downtown EL is nothing but indendent businesses; there is only so far you can go with one type of retail segment. The urban Target is literally the thing that's talked about as the game-changer and why the project is so exciting. There has to be some diversity of business. And, yes, every town and the momma is chasing urban Targets.