Larry Meyer, recently elected to the LCC Board bluntly stated that he wants to renew discussion about LCC buying the N. Capitol parking ramp. Still hope for that to go through?
At least in my view, that train left the station, micro. My support for that project was to keep them from turning the University Center greenspace into a parking lot. I doubt very seriously they'd grass it back over even if they got the parking garage, so at least for me, I don't care what happens from there on out, anymore. Both they and the city messed that one up on that one.
Lancity, short of buying out the residents on that part of the riverfront and developing just those blocks, it really wouldn't make any sense to bring the river trial to that side of the river. The park department has been so successful over the history of the river trail percisesly because they've ran it along old railway routes and through cheap, defunct industrial lands. When you get to trying to piece together dozens of smaller occupied residential properties, the cost becomes prohibitive, not to mention that most people don't want to sell their riverfront property no matter the price. It's why the River Trail has never been able to make it north of Dietrich Park and while it most likely won't ever make it up to Tecumseh Park unless they run it through the river on a miles length boarwalk. lol
I can't picture LCC putting the grass back if they were to buy the ramp, especially with the economy the way it is. They would probably get a lot of flack for wasting money if they did that.
Here's a (bad) photo of the Michigan Electric Supply Co. Building renovation. I thought it was complete, but there were about half-a-dozen workers working on it yesterday afternoon:
I think they did a pretty good job on that building, I can't wait to see what type of businesses move in. Hopefully the ground floor will be retail
or restaurant.
Looks like the city council approved Old Town Temple LLC's brownfield plan for the conversion of the Temple Club into office space. The plan included an OPRA (Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act) request and a Michigan Business Tax credit which amount to a total abatement of about $360 ,000. They spent $250,000, already, to purchase the building and they are looking to invest another $650,000 for the renovation.
Old Town is turning into quite the small office node in north Lansing. Most major projects in that area have been office in the last two or three years. I'm really interested to see how this will change the character of Old Town. For much of the decade, much of the development had been small scale neighborhood retail and studio/gallery space.
Liquid Web is planning on hiring 600 new employees now that they're in their new $80 million Lansing headquarters. Seriously, could you even wish for more good news than Lansing has had lately? There's no where else in Michigan I'd rather be living right now! I can't wait to see how things will go in the next two years as we exit this recession. Lansing is certainly poised to grow more than any other city in Michigan in my biased opinion.
It's also really cool to see so clearly how an economy can shift in what's happening in Delta Township. I mean, you lose GM facilities and are quickly having the numbers of jobs lost replaced by an almost equal amount of jobs in insurance/hi-tech companies thanks to Auto Owners and Liquid Web. It's cool to me because the principle is a simple/logical one in an academic sense that usually changes over a long time, but in the Lansing region you can actually see it happening over like 5 years. Which in these scenerios is like light-speed.
Funny thing is that GM will be adding an entire new shift at its Delta Township plant on the other side of the freeway, as well, come January shifting jobs from the South back up North. My perspective has always been that this region (and nation) can and should do both. We can both continue building actual and tangible things, and build up New Economy-type jobs. But, for the later, the federal government has to start enforcing fair trade policies instead of simply just paying them lip service.
That's a good point MM. I should have included GM's new facility in Delta Township, as I think it still fits with my example because the facility is high-tech manufacturing, and I think that is also part of the "new" economy.
Comments
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20091105/NEWS01/911050340/1221/LANSING
Lancity, short of buying out the residents on that part of the riverfront and developing just those blocks, it really wouldn't make any sense to bring the river trial to that side of the river. The park department has been so successful over the history of the river trail percisesly because they've ran it along old railway routes and through cheap, defunct industrial lands. When you get to trying to piece together dozens of smaller occupied residential properties, the cost becomes prohibitive, not to mention that most people don't want to sell their riverfront property no matter the price. It's why the River Trail has never been able to make it north of Dietrich Park and while it most likely won't ever make it up to Tecumseh Park unless they run it through the river on a miles length boarwalk. lol
Backside of REO Town
or restaurant.
Old Town is turning into quite the small office node in north Lansing. Most major projects in that area have been office in the last two or three years. I'm really interested to see how this will change the character of Old Town. For much of the decade, much of the development had been small scale neighborhood retail and studio/gallery space.
http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=11487709&nav=0RbQ