In the case of Marketplace, I get the feeling it was done cheaply because it was a project where the city forced their hand. They had to building something on the site, or risk a legal battle with the city. Still, they knew this years in advance, and I can't believe they couldn't have done better. The really dark brick on it is really nice. Had they used more brick, I could have given it a passing grade.
I get the feeling that in the case of Midtown it's built cheaply because the potential customer are students. So long as he provided them with some good amenities, I'm sure he felt he could scrimp on the exterior and slap some bright colors unto it, because they wouldn't care about that, anyway.
I'm so hard on them, because they've shown they can do excellent work. Just look at what they did with the eastside armory, and, again, for new construction, they did a better-than-decent job with Stadium District. Fortunately, it looks like they are going to do the Outfield better than they've done Midtown and Marketplace; it looks like they are going to do more brick than these. But looking at the renderings, now, I can see that cheap vinyl-like siding on parts of it.
My hope is that they end up doing better with the rest of the Marketplace phases. They still have a wing to add to the building that's nearly complete, and then there is the undetermined building that will front Cedar. That better be something nice.
Random question, and one I've been wondering for years, but does anyone know the purpose of this "dog-leg" annexation of the city of Lansing into the township in the township hald of Urbandale?
I'd once thought the city tried to wrap around through this piece of Urbandale to capture the radio antenna and what I believe is a BWL pumping station in this area, but these detailed maps show it doesn't quite reach the corner. Anyone have any history behind this?
BTW, just drove through REO Town for the first time in a few months. The place is looking amazing. It appears the renovations and restoration of the old buildings that made up the Southtown Bar are almost complete and looking awesome. Whenever this district takes off, I don't know, but everything is in place for that to happen, now.
I'm through there pretty regularly and it's amazing how different it is from two years ago, or even last year. Here's to hoping that all this new space gets leased quickly so we can see this trend continue.
On the note of things being seen driving by, it looks like Jackson National's expansion is well underway. You can see the building from Sandhill Rd and at least part of it already appears topped out. I was by there last week and was surprised to see construction that far along, I didn't know they'd even started on it.
Regarding the shape of the townships border, I have no idea why it's like that and no clue where to find info something like that. It is pretty odd though now that you point it out.
So, city planning director Bob Johnson actually said this about 616 South Washington, today:
Johnson described the initial project design as “masterful.”
“This is at the top of the heap in terms of what I consider to be amazing, urban-appropriate design,” he said. “I hope it comes to fruition.”
Now, Bob's a smart guy, but this is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard him say. This is a mediocre project, at best. This almost certainly locks in the terrible site plan.
I saw that and laughed a little. I wonder what he was thinking?
The top three floors of this building have sort of grown on me though. It doesn't really look right at a squat three floors, but at six or more floors, with a redesigned base and no ground floor parking, it would actually be a very nice building.
So does anyone know what happened with Rum Runners? Evidently they closed in March. I don't remember hearing anything about this. They don't even list the main Lansing location on their website any more. I was right by there for a Lugnuts game and didn't even notice they weren't open.
I saw the listing for the building on CPIX a couple weeks ago but didn't think much of it. I'd never been there, but they always looked pretty busy to me so it's a little surprising to see that they closed.
The LSJ published an update on the addition of a non-motorized pathway along Moores River Drive.
The $1.65 million project along Moores River Drive near Mt. Hope Avenue, east of Waverly Road, involves tearing down a seawall and replacing it with a natural embankment that will include a nonmotorized pathway. ... The project is part of a larger, ongoing effort to link more parts of the Lansing region via bicycle and walking paths, Gamble said. This project will connect directly to a separate pathway on Waverly to the south that was built in 2012. ... A separate $1.8 million project to build nearly 6 miles of nonmotorized pathway on the city's south side is on target to be mostly finished by December, Gamble said.
Comments
I get the feeling that in the case of Midtown it's built cheaply because the potential customer are students. So long as he provided them with some good amenities, I'm sure he felt he could scrimp on the exterior and slap some bright colors unto it, because they wouldn't care about that, anyway.
I'm so hard on them, because they've shown they can do excellent work. Just look at what they did with the eastside armory, and, again, for new construction, they did a better-than-decent job with Stadium District. Fortunately, it looks like they are going to do the Outfield better than they've done Midtown and Marketplace; it looks like they are going to do more brick than these. But looking at the renderings, now, I can see that cheap vinyl-like siding on parts of it.
My hope is that they end up doing better with the rest of the Marketplace phases. They still have a wing to add to the building that's nearly complete, and then there is the undetermined building that will front Cedar. That better be something nice.
township by NewCityOne, on Flickr
I'd once thought the city tried to wrap around through this piece of Urbandale to capture the radio antenna and what I believe is a BWL pumping station in this area, but these detailed maps show it doesn't quite reach the corner. Anyone have any history behind this?
On the note of things being seen driving by, it looks like Jackson National's expansion is well underway. You can see the building from Sandhill Rd and at least part of it already appears topped out. I was by there last week and was surprised to see construction that far along, I didn't know they'd even started on it.
Regarding the shape of the townships border, I have no idea why it's like that and no clue where to find info something like that. It is pretty odd though now that you point it out.
Now, Bob's a smart guy, but this is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard him say. This is a mediocre project, at best. This almost certainly locks in the terrible site plan.
The top three floors of this building have sort of grown on me though. It doesn't really look right at a squat three floors, but at six or more floors, with a redesigned base and no ground floor parking, it would actually be a very nice building.