I am not taking "total" credit for the nighttime illumination plan but it was one of these ideas I submitted to "the penny for your thoughts" campaign that they chose to publish on their page. I never got the $25 dollars, however! This will encourage people to use the area at night and I think will be very nice with the lights reflecting off the water. I could see solar powered lights for the whole downtown portion of the river trail.
I've never thought that was a good location for the market. I think the city should seriously consider moving the market to the south side (maybe holmes\mlk or holmes\pleasant grove). There is a huge need for decent grocers down there and most of the population lives in that area anyways. It wouldn't be a downtown placemaker like some want, but it'd be used a lot more.
As for the existing market, I've been kicking around an idea for a restaurant incubator - open to the public, restaurateurs could learn their chops in a communal kitchen. Something like that could be really cool down there, especially with the incoming park.
I really like the idea of a restaurant incubator. As much as the new City Market has been a failure, and really was a failure from the design stage, the location is very valuable and the city shouldn't pass it off to a private developer. The new upgrades for the Rotary Park should better the City Market area, so it's a bit sad to hear of these new upgrades when at the same time hearing that the City Market could close down.
Yeah, my background is retail, not food service, so I'm not really the person to do it, but I think it's an idea that definitely has legs.
The market has always been a mess, even before the pole barn. It's just not a convenient location for one. I'd much rather see it in a place that is more accessible to shoppers -not on a one way road, and with a higher population density. Investing in Allen Street would be another way to go. There is already really nice traffic there and it has the real potential to be a bigger market. I've also been a big advocate of centralized checkout in the markets. Easier for shoppers and easier for vendors too.
From the article: "Schor said all options are on the table, including selling the building and leasing its land."
It looks to me like the City Market is being sold or leased to a developer, if the city were smart it would put out a request for proposals to get a better quality project. I'd love to see a high rise here and it would make a good location for a hotel. I think this is potentially for the better as long as the city gets behind the building of a bigger better City Market elsewhere.
I think it would be good for the city to study what went wrong if they want to continue to have a "city market". I think it would provide a story in which the city even in desperate times finds it is important to consider everything from the number of potential costumers for this type of market to the design of the space inside and out. Even though this building cost a lot of money it was just wrong from the start and seems to have had no thought put into the design of that space at all, it has the look and feel of something built on the cheap. Lansing has to get away from "building a half-assed development is better than nothing" idea because in the this case it was not.The city should sell that space and use the proceeds to improve all downtown parks.
This looks great, and kind of goes along with the public/private idea of enhancing the public space around the private development to create business for the development. I have said before maybe private businesses could sponsor street and sidewalk replacement in the neighborhoods where they are located, adopt the whole street from the pavement up. This could free up city funds for areas that do not have sponsors. For instance, Sparrow could sponsor paving all of Pennsylvania Avenue. Maybe GM sponsoring Malcome X and St. Joesph. There could be a small ad sign every block telling drivers who along with the city takes care of this street. Just a thought!
Your comment says "A full-time social worker has also been fired for the police department." but I think you meant "hired", not "fired".
Another new position will be a full-time social worker in the police department. Lansing Police Chief Michael Yankowski requested the social worker position because police frequently interact with residents who have mental health challenges.
It looks like we must elect lawmakers[Democrates] that will change the mindset in our legislator and with our Governor towards really addressing our urban streets and infrastructure. It almost seems like adding planks to the end of a bridge that is falling into the river, or a waste of money to patch each pothole only to have the patch be thrown out of the hole the next time it rains or snows. Most of our streets need a complete rebuilding not a bit of asphalt thrown into a pothole, they do not even pack it down. I swear up north they have the best roads in the state, just the other day they were repaving the whole length of a small county road in the middle of the woods. While I understand they give more money to the out state or rural roads system and it is nice to drive on those roads, you just get the feeling that if Roscommon County can find a way to repave their roads properly Lansing should be able to find a way as well.
Comments
I am not taking "total" credit for the nighttime illumination plan but it was one of these ideas I submitted to "the penny for your thoughts" campaign that they chose to publish on their page. I never got the $25 dollars, however! This will encourage people to use the area at night and I think will be very nice with the lights reflecting off the water. I could see solar powered lights for the whole downtown portion of the river trail.
I've never thought that was a good location for the market. I think the city should seriously consider moving the market to the south side (maybe holmes\mlk or holmes\pleasant grove). There is a huge need for decent grocers down there and most of the population lives in that area anyways. It wouldn't be a downtown placemaker like some want, but it'd be used a lot more.
As for the existing market, I've been kicking around an idea for a restaurant incubator - open to the public, restaurateurs could learn their chops in a communal kitchen. Something like that could be really cool down there, especially with the incoming park.
I really like the idea of a restaurant incubator. As much as the new City Market has been a failure, and really was a failure from the design stage, the location is very valuable and the city shouldn't pass it off to a private developer. The new upgrades for the Rotary Park should better the City Market area, so it's a bit sad to hear of these new upgrades when at the same time hearing that the City Market could close down.
Yeah, my background is retail, not food service, so I'm not really the person to do it, but I think it's an idea that definitely has legs.
The market has always been a mess, even before the pole barn. It's just not a convenient location for one. I'd much rather see it in a place that is more accessible to shoppers -not on a one way road, and with a higher population density. Investing in Allen Street would be another way to go. There is already really nice traffic there and it has the real potential to be a bigger market. I've also been a big advocate of centralized checkout in the markets. Easier for shoppers and easier for vendors too.
From the article: "Schor said all options are on the table, including selling the building and leasing its land."
It looks to me like the City Market is being sold or leased to a developer, if the city were smart it would put out a request for proposals to get a better quality project. I'd love to see a high rise here and it would make a good location for a hotel. I think this is potentially for the better as long as the city gets behind the building of a bigger better City Market elsewhere.
I think it would be good for the city to study what went wrong if they want to continue to have a "city market". I think it would provide a story in which the city even in desperate times finds it is important to consider everything from the number of potential costumers for this type of market to the design of the space inside and out. Even though this building cost a lot of money it was just wrong from the start and seems to have had no thought put into the design of that space at all, it has the look and feel of something built on the cheap. Lansing has to get away from "building a half-assed development is better than nothing" idea because in the this case it was not.The city should sell that space and use the proceeds to improve all downtown parks.
This looks great, and kind of goes along with the public/private idea of enhancing the public space around the private development to create business for the development. I have said before maybe private businesses could sponsor street and sidewalk replacement in the neighborhoods where they are located, adopt the whole street from the pavement up. This could free up city funds for areas that do not have sponsors. For instance, Sparrow could sponsor paving all of Pennsylvania Avenue. Maybe GM sponsoring Malcome X and St. Joesph. There could be a small ad sign every block telling drivers who along with the city takes care of this street. Just a thought!
Your comment says "A full-time social worker has also been fired for the police department." but I think you meant "hired", not "fired".
It looks like we must elect lawmakers[Democrates] that will change the mindset in our legislator and with our Governor towards really addressing our urban streets and infrastructure. It almost seems like adding planks to the end of a bridge that is falling into the river, or a waste of money to patch each pothole only to have the patch be thrown out of the hole the next time it rains or snows. Most of our streets need a complete rebuilding not a bit of asphalt thrown into a pothole, they do not even pack it down. I swear up north they have the best roads in the state, just the other day they were repaving the whole length of a small county road in the middle of the woods. While I understand they give more money to the out state or rural roads system and it is nice to drive on those roads, you just get the feeling that if Roscommon County can find a way to repave their roads properly Lansing should be able to find a way as well.