I did not see the new widows yet, the whole complex looks much better. They painted the buildings next door a nice green. I think that may have been the first paint job there in 30 years. I wonder if they are going to paint or rehad the yellowish corrugated metal walls facing S Washington. I would think that there would be brick walls and closed up windows behind there.
Does anyone know anything about the Holmes Street School? To avoid lights and traffic I take a little back route down Hazel to S. Holmes street under 496 to Kalamazoo. Is doesn't save time but I like driving through neighborhoods. The school building there is a really nice building with beautiful stone work, similar to Eastern High School and the MSU Union. It seems to be totally abandoned,neglected and vandalized. It is the only former school building I have seen in this condition in Lansing. It really is one of the nicer elementary school buildings, and it is just setting there falling apart. I could see that building repossessed as housing or lots of things. I do not think the neighbors there are being respected when they have this to look at across the street.
This is years ago, now, but last I heard they were trying in phases to make it the headquarters of Spartan Internet Consulting. I see they haven't moved yet and are still based downtown. Along with that, Spartan was going to turn it into a neighborhood technology center to teach local kids and adult computers classes and such. I don't know what happened. I literally haven't been down that street in years.
As for the perps, I'd imagine that they are largely from the neighborhood. It's a fairly rough neighborhood. This is another neighborhood which has been negatively affected by its relative isolation being cut in half by the freeway, rail lines, industrial areas, etc...it's why it was so important that this project happened, because there isn't much anyone can walk to from the neighborhood. To drive home how important the school was to the neighborhood, the neighborhood association for the neighborhood is literally called the "Holmes Street School Community" formed back in 2004 I'd like to see the city follow back up on this project, because it seems to have been completely forgotten.
BTW, for as forgotten about as they are by the city, they have a very active neighborhood association. There facebook page, in fact, seems to be update quite often with the latest update just a few hours ago. I'd go check it out.
I think it's safe to assume the Holmes Street School project is completely dead, nothing has happened there in two or three years. I remember the building sitting dormant for a long time when I was surprised to see them putting up steel for the new atrium. Work then abruptly stopped and it's been sitting that way ever since.
I found a City Pulse article from just before the steel work was done: Development Problems
I was by Grand River & MLK and noticed someone (I assume Peckam) is building a two floor building near the southwest corner. It's not a large building but it's being built fairly close to the street, it seemed prominent when driving north down Grand River. Anyone know anything about what's going on here?
Also, here's a couple things of note from this weeks council meeting:
Someone is asking to rezone 3600/3525 Dunckel and 4600 Collins to "E-1 Apartment shop district." This is the site of the old Clarion Hotel / failed condo and student housing developments. All it says is that they are proposing a "mixed use development on the subject property consisting of residential apartments, a
hotel and various retail and office uses." It has to be nearing 10 years since the hotel closed and maybe 5 or so years since work stopped on the apartments.
They're seeking OPRA tax credits for that old church mentioned earlier at 221 W Saginaw.
Thanks for the information about the Holmes Street School. Sad to hear that something was started but not completed. I wonder why they have just abandoned a very nice building. I am going to note the broken windows on seeclickfix.com There are some nicer homes and lots of trees back over there, but is is an area that is kind of isolated making it easy for vandals.
It would seem like the Dunkel Road area would be a great place for a hotel, I think however they should knock down the old building and start over and build a complex of different buildings for the different uses. Maybe that is the plan already.
Finally some media confirmation. Michigan Avenue is being repaved, and much sooner than the city website still says. Though, I thought this project was a reconstruction, because that's what the city website still calls it, but the city is saying this is to added another layer "for a few more years" or life. So, I'm still a bit confused.
LANSING -- Repaving of a mile-long portion of Michigan Avenue, from Sparrow Hospital to just west US 127, will begin Monday and last until the end of the month, said Chad Gamble, the City of Lansing's public service director.
Start of the $300,000 road project comes three weeks after the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to Mayor Virg Bernero and City Council urging them to fix the corridor from Pennsylvania Avenue on the west to US 127 on the east. The repaving will go from the hospital to Charles Street, just west of where Michigan crosses under U.S. 127.
The work will include milling of the worn portions of road to help put a smooth layer of asphalt on top.
Great news! The paving projects are really starting pick up. North on 127 there is new pavement between Alma and Mt Pleasant so new it is still shinny! They have been doing some real patching on W. Barnes Ave. and some on Kalamazoo as well.
There is some sort of renovation going on at the former bank? building next to the tracks on the north side of Grand River in Old Town. Does anyone know what might be going in there. It is a very nice building. There also renovation going on in one of the storefronts next to the bike shop down the block. They really have put together and interesting group of shops and businesses there, now the city could repave the streets and it would look even better.
A few observations from going around the area, this week.
- Looks like the renovation of Capitol View at Allegan and Townsend has reached a new phase. They are carving out the second floor at the corner to create a high-ceiling. Other internal work to turn this into the state Senate's office building has been ongoing for months. As a reminder, this building was built with the ability to add two more floors to the top of it and the neighboring garage if it's ever needed.
- I noticed that streetlights along Saginaw in Lansing Township on the westside have been switched to the cold/white LED kind, though, it might have just been along the old Waverly Golf Course. It was really noticeable given that Delta Township still uses the old lights west of Waverly and Lansing east of the city limits. I'm still not sure I'm use to these harsher colors.
- I am a pretty regular shopper at Frandor, but it just struck me the other evening while I was there how successful it is. It was so busy. I think it's a really good example of how to keep an old mall alive. So many of these failed and where either demolished or they attracted really low-scale business. Frandor has a really nice mix of stores, and a little bit of everything for every income level. I really appreciate the diversity of shoppers as it pulls in both MSU students and long-time residents from Lansing's eastside. Nothing ever stays empty for very long. They have very good management. I do worry that it success could end up being its downfall with development starting to really amp up around it. I'd hate to see someone like Gillespie get his hands on it and Disney-fy it. I don't have any inside info or even a gut feeling, but when I saw a line outside Blaze Pizza at the mall the other night, it did strike me that it might be becoming too popular for its own good.
Frandor is kind of unique in it's location being the center of the whole urban area, and next to a major highway, I am sure that is a factor in the shopping center's success. While I do not want to see it homogenized into just another mall, there is a lot they could and apparently are going to do to make it a more attractive place. I think the plans for the parking lots is very exciting and may serve to attract people just to see the water walls and gardens. One thing I wish Gillespie would do is renovate the Sears building. Somehow rejoin it to the rest of Frandor, it just sits out there in the middle of an old parking lot, with most of the windows covered, it reminds me of being in Filene's Basement which was really in a basement.
Comments
Does anyone know anything about the Holmes Street School? To avoid lights and traffic I take a little back route down Hazel to S. Holmes street under 496 to Kalamazoo. Is doesn't save time but I like driving through neighborhoods. The school building there is a really nice building with beautiful stone work, similar to Eastern High School and the MSU Union. It seems to be totally abandoned,neglected and vandalized. It is the only former school building I have seen in this condition in Lansing. It really is one of the nicer elementary school buildings, and it is just setting there falling apart. I could see that building repossessed as housing or lots of things. I do not think the neighbors there are being respected when they have this to look at across the street.
As for the perps, I'd imagine that they are largely from the neighborhood. It's a fairly rough neighborhood. This is another neighborhood which has been negatively affected by its relative isolation being cut in half by the freeway, rail lines, industrial areas, etc...it's why it was so important that this project happened, because there isn't much anyone can walk to from the neighborhood. To drive home how important the school was to the neighborhood, the neighborhood association for the neighborhood is literally called the "Holmes Street School Community" formed back in 2004 I'd like to see the city follow back up on this project, because it seems to have been completely forgotten.
BTW, for as forgotten about as they are by the city, they have a very active neighborhood association. There facebook page, in fact, seems to be update quite often with the latest update just a few hours ago. I'd go check it out.
I found a City Pulse article from just before the steel work was done: Development Problems
Also, here's a couple things of note from this weeks council meeting:
Someone is asking to rezone 3600/3525 Dunckel and 4600 Collins to "E-1 Apartment shop district." This is the site of the old Clarion Hotel / failed condo and student housing developments. All it says is that they are proposing a "mixed use development on the subject property consisting of residential apartments, a
hotel and various retail and office uses." It has to be nearing 10 years since the hotel closed and maybe 5 or so years since work stopped on the apartments.
They're seeking OPRA tax credits for that old church mentioned earlier at 221 W Saginaw.
It would seem like the Dunkel Road area would be a great place for a hotel, I think however they should knock down the old building and start over and build a complex of different buildings for the different uses. Maybe that is the plan already.
- Looks like the renovation of Capitol View at Allegan and Townsend has reached a new phase. They are carving out the second floor at the corner to create a high-ceiling. Other internal work to turn this into the state Senate's office building has been ongoing for months. As a reminder, this building was built with the ability to add two more floors to the top of it and the neighboring garage if it's ever needed.
- I noticed that streetlights along Saginaw in Lansing Township on the westside have been switched to the cold/white LED kind, though, it might have just been along the old Waverly Golf Course. It was really noticeable given that Delta Township still uses the old lights west of Waverly and Lansing east of the city limits. I'm still not sure I'm use to these harsher colors.
- I am a pretty regular shopper at Frandor, but it just struck me the other evening while I was there how successful it is. It was so busy. I think it's a really good example of how to keep an old mall alive. So many of these failed and where either demolished or they attracted really low-scale business. Frandor has a really nice mix of stores, and a little bit of everything for every income level. I really appreciate the diversity of shoppers as it pulls in both MSU students and long-time residents from Lansing's eastside. Nothing ever stays empty for very long. They have very good management. I do worry that it success could end up being its downfall with development starting to really amp up around it. I'd hate to see someone like Gillespie get his hands on it and Disney-fy it. I don't have any inside info or even a gut feeling, but when I saw a line outside Blaze Pizza at the mall the other night, it did strike me that it might be becoming too popular for its own good.