I'm not really sure about this plan with the City Market building but I am glad they didn't sell it off yet. In my mind, if the Lansing Center stays where it is then the City Market site would be best suited to a hotel, hopefully a proper high-rise. I'd like to see the city hold onto the property and continue to lease until they're very confident they can get some favorable responses in an RFP scenario, I certainly don't want to see another building of the scale/quality of Marketplace there.
It all seems like kind of weird to me that this city owned building is going to be the site of a private enterprise, granted they will be paying rent and bringing people downtown, I would have rather seen the pole barn removed, it never was and may never be a pleasant place to be or look at, so why hang on to this mistake? It would make a perfect site for a hotel/apartment mid sized tower. I would like to see a public facility maybe like a year round ice rink, or a greenhouse/winter garden, something like that built on the parkland there and not put that space back into private hands.
Yeah, the whole situation with kicking out the successful restaurant that had been there for years for this somewhat odd proposal is a bit of a head scratcher. I'd guess there's something going on behind the scenes, maybe or maybe not nefarious, that lead to a giant shuffle board bar in the former city market pole barn. I just hope the city still tries to establish a new city market, they just have to do it right.
I like the idea of a winter garden, I've always loved those sorts of things. For over 20 years a student group has been trying to build a sort of winter garden, a 150' diameter biodome near Farm & Shaw. I just checked back on their page for the first time in years and they're still at it trying to get it built.
I am sorry to say you may be right about that. Why the city has to a fit a business into that building is what bugs me, just get over that it was a mistake in the first place and tear it down. This is another example of Lansing trying to do something, but doing it half-assed wasting money doing so. I think the city is giving something like 3/4 million to get this private business started and that business is going to try to do something they have never tried. The LSJ story said the developer had fun one day playing shuffle board and that is where he got the idea. I think we can do better with this site and Lansing never needed a barn in the middle of downtown.
@MichMatters I didn't remember all that, it makes more sense now. I tend to agree on the timeline for the shuffleboard place, unless they do something really unique there I don't see how they survive. I could possibly see it working if they had diverse enough activities, maybe add in a nice arcade, axe throwing, all of that kind of stuff.
No arguments here, that building will get no love from me. I do hope the site is reserved for something more than a 4-5 floor wood frame apartment building though. I don't hate the concept for an entertainment venue along the lines of this or the Detroit Shipping Company or the BOB in GR, but I kinda hope this iteration doesn't work out so they don't make themselves at home in that building. I think something along those lines could work in this area but it'd have an easier go in downtown EL or the Frandor/Red Cedar area, at least until the day we have a light rail line down Michigan and at least have a shot at attracting sizable numbers of students to downtown Lansing.
I just saw this report. I had not heard of that version of baseball, but it seems to be a good idea especially with a famous player like John Smoltz involved it should be a first-class facility. It is great that this will be free.
I actually worked on that project, pro bono, years and years ago when I was at another firm. We never had much faith much would come of it, so I'm not sure how solid of a development it is, but it would be interesting if it came to fruition. Design and architecture firm must have changed over the years. It's been scaled down quite a bit.
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I like the idea of a winter garden, I've always loved those sorts of things. For over 20 years a student group has been trying to build a sort of winter garden, a 150' diameter biodome near Farm & Shaw. I just checked back on their page for the first time in years and they're still at it trying to get it built.
Student Greenhouse Project website: http://sgp.msu.edu/home/index.php
https://www.fox47news.com/neighborhoods/downtown-old-town-reo-town/john-smoltz-strikeout-baseball-stadium-coming-to-ferris-park-in-lansing