Nothing huge in next week's council agenda, but some updates on a few small project still moving through the development process.
A public hearing has been set for an amendment to the Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Exemption (OPRA) Certificate for the 50's-era fire station on the ground of Capitol Commons that's being renovated for office space.
After over two years of wrangling with the neighbors, the city council is setting a public hearing for the rezoning of 930 West Holmes, the old EDS office building off of Holmes and Washington. This was a rather complicated rezoning which required this project, which will convert the old office building into a modern storage facility and retail outlet, only rezone the part of the lot containing the office building and immediately around it leaving the zoning (F-Commercial) alone for the 120 feet into the property from Holmes and 80 feet from Washington. This would allow mixed-usage fronting these two streets to eventually cover up the central warehouse/storage faciltiy as viewed from the street. The neighbors also had council set the condition that no fences will be constructed around the warehouse zoning so as not to create and eyesore.
The city council set a public hearing for a Special Land Use (SLU) permit to allow for the development of the small apartment building we talked about at 322 Pere Marquette immediately south of the townhomes on the tracks.
A public hearing has also been set for the resolution to grant developers at 1101 and 1103 South Washington an OPRA. Can't remember what this project was.
In some older news from recent meetings, the city council recently approved the rezoning of that empty half-acre parcel of land at the southwest corner of Victor Avenue and Kellybrook Lane that will allow Reid Machinery to construct three duplexes. At around an average of 88 feet per lot, the density is quite a bit lower than usual duplex lots, which can be a minimum of 60 feet. The lot backs up a former lot of Reid Machinery that is now a warehouse and just across the tracks from the warehouse is Reid Machinery.
Not how long it's been this way, but they've planted what looks to be native plants all around the parking lot at Shiawassee and Capitol. Not only does this help in cleaning rainwater, but it hides the parking lot completely from view at street-level. This is what they should require for almost any surface parking lot.
That is a LCC lot, the "YMCA" pillar is on the other corner, it all looks very nice. I wish the city would require this sort of landscaping and anti-pollution surfaces for all private surface lots in the downtown area. LCC has made it's part of Capitol Ave. very nice and green, now the city could do the same hook up with the green space at the Capitol then down to the library and Reutter Park, create a green way all the way to the new Cooley Garden area.
I've been meaning to post this for weeks, but forgot I'd even bookmarked it. Since we're always talking about development downtown, it really helps to know who owns what to know what to expect of any particular lot. Some parcels and structures are owned by people who've developed other things downtown. Some are owned by people who it is clear are land speculators who have no intention of developing anything, waiting to make money off of selling a piece of land.
Someone put together this map called "Who owns downtown Lansing?"
This can be looked up on the city's website through its zoning map, but this map is a bit more accessible. I can't vouch to how often it's updated, but here it is, anyway.
A name I was surprised to see pop up is a Lewis Johns. Never heard the name, but apparently he owns quite a bit along and arround the 300 east block of Michigan Avenue and much of the stuff along South Grand including the Grandview Office building, the parking garage and the lots and such for what would have been the apartment tower. I don't remember hearing his name during this discussion.
Just got some confirmation that the selling of city hall would require a vote of the council due to the amount of the sell. And not only would it require a simple majority vote, but a six-vote supermajority given the size of the sell. This is never going to happen. On his best day, the mayor only has three solid votes on the council, while there are three hardliners in opposition to him, leaving two swing votes. Though swingy even those two, Spitzely and Brown Clarke, tend to be Bernero-skepical. Even if by some miracle he got both of them, he'd still have to break off a vote from the anti-Bernero faction.
This will be interesting. I follow Adam on social media, and he's shown public interest in these designs, well at least of in particular that I noticed. I should ask him about his position on this sale. I probably won't get an answer other than more needs to be known before the vote.
I mean, even if he's able to get Hussein - which is something I don't see - he then has to get both Spitzley and Brown Clarke. This is a very difficult lift given how he rolled this out.
Comments
Nothing huge in next week's council agenda, but some updates on a few small project still moving through the development process.
A public hearing has been set for an amendment to the Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Exemption (OPRA) Certificate for the 50's-era fire station on the ground of Capitol Commons that's being renovated for office space.
After over two years of wrangling with the neighbors, the city council is setting a public hearing for the rezoning of 930 West Holmes, the old EDS office building off of Holmes and Washington. This was a rather complicated rezoning which required this project, which will convert the old office building into a modern storage facility and retail outlet, only rezone the part of the lot containing the office building and immediately around it leaving the zoning (F-Commercial) alone for the 120 feet into the property from Holmes and 80 feet from Washington. This would allow mixed-usage fronting these two streets to eventually cover up the central warehouse/storage faciltiy as viewed from the street. The neighbors also had council set the condition that no fences will be constructed around the warehouse zoning so as not to create and eyesore.
The city council set a public hearing for a Special Land Use (SLU) permit to allow for the development of the small apartment building we talked about at 322 Pere Marquette immediately south of the townhomes on the tracks.
A public hearing has also been set for the resolution to grant developers at 1101 and 1103 South Washington an OPRA. Can't remember what this project was.
In some older news from recent meetings, the city council recently approved the rezoning of that empty half-acre parcel of land at the southwest corner of Victor Avenue and Kellybrook Lane that will allow Reid Machinery to construct three duplexes. At around an average of 88 feet per lot, the density is quite a bit lower than usual duplex lots, which can be a minimum of 60 feet. The lot backs up a former lot of Reid Machinery that is now a warehouse and just across the tracks from the warehouse is Reid Machinery.
Not how long it's been this way, but they've planted what looks to be native plants all around the parking lot at Shiawassee and Capitol. Not only does this help in cleaning rainwater, but it hides the parking lot completely from view at street-level. This is what they should require for almost any surface parking lot.
That is a LCC lot, the "YMCA" pillar is on the other corner, it all looks very nice. I wish the city would require this sort of landscaping and anti-pollution surfaces for all private surface lots in the downtown area. LCC has made it's part of Capitol Ave. very nice and green, now the city could do the same hook up with the green space at the Capitol then down to the library and Reutter Park, create a green way all the way to the new Cooley Garden area.
I've been meaning to post this for weeks, but forgot I'd even bookmarked it. Since we're always talking about development downtown, it really helps to know who owns what to know what to expect of any particular lot. Some parcels and structures are owned by people who've developed other things downtown. Some are owned by people who it is clear are land speculators who have no intention of developing anything, waiting to make money off of selling a piece of land.
Someone put together this map called "Who owns downtown Lansing?"
https://batchgeo.com/map/1ea09bd0c1815cb8770f8b18b10421a1?
This can be looked up on the city's website through its zoning map, but this map is a bit more accessible. I can't vouch to how often it's updated, but here it is, anyway.
A name I was surprised to see pop up is a Lewis Johns. Never heard the name, but apparently he owns quite a bit along and arround the 300 east block of Michigan Avenue and much of the stuff along South Grand including the Grandview Office building, the parking garage and the lots and such for what would have been the apartment tower. I don't remember hearing his name during this discussion.
Just got some confirmation that the selling of city hall would require a vote of the council due to the amount of the sell. And not only would it require a simple majority vote, but a six-vote supermajority given the size of the sell. This is never going to happen. On his best day, the mayor only has three solid votes on the council, while there are three hardliners in opposition to him, leaving two swing votes. Though swingy even those two, Spitzely and Brown Clarke, tend to be Bernero-skepical. Even if by some miracle he got both of them, he'd still have to break off a vote from the anti-Bernero faction.
I should know this, but who do you list as the hard-line opposition? I assume Carol Wood is one?
And the mother and son duo.
It seems kind of strange that they are going so far as to put on a show of the designs when this is far from a done deal.
This will be interesting. I follow Adam on social media, and he's shown public interest in these designs, well at least of in particular that I noticed. I should ask him about his position on this sale. I probably won't get an answer other than more needs to be known before the vote.
I mean, even if he's able to get Hussein - which is something I don't see - he then has to get both Spitzley and Brown Clarke. This is a very difficult lift given how he rolled this out.