I like your hopeful ideas. They have "landscaped" a few areas that were once blacktop so they do have a sense of doing this sort of thing. The lots could be done it in such a way that if they needed the land again it could be easily redeveloped.
I have noticed new signage all around downtown, providing directions to the different districts of downtown. They are nice, clean and modern looking. Now they should take down the older signs that point the way to places like the Woman's History Museum and some really old ones for the fish ladder.
There is some nice new artwork on the wall of an LCC building at the corner of Grand and Shiawassee and the new clock tower now has a face and looks great.
The new mayor was on wilx news last night saying that getting the City Hall project underway will be one of his first priorities. He said it will be so exciting to have a first class hotel right across from the Capitol. Looks like he is"all in" on this idea.
Except that the signs say "Capital Complex" instead of "Capitol Complex". Maybe the official name really is the former, but if so it shouldn't be! Looks like a spelling mistake to me and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
I had not noticed that. Capitol does refer a building and Capital refers to a place as in Capital City. The Capitol Building is in the Capital City, so you are right it should be Capitol Complex because it is the Capitol Building's complex! This is how it is written on the older "Capitol Loop" signs. I bet there are a lot of people who never noticed this but the sign painter should have.
Schuler's is closing at Eastwood which saddens me. I guess the silver lining is that at least it didn't close due to lack of business. Apparently, taxes increased after the change in ownership a few years ago. At least that is the ostensible reason. They say they are paying four times the taxes they pay for their Meridian Mall store. The lease is up in February, so they'll be gone by then.
This is actually the most centrally located of the big book stores - and the one I went to - so it's going to leave a hole in the center of the region. I'm hoping Eastwood already has something ready to fill in the space. Anyway, Schulers says they are open to another store in the region, but there are no immediate plans.
EDIT: Actually, apart from the taxes, Eastwood was wanting to reconfigure space at the mall and specifically Schuler's location, which would have left them with less space than would make the store viable. Makes me kind of wonder why they don't simply expand the mall? Sounds like they are trying to cram in more retailers and Schuler would have been one of the victims when their lease was up.
The "Y" development seems like it is going to happen this spring according to the LSJ.com. They are still showing the older "multi-capped" building design, which does not look like there is a large retail/commercial space on the ground floor, as was stated there would be in the article. This somehow leads me to hope a new improved design will be in the works.
The bookstore was about the only store I shopped at Eastwood. Now there is not much reason to go there for except the movies. It would be great if they relocated downtown, or Michigan Ave maybe.
Comments
I like your hopeful ideas. They have "landscaped" a few areas that were once blacktop so they do have a sense of doing this sort of thing. The lots could be done it in such a way that if they needed the land again it could be easily redeveloped.
I have noticed new signage all around downtown, providing directions to the different districts of downtown. They are nice, clean and modern looking. Now they should take down the older signs that point the way to places like the Woman's History Museum and some really old ones for the fish ladder.
There is some nice new artwork on the wall of an LCC building at the corner of Grand and Shiawassee and the new clock tower now has a face and looks great.
The new mayor was on wilx news last night saying that getting the City Hall project underway will be one of his first priorities. He said it will be so exciting to have a first class hotel right across from the Capitol. Looks like he is"all in" on this idea.
Except that the signs say "Capital Complex" instead of "Capitol Complex". Maybe the official name really is the former, but if so it shouldn't be! Looks like a spelling mistake to me and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
I had not noticed that. Capitol does refer a building and Capital refers to a place as in Capital City. The Capitol Building is in the Capital City, so you are right it should be Capitol Complex because it is the Capitol Building's complex! This is how it is written on the older "Capitol Loop" signs. I bet there are a lot of people who never noticed this but the sign painter should have.
This would be on the Downtown Lansing, Inc. who commissioned the signs. Someone should email them about this:
info@downtownlansing.org
Because you're right, the complex is named in reference to the building and not the city.
I wrote today, that was a good catch, I'm glad someone from Ann Arbor was not the one who points that out.
Schuler's is closing at Eastwood which saddens me. I guess the silver lining is that at least it didn't close due to lack of business. Apparently, taxes increased after the change in ownership a few years ago. At least that is the ostensible reason. They say they are paying four times the taxes they pay for their Meridian Mall store. The lease is up in February, so they'll be gone by then.
This is actually the most centrally located of the big book stores - and the one I went to - so it's going to leave a hole in the center of the region. I'm hoping Eastwood already has something ready to fill in the space. Anyway, Schulers says they are open to another store in the region, but there are no immediate plans.
EDIT: Actually, apart from the taxes, Eastwood was wanting to reconfigure space at the mall and specifically Schuler's location, which would have left them with less space than would make the store viable. Makes me kind of wonder why they don't simply expand the mall? Sounds like they are trying to cram in more retailers and Schuler would have been one of the victims when their lease was up.
The "Y" development seems like it is going to happen this spring according to the LSJ.com. They are still showing the older "multi-capped" building design, which does not look like there is a large retail/commercial space on the ground floor, as was stated there would be in the article. This somehow leads me to hope a new improved design will be in the works.
The bookstore was about the only store I shopped at Eastwood. Now there is not much reason to go there for except the movies. It would be great if they relocated downtown, or Michigan Ave maybe.