General Lansing Development

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Comments

  • I'm so glad you clarified that, because your humor did not translate well in the other post, but I wasn't going to say anything. lol

  • Maybe you are right! Going to a store that looks and smells the same as it did in the 70's as my QD on W. Mt Hope does, is comforting but there is room for improvements and upgrades without losing that "charm?".

  • edited January 2018

    I don't know how I missed this, but Andy is trying to find Schuler's a new home in Lansing proper. They mention Knapps Centre and Frandor, but they also mention that it could go in where Sam's Club just moved out along Edgewood.

    It sounds like him and the LEAP head think the Edgewood location would be the easiest fit, which it probably would. Though, as someone who live north of the river, I'd be more partial to either of the other two locations.

  • I'd be surprised if Shuler's came to South Lansing. I'd love it, don't get me wrong, I just don't see that happening.

  • I think a downtown locally owned bookstore would be really great. I was downtown for the Women's March on Sunday and every place that was open was packed with people. It really felt like the old times when downtown was the major shopping district. I try to figure out how to get lots of people to go downtown more often than just big events. One would be more shops and real restaurants, more shops that are open more hours, maybe even on Sundays. Promote all the things that our real downtown has that shopping centers and malls do not have, parks with real trees and fountains, gardens, colleges and universities and a big river with trials, beautiful historic churches, and interesting museums, The Capitol building. Inform people about all the hours of free parking. I know this will not happen but take out the parking meters or somehow offer free parking or a free bus ride home after shopping or dining downtown. I really believe people like downtown and go there when they have a reason to do so, it would be a great reason if there were a major bookstore at the Knapp's building. I would go there if they went into Frandor as well, I don't believe I would head out to Edgewood very often.

  • I would think Frandor, with all the parking space, would be a better location than Knapps, but either would be great for Lansing. However, there aren't any large empty buildings currently available in Frandor... unless, perhaps they were to occupy all the available commercial space at SkyVue? Anyone know how much SFage is available there?

  • edited January 2018

    SkyVue has a tiny amount of retail space, and it's not continguous. I believe it's 4,000 square feet total.

    It's why I think the South Lansing location is the most likely if Lansing is able to get it, and why it seems the mayor and LEAP are concentrating on the vacant Sam's Club site. There simply isn't any space in Frandor - unless they decide to build new somewhere on the property or kick out an existing business.

    I'm looking at Frandor and Frandor Plus (east of Frandor), and there is not a single spot of even 10,000 square feet. If I remembering correctly, Schulers was looking for around 20,000. In fact, looking at the available space in Knapps Centre, the only thing I see that's remotely close to the continguous space Schulers would need is a 14,000 square feet...in the basement. Even if it were a realistic option - and with it being a big box store, it really isn't - it doesn't look like Knapp's retail space is configured for a single, large retail tenant. I was actually surprised to find how little contiguous space there is. There is a 7,100 square foot retail unit through the front doors, and that's about as big an available space as you get in Knapps.

  • edited January 2018

    Gillespie is making an announcement at 2:30PM today. Probably the announcement of a new development?

    BTW, can't remember how long ago I brought this up, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was as far back as a year ago, but the river through downtown has remained well belong average for months now, hasn't mattered if its rained or not. Were the two dams at either end set in a different position to keep the water level low through downtown or something and I simply misse the announcement? It's really quite an ugly aesthetic as it looks to be down nearly a whole foot. The only other time I remember it being this low was when they announced they were purposefully bringing it down to work on the North Lansing Dam.

  • I keep thinking the low level is for river trail repairs, but I do not see anything like that going on around REOtown. There are flood warnings for the Looking Glass River so it's not the weather. It really does look bad when there is no snow. I think it would be a great opportunity to clean up the banks and remove debris. I could even see planting the exposed banks with water plants and grasses that would create a more natural looking river. Has anyone ever seen or read about the Grand River before it was dammed up? I wonder was there a falls or rapids where Moores Park is now? Maybe the river was always rather shallow and wide.

  • Not any rapids, anywhere. But as dams do they definitely reshaped things. So anything behind the dams, of course, is higher than the original river, and then everything down river of the North Lansing dam was broader/deeper. So the level of the section through downtown is right now is closer to what the river actually looks like.

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