Yeah, an additional 400k for roads doesn't do much. Sounds like a top coat, not actual road replacement. One thing I've noticed driving in other states are periodic "experimental asphalt next 3 miles" to test different formulations and how they hold up in various climates. I can't recall ever seeing those in michigan. I would think with our somewhat unique winters something like that would be worth exploring. Anyone know anything about that?
I remember reading about the developer of the Red Cedar project who said the Mayor has big plans for the riverfront. The City Market area is the only riverfront property that is not a park or privately owned so there must be something up for that spot. It would be great if they could pull off a high-end hotel connected the proposed
Garche, I have written here before about the small Cape Cod town I lived in, where they replaced the main street's pavement with a permeable blacktop that allows rain and snowmelt to pass through the pavement, it does not freeze or gather on top or just under. Potholes do not form because the water is drained away into rocks and sand drain system under the blacktop. The stormwater also does not go into the street drains and sewer system. It has been in place since 2013 and still has no potholes or crumbling pavement. this a place that has even worse weather than Lansing [if you can believe that] where sand often fills the street as well and seems to have no effect on the pavement's draining. It is that one-time big investment and different thinking that we need here.
Statewide, Grand Rapids saw the biggest population gain, growing by more than 2,500 to an estimated total of 198,829. Lansing grew by 1,189 residents to 116,986, and Ann Arbor gained 764 to 121,477.
Faster than Ann Arbor. Wow. Even if the estimates are off, Lansing has posted enough years of population growth that it's obviously a real trend. It looks like the revision upwards last year is a real thing. The city had been losing population every Census since 1980. It might even end up when they take the 2020 Census that they've been underestimating the growth.
Seeing this projected growth in Lansing is truly a great thing. I'll be very interested in the 2020 census results to see what the real numbers actually are. @MichMatters I hope you're right and we are all pleasantly surprised by better than expected growth. Lansing has so much room to grow and improve, getting back to 130k would seem very realistic in the relatively near term.
So, check this out, there is way more going on with the construction at the Capitol than the new HVAC system. I had no idea they were adding an annex to the existing underground space on the north end of the capitol.
So the new geothermal plant will be situated at the south end, and they are expanding the capitol's underground floor on the north end. Apparently, the north underground annex, as it's called, was built in the 70's and includes office space for the capitol facilities staff, storage space, and space for mechanical and electrical systems. They decided to to expand it to move the rest of the electrical system out of the sub-basement so it will be easier to service and where it's more likely not to be inundated with water if for some reason the basement cracks. They will be extending is 27 feet eastward. This new annex will house all facilitie offices since the electrical equipment will now take up more space.
The central utility plant is what's going in at the south end of the square. It will hold all of the equipment for the new geothermal system, which was drilled in the west end of the square.
The generator vault will be at the north end of the square next to the new annex. This is where the capitols generators will be kept in the case the building loses power.
I wonder if this project will mean they won't be building the proposed welcome center? I am hoping they do not put a surface parking lot on top of these new structures, and that no more trees will be cut down.
I'd always wonderd what the north basement entrance was for, and now I've found out. Yeah, I like that everything is being put underground. It's really too bad that they didn't do the visitors center, but I'm still impressed by all of this underground work.
Another slow planning board month, it seems. The only thing on the June 5 agenda is a rezoning and special land use permit for the old superintendent's house on the ground of the old School for the Blind. I wasn't even aware this one had gone vacant. In any case, an owner of a substance abuse treatment center wants a rezoning from D-1 Professional Office to the lowest density multi-family residential, DM-1 Residential, and then a special land use to reuse the historic house for a 16-bed, in-patient substance abuse treatment center.
While my initial reaction was skepticism of this kind of use, here, apparently the guy has had another one of these down on South Pennsylvania backing onto a residential area and has never had one nuisance call in 16 years, so it sounds like a very professional outfit.
Though, I must say that even though all of the buildings on the site have quite a bit of space between them that I imagine this won't be a positive for the marketing of the apartments at the site. It's a curious place for this kind of thing, honestly. And, they need the special land use permit because one of the conditions for originally rezoning this land for professional offices specifically forbade substance abuse treatment centers, halfway houses, etc.
The planning department's report on this recommends the planning board approve it, though I must add the context that the department rarely ever recommends the board to reject a development.
Hood, have you been back up this way out of curiosity? I've got to go by and see how Walnut Park is coming along.
Comments
Yeah, an additional 400k for roads doesn't do much. Sounds like a top coat, not actual road replacement. One thing I've noticed driving in other states are periodic "experimental asphalt next 3 miles" to test different formulations and how they hold up in various climates. I can't recall ever seeing those in michigan. I would think with our somewhat unique winters something like that would be worth exploring. Anyone know anything about that?
I remember reading about the developer of the Red Cedar project who said the Mayor has big plans for the riverfront. The City Market area is the only riverfront property that is not a park or privately owned so there must be something up for that spot. It would be great if they could pull off a high-end hotel connected the proposed
Garche, I have written here before about the small Cape Cod town I lived in, where they replaced the main street's pavement with a permeable blacktop that allows rain and snowmelt to pass through the pavement, it does not freeze or gather on top or just under. Potholes do not form because the water is drained away into rocks and sand drain system under the blacktop. The stormwater also does not go into the street drains and sewer system. It has been in place since 2013 and still has no potholes or crumbling pavement. this a place that has even worse weather than Lansing [if you can believe that] where sand often fills the street as well and seems to have no effect on the pavement's draining. It is that one-time big investment and different thinking that we need here.
The sub-county estimates from the Census Bureau for last year are out. As I predicted when the county-level estimates were released a few months ago, Lansing grew, but it was more than I even guessed.
Faster than Ann Arbor. Wow. Even if the estimates are off, Lansing has posted enough years of population growth that it's obviously a real trend. It looks like the revision upwards last year is a real thing. The city had been losing population every Census since 1980. It might even end up when they take the 2020 Census that they've been underestimating the growth.
Seeing this projected growth in Lansing is truly a great thing. I'll be very interested in the 2020 census results to see what the real numbers actually are. @MichMatters I hope you're right and we are all pleasantly surprised by better than expected growth. Lansing has so much room to grow and improve, getting back to 130k would seem very realistic in the relatively near term.
So, check this out, there is way more going on with the construction at the Capitol than the new HVAC system. I had no idea they were adding an annex to the existing underground space on the north end of the capitol.
So the new geothermal plant will be situated at the south end, and they are expanding the capitol's underground floor on the north end. Apparently, the north underground annex, as it's called, was built in the 70's and includes office space for the capitol facilities staff, storage space, and space for mechanical and electrical systems. They decided to to expand it to move the rest of the electrical system out of the sub-basement so it will be easier to service and where it's more likely not to be inundated with water if for some reason the basement cracks. They will be extending is 27 feet eastward. This new annex will house all facilitie offices since the electrical equipment will now take up more space.
The central utility plant is what's going in at the south end of the square. It will hold all of the equipment for the new geothermal system, which was drilled in the west end of the square.
The generator vault will be at the north end of the square next to the new annex. This is where the capitols generators will be kept in the case the building loses power.
I wonder if this project will mean they won't be building the proposed welcome center? I am hoping they do not put a surface parking lot on top of these new structures, and that no more trees will be cut down.
Wow that is very cool. I really like the underground expansions as a way to preserve the character of the building but still let it expand.
I'd always wonderd what the north basement entrance was for, and now I've found out. Yeah, I like that everything is being put underground. It's really too bad that they didn't do the visitors center, but I'm still impressed by all of this underground work.
Another slow planning board month, it seems. The only thing on the June 5 agenda is a rezoning and special land use permit for the old superintendent's house on the ground of the old School for the Blind. I wasn't even aware this one had gone vacant. In any case, an owner of a substance abuse treatment center wants a rezoning from D-1 Professional Office to the lowest density multi-family residential, DM-1 Residential, and then a special land use to reuse the historic house for a 16-bed, in-patient substance abuse treatment center.
While my initial reaction was skepticism of this kind of use, here, apparently the guy has had another one of these down on South Pennsylvania backing onto a residential area and has never had one nuisance call in 16 years, so it sounds like a very professional outfit.
Though, I must say that even though all of the buildings on the site have quite a bit of space between them that I imagine this won't be a positive for the marketing of the apartments at the site. It's a curious place for this kind of thing, honestly. And, they need the special land use permit because one of the conditions for originally rezoning this land for professional offices specifically forbade substance abuse treatment centers, halfway houses, etc.
The planning department's report on this recommends the planning board approve it, though I must add the context that the department rarely ever recommends the board to reject a development.
Hood, have you been back up this way out of curiosity? I've got to go by and see how Walnut Park is coming along.