Was looking through one of the #LansingFacts founder's twitter, and found a recent picture of the finished product down at the old gas station at Cedar & Mt. Hope.
Again, not a cheap party store. It's a smaller version of what Mega-Bev has done down the street. I'm just glad to see this long-suffering renovation finally done after years, and happy to see it well-lit and spruced up on such a prominent corner. Now, if the folks redeveloping Walter French across the street could fall into some more money to speed up that project...
The LSJ has an update on the Rotary Park upgrades. They say that a fireplace will be added. We already knew of the plans for the "lighted forest". Delta Dental donated $250,000 for the plaza. Construction will start this winter.
I went to the new liquor store which was very nice but still just a liquor store. I would have liked some other sort of business to move in there but it is certainly better than a closed gas station.
It is really great that local groups are stepping up to sponsor the new riverfront park. I never got the prize for suggesting the illuminated forest but it is still cool that they are using my idea! Maybe it was not only my idea! I like the plan for a shaded riverside seating area but there seems to be a lot more cement than I would like to see. The "sails" will add some color to the scene but it will be very important to maintain them and the plaza. If they are allowed to get worn looking like say the stairway and area next to the Lansing Center people will not hang out there. I am hoping that the planners will really take a look at what worked and what was a waste of money in the past and present features of our downtown riverfront park. Like the bandstand/gazebo thing, what is it, why is it there just to look at? Bright new clean safe comfortable are all things the should be part of the plans for this park.
The outdoor fireplace in East Lansing really feels like a wasted opportunity and it is an excessive waste of natural gas/energy.
I'd like to see more public restrooms and updated drinking fountains. We really should be focused on the core requirements for people to spend a lot of time out at a park. Relying on porta-potties is gross and expensive in the long term. The lack of a clean place to wash hands and a maintained restroom will force young families to leave the park once someone has to use a bathroom.
It might not be glamorous but it's required if we want people to spend a few hours or more at a park.
You have brought up a very good point. My old neighborhood park Quentin had restrooms and a nice brass [beat up by ice skates] drinking fountain. I think many parks in Lansing had restrooms. I could see using the modern park and street restrooms like in NYC and Boston, they are for one person usually they require a small fee to open the door and when each person is done the restroom cleans itself. Or maybe a larger public restroom that could have an attendant for cleaning and security.
They are installing new baseball fields over at Quentin Park, and they should be building a restroom and field equipment building to support them. I guess the neighbors will now get to look at port-a-potties and cyclone fences out their front windows. Maybe it's just me but there is a lot of fencing that will be there year-round just for maybe 10 or 12 weeks of the baseball season. Who knows maybe the neighbors wanted them to build these fields! IMO they don't look very nice.
An Interesting article on LJS.com about the idea of building a performing arts center in downtown Lansing! This could be a part of a new hotel conference center. The PAC would be in addition to the Adado Park stage plan and the under the bridge venue. That would be very cool if it happens!
I have been wondering if anyone has any thoughts or insights about this potential development? Mayor Andy said an announcement could be coming in the next few days.
Are you asking in regards to the Performing Arts Center? Wow if so I'm surprised to hear that there could be an announcement coming so soon. Have there been private attempts at building a 300-500 person venue? If the private market couldn't support it, I'd be doubtful that the city-backed one could succeed. If anything, I think a city-backed venue would have more hurdles since they will need to answer to all the constituents and worry about budgets, funding changes, etc.
I had read that Mayor said there could be an announcement about a PAC before the new year, and the people from Urban Systems[?] saying they have the land to do this now and that such a facility would not cost the city much money. Perhaps he meant the next new year.
What I found interesting is how confident the mayor seems to be in this happening, and that this is infact futher along than the venue in Riverfront Park.
But, yeah, anyone who has lived around here for awhile knows how painfully obvious it's been that Lansing has the "missing middle" problem when it comes to performance venues. We've got the lower and upper ends covered, though we could do even more on the lower end. There is a lot of room to work with between something like Dart Auditorium and something like the Wharton Center.
In any case, Lansing is still small enough where, yes, it'd going to require some public subsidy; that's obvious. But what else is obvious is that it'd be less than what we pay to run the Lansing Center and the stadium. I also want to see the city, county and/or region involved to make sure the community can have its events and such (Lansing School District graduations, State of the City addresses, maybe some Silver Bells events, etc.) held in the center.
I remember pretty well when Hollister started this process back in the early 2000's. They had renderings and everything and it would have stood right across from the stadium where Stadium District now is. In hindsight, it was foolish for Lansing to let the Civic Center auditorium go to pot, but that was during the time that downtown was about as low as it ever got. A performing arts center has always been one of the important missing pieces of the puzzle since they decision; I always say it as even more important than the stadium.
Comments
Was looking through one of the #LansingFacts founder's twitter, and found a recent picture of the finished product down at the old gas station at Cedar & Mt. Hope.
Again, not a cheap party store. It's a smaller version of what Mega-Bev has done down the street. I'm just glad to see this long-suffering renovation finally done after years, and happy to see it well-lit and spruced up on such a prominent corner. Now, if the folks redeveloping Walter French across the street could fall into some more money to speed up that project...
The LSJ has an update on the Rotary Park upgrades. They say that a fireplace will be added. We already knew of the plans for the "lighted forest". Delta Dental donated $250,000 for the plaza. Construction will start this winter.
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2018/12/11/delta-dental-plaza-include-outdoor-fireplace-lighted-forest/2264038002/
I went to the new liquor store which was very nice but still just a liquor store. I would have liked some other sort of business to move in there but it is certainly better than a closed gas station.
It is really great that local groups are stepping up to sponsor the new riverfront park. I never got the prize for suggesting the illuminated forest but it is still cool that they are using my idea! Maybe it was not only my idea! I like the plan for a shaded riverside seating area but there seems to be a lot more cement than I would like to see. The "sails" will add some color to the scene but it will be very important to maintain them and the plaza. If they are allowed to get worn looking like say the stairway and area next to the Lansing Center people will not hang out there. I am hoping that the planners will really take a look at what worked and what was a waste of money in the past and present features of our downtown riverfront park. Like the bandstand/gazebo thing, what is it, why is it there just to look at? Bright new clean safe comfortable are all things the should be part of the plans for this park.
The outdoor fireplace in East Lansing really feels like a wasted opportunity and it is an excessive waste of natural gas/energy.
I'd like to see more public restrooms and updated drinking fountains. We really should be focused on the core requirements for people to spend a lot of time out at a park. Relying on porta-potties is gross and expensive in the long term. The lack of a clean place to wash hands and a maintained restroom will force young families to leave the park once someone has to use a bathroom.
It might not be glamorous but it's required if we want people to spend a few hours or more at a park.
You have brought up a very good point. My old neighborhood park Quentin had restrooms and a nice brass [beat up by ice skates] drinking fountain. I think many parks in Lansing had restrooms. I could see using the modern park and street restrooms like in NYC and Boston, they are for one person usually they require a small fee to open the door and when each person is done the restroom cleans itself. Or maybe a larger public restroom that could have an attendant for cleaning and security.
They are installing new baseball fields over at Quentin Park, and they should be building a restroom and field equipment building to support them. I guess the neighbors will now get to look at port-a-potties and cyclone fences out their front windows. Maybe it's just me but there is a lot of fencing that will be there year-round just for maybe 10 or 12 weeks of the baseball season. Who knows maybe the neighbors wanted them to build these fields! IMO they don't look very nice.
An Interesting article on LJS.com about the idea of building a performing arts center in downtown Lansing! This could be a part of a new hotel conference center. The PAC would be in addition to the Adado Park stage plan and the under the bridge venue. That would be very cool if it happens!
I have been wondering if anyone has any thoughts or insights about this potential development? Mayor Andy said an announcement could be coming in the next few days.
Are you asking in regards to the Performing Arts Center? Wow if so I'm surprised to hear that there could be an announcement coming so soon. Have there been private attempts at building a 300-500 person venue? If the private market couldn't support it, I'd be doubtful that the city-backed one could succeed. If anything, I think a city-backed venue would have more hurdles since they will need to answer to all the constituents and worry about budgets, funding changes, etc.
I had read that Mayor said there could be an announcement about a PAC before the new year, and the people from Urban Systems[?] saying they have the land to do this now and that such a facility would not cost the city much money. Perhaps he meant the next new year.
Links, always need the links when we talk about stuff being in the paper:
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2018/12/17/new-performing-arts-center-lansing-michigan/2315386002/
What I found interesting is how confident the mayor seems to be in this happening, and that this is infact futher along than the venue in Riverfront Park.
But, yeah, anyone who has lived around here for awhile knows how painfully obvious it's been that Lansing has the "missing middle" problem when it comes to performance venues. We've got the lower and upper ends covered, though we could do even more on the lower end. There is a lot of room to work with between something like Dart Auditorium and something like the Wharton Center.
In any case, Lansing is still small enough where, yes, it'd going to require some public subsidy; that's obvious. But what else is obvious is that it'd be less than what we pay to run the Lansing Center and the stadium. I also want to see the city, county and/or region involved to make sure the community can have its events and such (Lansing School District graduations, State of the City addresses, maybe some Silver Bells events, etc.) held in the center.
I remember pretty well when Hollister started this process back in the early 2000's. They had renderings and everything and it would have stood right across from the stadium where Stadium District now is. In hindsight, it was foolish for Lansing to let the Civic Center auditorium go to pot, but that was during the time that downtown was about as low as it ever got. A performing arts center has always been one of the important missing pieces of the puzzle since they decision; I always say it as even more important than the stadium.