This an interesting feature for a downtown park. It is kind of screaming "vandalize me"! I hope that does not happen, they should be able to close and secure this area at night. I do like that the city is trying to expand options and attractions but like the "never has a fire fireplace" this looks good and is a nice idea but I don't see it getting a lot of use. I will look forward to being wrong about this I hope I am.
So looking back through the comments, it looks like I last spoke about 1921-1925 West Holmes Road - this is just east of Pleasant Grove - way back in January 2019. I drove by that way today, and it looks like the 30-unit (10 in 3 buildings) townhome developed is nearly complete. The LLC for it is called Victoria Arms, so I assume that will be the name of it. It's not beauty, but it looks like a good use of the land (not too much parking), and new, affordable housing is needed all over. The units are also fairly large at nearly 1,1500 sq ft apiece. I just hope that the developer - who appears to be local - maintains the units, because I could very easily see them getting run-down because of their cheap construction.
But it does show the area must be coming back just a bit to have built this many units speculatively and without tax credits or anything like that from the city. Also, with the new soccer field they built down on Simkin it looks like more family with children are moving in. Also, the 1910 Market did a major upgrade to its facade I hadn't seen completed until today; it looks really nice with stone used around the base of the building.
What I most definitely want to see is the LPD put a mini-precinct in that plaza, though. I'm sure you guys heard there was a double-shooting of two brothers there the other day, and both passed away. They got the shooter basically right-away and it wasn't random, but this is the kind of stuff that needs to be nipped in the bud. The city has been fighting with the owner of the shopping plaza for years. I'm not sure how many of the demands he met from the city, but obviously more needs to be done.
Wow that's a pretty sizable townhome development. Google Maps Streetview has some good pictures of it under construction from August 2019 as well as pictures that show the single house that was on the property before this. That transformation will show the neighbors what they will be able to do if they want to rebuild or market their land for redevelopment.
That story about the brothers being killed is really sad. I didn't realize exactly where that was until now. I used to go to that plaza pretty often back in 2003/2004. The Streetview images of it show it pretty much as I remember it.
A really big thing was them selling individual cups of ice, which they apparently stopped doing. What was happening is that people would come in and by the cups and something to drink and then mix it with couch syrup or something and get high in the parking lot and loitering all night and day. And the owner was originally claiming that it wasn't illegal for him to sell cups of ice.
Sounds like they've worked out some things, and the murders the other day actually happened outside the wing restaurant and not the market. But it still feels a little sketchy every once in awhile. The area - and really just America in general - just needs more decent-paying jobs that don't necessarily require a university degree.
Oh, and they've been talking about putting a Town Square in the parking lot and then a path across the street through to the Beacon Field SW soccer field and children's play area, but the last talk of this I can find in council agendas on the Town Square are from the LEDC's February meeting. I wonder if the pandemic maybe set this back? There is also the plan from last december to redevelop the Pleasant Grove Elementary site, of course. I imagine that's still in planning.
Goods things are going on, but sometimes you have major community setbacks, and the murders are definitely painful for the neighborhood.
Wow that's really good digging you did there. Thanks for the background, I read up on those minutes you posted. I wonder how much he was charging for the cups of ice for it to be worth the trouble. I guess people also buy other things while at the store.
I had never heard of the cup of ice thing. That was very irresponsible and nearly criminal, did they sell the cough syrup too? I am still hoping that the legalization of marijuana will give folks a better option than drinking cough syrup. The idea of a universal minimum wage that could allow people to get out of the endless cycle of poverty with its poor education and poor mental and health care that create situations where people want to chug cough syrup and to think the best way to solve a problem is to shot someone. I am sure that there would still be drug abuse and stupid people but perhaps a lot fewer.
I forgot to reply about the FitLot north of Rotary Park. That is really awesome to see. I hope that is just the start and we see more of these get put in neighborhood parks. It is great for providing a free exercise area as well as getting neighbors to meet each other.
I lived in California for a couple years and there was a park near my apartment that had equipment like this and I was always amazed to see the people from all ages using it. Most of the people I saw using it were the elderly though I also saw little kids exercising and young adults too, it just depended on the time of day.
Comments
But it does show the area must be coming back just a bit to have built this many units speculatively and without tax credits or anything like that from the city. Also, with the new soccer field they built down on Simkin it looks like more family with children are moving in. Also, the 1910 Market did a major upgrade to its facade I hadn't seen completed until today; it looks really nice with stone used around the base of the building.
What I most definitely want to see is the LPD put a mini-precinct in that plaza, though. I'm sure you guys heard there was a double-shooting of two brothers there the other day, and both passed away. They got the shooter basically right-away and it wasn't random, but this is the kind of stuff that needs to be nipped in the bud. The city has been fighting with the owner of the shopping plaza for years. I'm not sure how many of the demands he met from the city, but obviously more needs to be done.
That story about the brothers being killed is really sad. I didn't realize exactly where that was until now. I used to go to that plaza pretty often back in 2003/2004. The Streetview images of it show it pretty much as I remember it.
https://www.lansingmi.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06062019-2648
It sounds like things were going well at least as late as last summer. And here is the agreement they ironed out with the owner from November of 2018:
https://www.lansingmi.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11142018-2373
A really big thing was them selling individual cups of ice, which they apparently stopped doing. What was happening is that people would come in and by the cups and something to drink and then mix it with couch syrup or something and get high in the parking lot and loitering all night and day. And the owner was originally claiming that it wasn't illegal for him to sell cups of ice.
Sounds like they've worked out some things, and the murders the other day actually happened outside the wing restaurant and not the market. But it still feels a little sketchy every once in awhile. The area - and really just America in general - just needs more decent-paying jobs that don't necessarily require a university degree.
Oh, and they've been talking about putting a Town Square in the parking lot and then a path across the street through to the Beacon Field SW soccer field and children's play area, but the last talk of this I can find in council agendas on the Town Square are from the LEDC's February meeting. I wonder if the pandemic maybe set this back? There is also the plan from last december to redevelop the Pleasant Grove Elementary site, of course. I imagine that's still in planning.
Goods things are going on, but sometimes you have major community setbacks, and the murders are definitely painful for the neighborhood.
I lived in California for a couple years and there was a park near my apartment that had equipment like this and I was always amazed to see the people from all ages using it. Most of the people I saw using it were the elderly though I also saw little kids exercising and young adults too, it just depended on the time of day.