I go by it fairly regularly. It's quite popular, already. My only worry about it right now is COVID. I think I saw on social media them asking if the park's department cleans it and they said no and would suggest people bring their own wipes and such. So, yeah, I'd definitely recommend that if you are by there.
Resolution up to change City Market Drive's name to Riverfront Drive.
Resolution up to vacate the portions of Jerome and Holmes streets around Sparrow with conditions.
Three ordinances introduced to abolish the prohibition of street parking between 2AM to 5AM, eliminate the permits for overnight parking, and one to still regulate street parking during snow emergencies.
Also, it looks like the planning for the Montgomery Drain project under and around Frandor is nearing completion, because the mayor is formally going to introduce the special assessment for the drain district on Monday. Costs get split in half so the city will pay $11,699,933.60 and the those properties assessed will pay $11,699,933.60. This is just the part that's in the city of Lansing, though. I'm honestly still unfamiliar about the financing of this. The city announced recently that they'd issue bonds for the project, so I imagine this is to recoup half the costs from the property owners in the district.
I took a look at the two buildings going up on W Ottawa across from the Capitol Complex yesterday. It looks like the structures are finished and they are starting work on the exteriors. They are not finished yet but I was kind of disappointed to see the rather cheap-looking "siding" they are using. I am hoping it all comes together when finished and we will have some nice looking new buildings in that neighborhood.
I also noticed the building going up on N Washington at W Saginaw looks like it is being constructed with steel and bricks! and stands tall on that corner.
Downtown a bank branch is moving into the Washington Tap spot on S. Washington and Michigan Ave. I am neutral on bank branches, it is good to have a business move into a vacant space but a bank branch is not very exciting.
I have also noticed that a Turkish coffee shop/bakery has opened on S. Washington! Now that is exciting, I can't wait to try a Turkish coffee and some baklava.
Yeah, the apartment buildings across from the Capitol Complex shocked me. It was my understanding they were supposed to be faced in brick, or at least a brown color. At the moment, they look INCREDIBLY cheap, and certainly not something befitting the area. Perhaps the brick will go up at least part of the way along the facade?
I was thinking that this is a rather nice and historic neighborhood for this cheap look too, it is interesting to try and understand why these developers go for the cheap on the exteriors these days and it is always so disappointing. Why wouldn't you want your building to look attractive, I would think that would help rent the apartments. Maybe it will look better finished!
I was by here earlier today and was able to get a closer look at it. I'd only really seen it from Allegan, but on closer inspection it looks like they are using the same hardy board they've been using on other projects. I'd thought they were actually using vinyl siding, so this makes slightly less angry. It's actually hard to tell in even up-close photographs, and actually, I'm only really sure that's hardy board along the ground floor.
STILL, this is really crappy material to be using at this location. This is one of those locations you could be selling high-quality units or leasing high-quality apartments for established state workers. This crap looks like cheap surburban apartments. Hell, Volaris/Waypoint down on Dunckel looks better than this.
Oh, wow. That's impressively bad, it takes the spot for the worst new apartment building by a long shot. Trash windows, trash siding and absolutely no thought given to design. This would be unacceptably bad for the most nondescript suburb, let alone a historic neighborhood right in downtown. If the renderings had accurately showed this I have no doubt the neighborhood would have been against this and the city would not have approved it, I'd be angry if I lived nearby. This building just looks really, really horrible.
I'm assuming the city will have no recourse with these sorts of things until they get the form based code passed?
It looks like a warehouse the was rehabbed. I had not seen this view, geez and awful about cover it. If materials they are using here are not what was depicted for the city to pass then they required to build the building they proposed to the city.
The new Lake Trust building is looking kind of interesting, there is a wedge/fin-shaped marquee on the St Joe side that I would guess recalls 1950's tail light fins or maybe a motel sign, it looks interesting anyway. It is a smaller building than I would like to see on that spot but at least some thought has been put into the design. There is a depiction of the new building on a sign, around the front fence.
Anyone know the architects for this one? I recall Studio Intrigue putting out something years ago. I searched through the thread and found the old "South Edge Lofts" proposal, which look like it had metal garage doors on St. Joe. Thank god that iteration of the project never came to fruition. But, yeah, the Studio Intrigue rendering I remember showed a glass fin; I'd be curious if that rendering is the one they are building.
Comments
- Resolution up to change City Market Drive's name to Riverfront Drive.
- Resolution up to vacate the portions of Jerome and Holmes streets around Sparrow with conditions.
- Three ordinances introduced to abolish the prohibition of street parking between 2AM to 5AM, eliminate the permits for overnight parking, and one to still regulate street parking during snow emergencies.
Also, it looks like the planning for the Montgomery Drain project under and around Frandor is nearing completion, because the mayor is formally going to introduce the special assessment for the drain district on Monday. Costs get split in half so the city will pay $11,699,933.60 and the those properties assessed will pay $11,699,933.60. This is just the part that's in the city of Lansing, though. I'm honestly still unfamiliar about the financing of this. The city announced recently that they'd issue bonds for the project, so I imagine this is to recoup half the costs from the property owners in the district.I also noticed the building going up on N Washington at W Saginaw looks like it is being constructed with steel and bricks! and stands tall on that corner.
Downtown a bank branch is moving into the Washington Tap spot on S. Washington and Michigan Ave. I am neutral on bank branches, it is good to have a business move into a vacant space but a bank branch is not very exciting.
I have also noticed that a Turkish coffee shop/bakery has opened on S. Washington! Now that is exciting, I can't wait to try a Turkish coffee and some baklava.
STILL, this is really crappy material to be using at this location. This is one of those locations you could be selling high-quality units or leasing high-quality apartments for established state workers. This crap looks like cheap surburban apartments. Hell, Volaris/Waypoint down on Dunckel looks better than this.
I'm assuming the city will have no recourse with these sorts of things until they get the form based code passed?