I guess we are a city so "Stinky Lansing" problems go along with that. I have wondered if anyone else noticed these bad smell around town. My building's parking lot is right next to the river across from GM and sometimes especially in the summer it is really bad as the warm air seems to hold the paint and plastic smell down in the river valley. It reminds me of the smell of Fisher Body back when I went to Sexton. You could see that "smoke" in the air back then, today you can not see smoke or anything emitting from the GM plants, [you have to look for where the cars come out] but you sure can smell it over here. Also, I don't know why, but this year has had many days with a strong sewage smell mixed with the paint fumes, and that is really bad. Wearing a mask helps! I live in the front so I don't get it in my home.
I wonder, does the State own all of the milages of the "M" state higways? I pass through many towns where an M highway is the main street and there are 25mph speed limits through town. I just wonder why the State would be reluctant[if they are? maybe we have to ask] to lower Lansing's M highway speed limits. I think speed reductions and two-way streets would do so much to improve the quality of life for the people who live on those streets and the in-between blocks, with an increase in value for the properties along those streets.
Do you think complaining to the Connect Lansing site about Burger King polluting the neighborhood air would do any good, perhaps making them install the smoke eater device? I worked in restaurants and good smells coming out onto the street is a great way to get customers and is one way I judge whether I am going to give a place a try. Burn meat, dirty grills smoking, and cheese left burning in the oven used to drive me crazy when I was a chef and I would have to tell people to clean that up, that smell drives people away.
The renovation of the "pump house"? next to the Cedar overpass on the north side has started, I noticed new windows have been installed. I will take the street that passes by there to get a better look next time. It is great to see this cool building being put back into use.
So glad to hear about this one. I drive on the viaduct regularly, but hadn't even paid attention. This was the old North Larch Substation, so used for electricity. After proposals for a marijuana micro-business and the owner then saying he'd move his own business office into the building after that failed, it appears he filed a project with the city, and it was approved last month that will transform the building into four apartments. Not sure I'd want to live right next to the viaduct, especially not the top floor of the building, at least it's beign renovated, I guess.
BTW, the streets are so weird in this area. The street running parallel to the viaduct and the northbound ramp is North Larch, but so is the northbound lanes of the viaduct itself. North Cedar appears to start after the first southbound ramp onto Thompson, so almost the whol southbound pat of the bridge is Cedar. To add to the confusion, Cedar and Larch are part of federal Business Loop (BL) 96 all the way up until the ramps taking you two and from North Street.
Even more curious, N Cedar Street picks back up at E Howe Street some blocks north of Gier Park and then continues into DeWitt Township for a few blocks. lol
It is good to see that this will be human space, not marijuana space. It looks like housing is where the developer's money is going right now. If someone was from a big city perhaps the building next to the viaduct might not be a big issue, before the Big Dig the elevated highway went right next to some pretty fancy apartments which you could see into, if you were stuck in traffic. Now those places look out upon the Rose Kennedy Greenway which has exploded the value of those buildings. I think I could find a nicer spot in Lansing but lots of people never even look out their windows.
My favorite north side confusing corner is Ceasar Chavez and Grand River and Seymour which used to be the corner of Grand River and Grand River! Also up there, Turner Street is a nice way out of town to the north, you find yourself in the countryside within minutes, also passing a great stop to watch the planes landing at the airport. In the future, I will want to watch Air Force One landing from there. I resisted that idea in the recent past.:}
Gb, my family was friends with another family that lived way out in rural DeWitt Township, so we used to take DeWitt Road (turns into MLK at the county line) all the way to its first end at Stoll Road. Really beautiful and well-maintained agricultural land up that way if you're in to that kind of thing. Haven't been out that way since they extended the airport runway and they had to move the road, though. Apparently, there is a park at Turner and Valley Farms road right in line with the runway. I imagine that's an excellent spot for watching planes. Google also shows that there is a large community garden just east of the intersection of DeWitt Road and State Road; kind of curious if land bank would mind folks stopping by.
Yeah, giving people directions on Grand River was always confusing. lol It was a nother good reason for the name change for East and West Grand River. Way back when the city began, this section of Grand River was actually called Franklin Street. I'm not sure when they changed it, but there are shots of the old covered bridge through North Lansing (Old Town) where it's mentioned as the Franklin Street bridge.
I've always kind of wished a local historian would make a book of how the streets got their names. I've been particularly curious about Mt. Hope.
I think that would be interesting as well, like how Mt. Hope got its name. The street follows along the top of a "ridge" from east to west with the cemetery area possibly considered a "mount". You can really see the change in elevation at the Penn. Ave Mt Hope intersection. Have you ever looked up how Mt. Pleasent got its name? I did because it is about the flattest place in Michigan, it's pretty funny and kind of "dirty"!:}
The LSJ.com has another "5 Project to Watch" report. Nothing new except the timeline updates and reassurance that the projects are basically on schedule and going to be successful additions to Greater Lansing. It was noted that a law firm has already moved into "The Louie" which must have some great views of the Capitol. Or as I call it "The Louie Louie". [Boomer reference!]
Highest points/elevations in town are actually down just south of East Northrup Street on the southside just west of where it intersects with Cedar, and along the esker ridge on the northeast site. Both locations have elevations above 890 feet. You'd never know about the one down on Northrup Street. It's basically in the backyards of some people on the southside of Northrup. Mt. Hope Cemetery definitely has some of the most prominent hills in town, though.
GB, the law firm must have really wanted to get in quickly. They are still renovating parts of the building!
Comments
I wonder, does the State own all of the milages of the "M" state higways? I pass through many towns where an M highway is the main street and there are 25mph speed limits through town. I just wonder why the State would be reluctant[if they are? maybe we have to ask] to lower Lansing's M highway speed limits. I think speed reductions and two-way streets would do so much to improve the quality of life for the people who live on those streets and the in-between blocks, with an increase in value for the properties along those streets.
Do you think complaining to the Connect Lansing site about Burger King polluting the neighborhood air would do any good, perhaps making them install the smoke eater device? I worked in restaurants and good smells coming out onto the street is a great way to get customers and is one way I judge whether I am going to give a place a try. Burn meat, dirty grills smoking, and cheese left burning in the oven used to drive me crazy when I was a chef and I would have to tell people to clean that up, that smell drives people away.
BTW, the streets are so weird in this area. The street running parallel to the viaduct and the northbound ramp is North Larch, but so is the northbound lanes of the viaduct itself. North Cedar appears to start after the first southbound ramp onto Thompson, so almost the whol southbound pat of the bridge is Cedar. To add to the confusion, Cedar and Larch are part of federal Business Loop (BL) 96 all the way up until the ramps taking you two and from North Street.
Even more curious, N Cedar Street picks back up at E Howe Street some blocks north of Gier Park and then continues into DeWitt Township for a few blocks. lol
My favorite north side confusing corner is Ceasar Chavez and Grand River and Seymour which used to be the corner of Grand River and Grand River! Also up there, Turner Street is a nice way out of town to the north, you find yourself in the countryside within minutes, also passing a great stop to watch the planes landing at the airport. In the future, I will want to watch Air Force One landing from there. I resisted that idea in the recent past.:}
Yeah, giving people directions on Grand River was always confusing. lol It was a nother good reason for the name change for East and West Grand River. Way back when the city began, this section of Grand River was actually called Franklin Street. I'm not sure when they changed it, but there are shots of the old covered bridge through North Lansing (Old Town) where it's mentioned as the Franklin Street bridge.
I've always kind of wished a local historian would make a book of how the streets got their names. I've been particularly curious about Mt. Hope.
GB, the law firm must have really wanted to get in quickly. They are still renovating parts of the building!