I've been researching CATA's ridership and was able to find some ridership numbers for Route 1 (i.e. downtown to Okemos), CATA's most heavily traveled route:
As you can see, ridership is rising quite healthfully on the route (and on the system as a whole). I'm trying to find the average weekday and weekend ridership (depends on how many days CATA runs a year). I asked about the study that was to be done on Route 1 concerning possible rapid transit and was told that despite what I heard earlier, the system is still seeking funds to do a comprehensive study on Route 1 to see what kind of improvements would be appropriate for it.
BTW, here are ridership numbers for the entire system over the same period:
NuUnion is possibly going to replace a vacated hotel on S. Cedar. They have already bought the property according to the article. I'm excited anytime I see something replacing something empty in S. Lansing...keep it from being too run down.
I'm actually a bit disappointed. I don't mind stuff being replaced, in theory, but when it's replaced with something smaller and more suburuban designed (a sprawling, one-story drive-thru bank) I'm not really sure how much of a 'success' this is beyond simply getting something usable, again. For many, that's enough, but I'm not sure if it's really enough for me to call progress. Stack on top of that that it's not a new business, rather a relocation from literally blocks away and it doesn't look much beyond rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Sure, not a loss, but if this is what we call 'progress' in Lansing, then I'm not sure it's much of a gain, either.
As a South Lansing resident, I think this is definitely progress. That motel has been an eyesore for such a long time. I think that a credit union in this location is a very good fit. As a retail area, I'm surprised that there aren't more nearby.
Good point LMich. When I think about it from that perspective, it particularly disappoints me that it's only a relocation and not a new business. We need expansions of existing companies and bringing new ones in to really build Greater Lansing. However, south of 496, it doesn't bother me quite as much not getting something less suburban. As far as the building itself, in S. Lansing I'm just glad to see a new building to brighten things up.
People talk about the Regent Inn as being some major eyesore, and while it was most definitely a place that fostered crime as an empty property, it was really only visible coming north up Cedar from Holt and then only if you were branching off on to Pennsylvania. From Cedar, it was almost completely hidden from almost any direction one was coming from. This is not to mention that it's not exactly as if people had to worry walking around it because the triangle is so incredibly unpedestrian friendly that the only good way to reach the place was by car.
That whole area needs to be reconfigured for pedestrian usage. There has been a plan floated for years to rework the interchange, there, as the current one has been outdated for years and takes up A LOT of prime, developable land, but the city keeps stalling on it. This area, with the right reconfiguration could become an urban village, of sorts. Currently , the area is just a mess.
Lansing Capitol Area Gains is reporting that Symmetry Medical Jet is soon to expand their southside manufacturing facility. They are an orthopedic implant manufacturer located at East Jolly and Aurelius. They are adding 30,000 square feet to their current 100,000 square foot facility, and plan to add 20 more employees this year. I remember when they were much smaller.
I did a little research using the city's property look-up tool to find some information on the Regent Inn property. First, it's postal address is at 6501 South Cedar on the other side of the block from 6501 South Pennsylvania, which seems to be the main address for the Days Inn on the opposite block. It contains two, two-story buildings built in 1964, one slightly larger than the other (51 rooms vs. 49 rooms). Together they have 34,000 square feet of space, which is quite a bit more than the 5,000 square foot replacement project.
I don't see how NuUnion building a new branch here isn't good progress, this is a suburban part of to I don't see how a suburban styled building causes any problems. That Cedar/Penn/96 intersection is huge mess, both it's own design and the properties that are around it. They are currently in th process of a Fed-funded traffic study,I seen 3 site plans of concepts for this area, I'll have to try to find them again.
Comments
FY 2005 - 1,464,622
FY 2006 - 1,515,299
FY 2007 - 1,605,976
As you can see, ridership is rising quite healthfully on the route (and on the system as a whole). I'm trying to find the average weekday and weekend ridership (depends on how many days CATA runs a year). I asked about the study that was to be done on Route 1 concerning possible rapid transit and was told that despite what I heard earlier, the system is still seeking funds to do a comprehensive study on Route 1 to see what kind of improvements would be appropriate for it.
BTW, here are ridership numbers for the entire system over the same period:
FY 2005 - 9,351,227
FY 2006 - 10,031,082
FY 2007 - 10,682,792
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080507/NEWS03/805070328/1004/NEWS03
That whole area needs to be reconfigured for pedestrian usage. There has been a plan floated for years to rework the interchange, there, as the current one has been outdated for years and takes up A LOT of prime, developable land, but the city keeps stalling on it. This area, with the right reconfiguration could become an urban village, of sorts. Currently , the area is just a mess.
http://www.capitalgainsmedia.com/devnews/jet0218.aspx