With little money to invest to restore the rapids this might end up looking like the restored dam in Big Rapids. The area is “okay”, but nothing to write home about. http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364_27415-80310--,00.html With its proximity to Old Town making this attractive especially is a huge issue. What will the EDC and City have to say if a lower water level affects development plans south of the dam?
Are there any indications BWL has enough land near-by to build a hydroelectric plant (power station to handle the electricity produced by the dam)?
Great ideas if BWL can properly fund either project.
Does the DNR know what affect this will have of the fish-ladder?
Yes, I believe you are correct this was a hydroelectric dam in the past. Let’s hope advancements in technology have reduced the size of the equipment allowing for a retrofitting.
Old Town has plans to add a playground nearby, which is a good addition as long as the area is save for the public and it is not taken up by a power relay station (things to keep in mind).
That is my point exactly, regarding the fish ladders relevance if the dam is removed. Since the ladder is state property, the development plans might become a little more complicated. Just look at the hoops the BWL had to go through to acquire a permit lower the river to inspect the dam.
I noticed the War Memorial in front of the Dept. of Justice buliding at MLK and Allegan is covered by a wood and plastic set-up...is there something going on with this?
Hadn't noticed, but I bet they are repairing it. I noticed some of the metal plates had warped and were falling off when I was at it a few months back.
As for the dam, really, turning it back hydro-electric station shouldn't be anything. If you've ever been down to Moores Park Dam, they turned it back into a hydro-electric station, last year, and it didn't involve any new construction.
The new windows have been put in the Old Town Medical Arts Building (old Cedar Street Elementary on Cedar near Grand River). It's looking very nice.
I also drove by the Ingham County Land Bank's new-construction LEED-gold-certified home, the Lily, at Chestnut and Kilborn in Old Forest. It's nothing special from the outside, at least, but it still looks nice and fits the neighborhood. Many people don't realize that Old Forst and Walnut (the neighborhoods directy west of Old Town), are still some of the most physically intact and denset neighborhoods in the city.
Linking Lansing & U is holding a residential focus group tonight from 6:30-7:30 at the Arbaugh building. I think it's put on by the Principal Shopping District (PSD) for downtown residents if anyone's interested in offering opinions for downtown Lansing. Sorry for the late notice. I will definitely be there and I hope there will be a decent turnout.
I hadn't been down Michigan Avenue, today, and noticed that the two huge (and dilapidated) houses on the north side of the street at 1809 and 1815 between Marshall and Horton, had been demolished. According to the assessor's office records, they were built in 1904 and 1910 respectively, and they'd both been recently been transferred to Lansing-based Capitol Bancorp Limited's real estate division, from Capitol National Bank, who'd came into possession of them back in late 2007. This leaves me to think that they were probably aquired by foreclosure back in 2007.
These are probably the two biggest eyesores along East Michigan Avenue in Lansing. They were single-family homes-turned -apartment buildings that had been haphazardly added onto over the years adding additional floors and rooms, and poorly maintained. Their backyards were overgrown; their front yards were often used for parking cars. I was surprised but happy to see them come down. I don't think there is anything planned for the sites, but it'll open it up to proper development; which hopefully means streetfront retail like much of the rest of the avenue.
I'm not exactly sure what location on Michigan Avenue your talking about, but I'm very familier witht he street. I'm surprise as well about the demolish, I didn't read an article on it. Glad to see the houses come down, because from what I recall many homes on Michigan Avenue have become eyesores since it became a more buisness street. Same for downtown, I've notice homes right in the middle of the dowtown. They are probably located off of Kalamazoo, near a park, and city libarey...
Comments
Are there any indications BWL has enough land near-by to build a hydroelectric plant (power station to handle the electricity produced by the dam)?
Great ideas if BWL can properly fund either project.
Does the DNR know what affect this will have of the fish-ladder?
As far as the fish ladder, if the dam is removed there is no need for it anymore.
Old Town has plans to add a playground nearby, which is a good addition as long as the area is save for the public and it is not taken up by a power relay station (things to keep in mind).
That is my point exactly, regarding the fish ladders relevance if the dam is removed. Since the ladder is state property, the development plans might become a little more complicated. Just look at the hoops the BWL had to go through to acquire a permit lower the river to inspect the dam.
As for the dam, really, turning it back hydro-electric station shouldn't be anything. If you've ever been down to Moores Park Dam, they turned it back into a hydro-electric station, last year, and it didn't involve any new construction.
I also drove by the Ingham County Land Bank's new-construction LEED-gold-certified home, the Lily, at Chestnut and Kilborn in Old Forest. It's nothing special from the outside, at least, but it still looks nice and fits the neighborhood. Many people don't realize that Old Forst and Walnut (the neighborhoods directy west of Old Town), are still some of the most physically intact and denset neighborhoods in the city.
These are probably the two biggest eyesores along East Michigan Avenue in Lansing. They were single-family homes-turned -apartment buildings that had been haphazardly added onto over the years adding additional floors and rooms, and poorly maintained. Their backyards were overgrown; their front yards were often used for parking cars. I was surprised but happy to see them come down. I don't think there is anything planned for the sites, but it'll open it up to proper development; which hopefully means streetfront retail like much of the rest of the avenue.