It looks like a great plan, there is an article about the plans in this week's City Pulse, I like the boardwalk out over the river. I wonder if the removal of the spiral wall from the '70s near Shiawassee is the beginning of this project?
Lansing is continuing its program, using FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grants, to remove properties from our 100-year floodplain. According to next week's city council agenda, they've identified at least 9 more properties for demolition, 7 in the Lansing section of Urbandale and 2 in Baker-Donora. The Urbandale properties are in the 600 & 700 blocks of south Magnolia, Foster and Hayford. Open-space deed restrictions will be put in place to make sure the land is not developed aside from nature preserves and community gardens/urban farms.
I'm assuming their goal is to eventually buy out all the houses and remove the street to certain point, maybe make a proper park out of all of it? Do you know if they've ever stated a long term goal?
It doesn't sound like they are ever going to develop these as a manicured park or anything. It'll be natural space like most of the rest of the river bottom areas in that area of town. There is an urban farm down that way, which is why I assume they mentioned such a use. But, no, nothing formal beyond that.
No, I wouldn't expect or want a formal park there. But to remove the streets and let it turn back to nature, build some paths, maybe a picnic pavilion or two would be nice. It might not be a bad spot for another one of Pat Lindeman's rainwater retention pond/nature areas, it would be even better if some of Lansing Township's properties in that area are eventually included.
The city is giving notice of the extention of the River Trail between Frances Park and Cambridge. It's supposed to start the 7th and last through the end of the year. I haven't seen any renderings of it, and I'm curious of how they are going to engineer it.
I have noticed the city had already removed maybe a dozen trees right next to the curb on the river side. This was done a few months ago, it is good to hear that it has something to do with the river trail and not traffic or utility related. The trees were mainly Norway Maples which are non-native and invasive. It will be interesting to see how they build a trail there. I would think they may remove the curb there and just widen the street. I hope they don't take out a lot more trees for this plan, I recently saw an old photo and the bend in the road there was easily identifiable as the same spot today.
Public Service Department told me that someone of the path will be on infill and some on boardwalk. I'm so glad to hear it's not just a marked street-path.
This sounds like a nice albeit short addition to the River Trail although I don't see them taking it further along the south bank here and going along the road would be far from ideal. I wonder if there's any chance they may cross over the river and run the trail along the north bank then cut south back over the river somewhere before the dam, maybe at Riverside Park. I know the riverboat wouldn't be thrilled at losing a bit of the navigable section of river but I'd really like to see that westerly section of trail connected to the main trail.
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