Eagle Township Mega Site

hood

Decide to start a thread for the "Mega Site" in Eagle Twp. From Today:


There's a story in MLive talking about the Michigan Mega Sites and it states that:

An August board meeting agenda shows three of the sites are being considered for projects with “large job creation and private investment” including one that will create 5,641 jobs and bring in up to a $50 billion investment.

Looking into that meeting packet, it describes funds being allocated to the Mundy, Marshall and Lansing sites then in the following paragraph states:

The awarded funds listed above are being used to begin and complete the site due diligence and land acquisition
process. All three sites are in consideration for various projects with large job creation and private investment.
For example, one of the projects will create up to 5,641 jobs and up to $50 billion investment...

The MLive article goes on to say that the Marshall site has a $3.5bl battery factory proposal from a Ford related company. That leaves a 50/50 shot that the Eagle site is the one vying for the $50bl dollar project which I imagine has to be something chip-related. If that's the case the site will no doubt be competing with several in other states offering very competitive incentives. Imagine the effects of $50 billion chip foundry on the area? Regardless, it looks likely we'll see another multi-billion dollar project of some sort in the not-to-distant future.

MLive article:
https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2023/02/michigan-assembling-1000-acre-mega-sites-to-attract-big-investments.html

Meeting Packet (relevant quote from page 99):
https://www.michiganbusiness.org/4a5453/globalassets/documents/msf-board/msf-board-packets/msf-packet_august-2022_final.pdf

hood

This article has a very interesting bit of info if true:

Meanwhile, in December, Intel was listed by the state as Clinton County’s top job-poster, with 225 openings. Unclear is what drove that.

“There are no new projects in Michigan that we are announcing,” an Intel spokesperson told Bridge this week.

https://www.moodyonthemarket.com/mid-michigan-township-ponders-1500-job-industrial-mega-site-prize-vs-price/

MichMatters

A broken record on this, but I'm just confused why this can't go in all of the existing and empty idustrial sites (RACER) we have within the urban area, instead of another huge greenfield project in a township that doesn't really want it. Imagine this where Lansing Metal Center, LCA and Craft Centre were. I can't imagine that it couldn't fit on those collective sites; it'd just take being a bit more creative with site planning.

hood

The RACER sites on the west side are only about 230 acres, so not even in the ballpark of comparable. Even then there's no desire for creative site planning or dealing with those sorts of constraints on the part of these companies that have multiple states and localities begging them to come there.

Besides, if I could make anything happen I'd want those sites to be turned mostly into residential.

MichMatters

It can't be. They aren't going to clean any of those sites up to that degree, and aren't zoned nor being marketed for anything but industrial/logistics use. These are going to be everything but residential. In any case, I'm curious how much of the site in Eagle they are actually planning to put a building on? Because my guess is that a lot of the site will probably just be buffer space as is the case with a lot of these modern industrial buildings with ungodly footprints.

hood

Well they could be residential, the clean up would just be about twice as much. Actually got to talk on the phone with the rep for those properties a year or so ago, he said in no way do they at all expect residential but there's nothing technically preventing it. I don't expect to happen but if the government is going to throw around a bunch of subsidies anyway then I don't see why they can't pay a little extra for cleanup to make it residential, the area is far more suited to residential development. I can dream.

I'm not arguing it wouldn't be cool to see modern multi-story industrial buildings in a more dense setting, just that I don't think you're going to sell these companies on it and I'm not really trying to fight them at this point. If it takes offering up a 1000+ acre greenfield site on the edge of town to get a multi-billion dollar investment and thousands of jobs then so be it.

sabatoa

I want the business, obviously, but I hate the location. There's already grassroots backlash trying to fight it. Let's fill in the developed area before expanding even further to the outer edge of the market.

hood

I have to ask what developed area are you talking about? What 1,000 acre+ site would you find more appropriate? Or would you rather pass on any of these massive projects that require a so called mega site?

The Eagle site isn't even particularly far out IMO. It's not far north of the already well developed areas of Grand Ledge, directly adjacent to a municipal airport & Air National Guard base (which itself has adjacent industrial properties), it's directly off a freeway exit and is just 12 miles from the Capitol along a major corridor (N Grand River) that already has plenty of industrial just down the road.


The more I think about how much this site has going for it the less surprised I am that it's in the running for some the most coveted economic development projects being shopped nationally.

gbdinlansing

I agree that Eagle is not exactly the middle of the woods but is always sad to see formally open land developed. I do support the plans for this huge site, for the reasons stated above, but I do wonder if similar square footage could be built to fit a smaller site like the Pacer properties, by building multiple story factory type buildings. I am sure that having the whole line spread out on one level is the cheapest and easiest way to plan, but many factories' lines have had multiple levels, it does not seem that crazy.

hood

Similar square footage absolutely could be built on a much smaller (although still large) site, it's not crazy, it's just not what these corporations are looking for and the competition for their investments is too fierce to try to dictate too many terms to them. Besides, part of the logic of these companies is legitimate: they want a campus where they can freely expand outwards and build new buildings/infrastructure as they need, as a part of doing a greenfield development they also usually are required leave a certain amount of open space and they have to handle their own storm water drainage which adds to the land requirements.

IMO If we're lucky enough as an area to land one of these major top-tier chip foundries that are coming about due to the government reshoring windfall we need to take it and run to the bank as a community, if it "only" ends up being something measured in the single-digit billions with less lofty salaries it would still be a huge boon to our area and something worth rooting for.

hood

Whoever they were working with one this site has chosen another location:
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/02/16/lansing-area-megasite-buyer-went-elsewhere-local-official-says/69909994007/