Yup, there is plenty of land, underused buildings and surface lots in and around downtown East Lansing, I can't imagine why they'd consider selling any park. If anything, it'd be nice to see the park get some improvements, I don't know EL too well but it seems like a pretty good spot to have a small park. I'm pretty sure this will meet plenty of resistance.
This week's City Pulse had a notice of public hearing for this project's rezoning, and went into detail about each building:
Building A - 100 to 140 West Grand River/303 Albert: 10-story mixed use building containing retail and restaurant space, a 120-room hotel with a restaurant, 102 apartments, and two levels of underground parking with 283 spaces.
Building B - 341 to 345 Evergreen: 4-story mixed use building containing ground floor retail, and 42 apartments.
Building C: 8-story mixed use building with office/retail on ground floor, and 84 apartments.
Building D: 8-story mixed use building with ground floor retail and apartment space with 137 aparments and a 437-space parking garage.
Building E: 6-story apartment bulding containing 25 apartments, and 20 parking spaces on the ground floor.
Buildings C through E span Evergreen from 314 to 404, and City Parking Lots 4 and 15 (East and West).
A lot of these will be studios from what I gather, so I imagine this is eyet another project being marketed at least partially (but significantly) to students. I really think it's going to be awhile before we see significant condo development anywhere in East Lansing.
It's a sort of a chicken/egg problem. The city wants to have year round residents living downtown, but many businesses that would support permanent residents don't exist because there aren't permanent residents (a large-scale grocery store, for example).
I think the best route to go here is to feed the ever present demand for student rentals, but structure the leases in 12-month increments instead of 9-month leases. Once the downtown EL market is saturated with student rentals (it still has a ways to go), then I think more businesses will relocate or open up shop downtown. This will in turn provide the increased quality of life that longer term residents are likely looking for when considering trading their picket-fences for urban living.
I agree. I'm not really bothered by the lack of condos quite yet. Downtown EL is still in a growing phase; the market won't mature for some years down the road. Not to say that a creative developer can't or shouldn't develop condo projects, but I'm not sure it's a problem quite yet. I also think that condos could be more Lansing's speed, anyway, at the moment just because of simple demographics. Perhaps, this is how it will work for quite some time with East Lansing rentals feeding Lansing's ownership units.
Park District Investment Group LLC, the project's developer, wants to tear down the former Citizens Bank building at 100 W. Grand River Ave. in East Lansing and six other properties near Abbot Road and Evergreen Avenue, according to a staff report to the commission.
Developers' plans call for a 120-room hotel, 102 apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom units, retail and restaurant space. It also would have 283 parking spaces on two levels underground.
As we're well aware of now, proposals for this piece of land seem to come and go every year, so I don't have my hopes up. But it would be nice to see one of them succeed.
The proposal for the city to sell the parking lots to DTN failed at the vote yesterday. DTN has said that they won't be able to do the project without the city's property, but I think they need to be a bit more creative here. Potentially scale down the project, but the land that they *do* have is far too viable to say that it is an all or nothing.
It is frustrating - though not surprising - to see this project delayed again. Part of me does not blame DTN for pulling their proposal. With all the delays in this project and numerous opportunities for public feedback, some of this is on the voters. (I say that as a resident of Lansing, not EL, so my apologies - I don't mean that to come across as harsh). Certainly a no vote to sell city parking lots would have meant a delay in the project. Between this and the uncertainty surrounding the former bank building, will a large scale development ever occur in this area? Or are smaller 2-4 story developments on each parcel probable? I wonder if it is more likely that two years from now a similar proposal (to sell the parking lots) goes to the voters again.
A similar proposal will definitely go to voters during the next cycle. But I don't necessarily think the voters were wrong.
Many of the people in East Lansing have watched as the city-initiated projects have failed and don't want to keep piling on the damages, so to speak. We've seen developers do amazing things with small lots. The proposed Capitol Club Tower high rise in Lansing was going to be on a small lot. So there is no need from my eyes for them to require all of this land. I also think it would be in the best long term interests of everyone if one company doesn't own a mega project like this. Separate developers can bring diversity to the designs and goals, allowing a more unique and interesting use of land.
Comments
Building A - 100 to 140 West Grand River/303 Albert: 10-story mixed use building containing retail and restaurant space, a 120-room hotel with a restaurant, 102 apartments, and two levels of underground parking with 283 spaces.
Building B - 341 to 345 Evergreen: 4-story mixed use building containing ground floor retail, and 42 apartments.
Building C: 8-story mixed use building with office/retail on ground floor, and 84 apartments.
Building D: 8-story mixed use building with ground floor retail and apartment space with 137 aparments and a 437-space parking garage.
Building E: 6-story apartment bulding containing 25 apartments, and 20 parking spaces on the ground floor.
Buildings C through E span Evergreen from 314 to 404, and City Parking Lots 4 and 15 (East and West).
I think the best route to go here is to feed the ever present demand for student rentals, but structure the leases in 12-month increments instead of 9-month leases. Once the downtown EL market is saturated with student rentals (it still has a ways to go), then I think more businesses will relocate or open up shop downtown. This will in turn provide the increased quality of life that longer term residents are likely looking for when considering trading their picket-fences for urban living.
http://eastlansing.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=71&meta_id=19371
http://eastlansing.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=71&meta_id=19380
Of note, the parking for the proposal includes vehicle lifts, which would be the first that I know of in Michigan.
Many of the people in East Lansing have watched as the city-initiated projects have failed and don't want to keep piling on the damages, so to speak. We've seen developers do amazing things with small lots. The proposed Capitol Club Tower high rise in Lansing was going to be on a small lot. So there is no need from my eyes for them to require all of this land. I also think it would be in the best long term interests of everyone if one company doesn't own a mega project like this. Separate developers can bring diversity to the designs and goals, allowing a more unique and interesting use of land.