That's fair, and you make good points. Capitol Club Tower was on a small lot. It makes me wonder if the Citizens Bank Bldg is holding some of this up -- i.e. in such a prominent location, if that building were redeveloped first, nearby parcels will follow. Do you think a relatively large hotel is necessary near this spot? Especially with the hotels being constructed/proposed near Eastwood and Frandor, is there enough demand for another hotel in downtown East Lansing? (Not sure off hand how often the Marriott and Kellogg Center fill up.)
After thinking about it more, the Capitol Club Tower did benefit from the parking ramp located next door, but a building could also have below-ground parking or a few above ground floors of parking built-in to it (see Stonehouse Village 2).
Yeah, I think the hotels at Eastwood show that there is demand, and if new ones got built in downtown East Lansing they would pull people away from staying out at Eastwood. The original proposals for Michigan Museum Place was to include a boutique hotel, and I don't think much has changed with the surroundings to make that not a feasible goal.
It really would be great if a new library would open up near downtown. The coffee houses are packed with students studying, and the library would be the ideal place but the MSU library gets very full and the ELPL is very small. A second branch of the ELPL near downtown could be really good, and might be a nice use of one of the city-owned buildings.
I'm ready to see this project buried. I don't really know what the best course of action is, but this project has been an epic failure and continues to disappoint after all these years. I'm ready to see Citizen Bank Building razed and the other buildings put back to use, the area is embarrassing and I imagine making any potential investment nearby a harder sell. I like the idea of different developments by different developers at different times and I definitely agree that it would likely yield a better final result.
Only 4,858 residents voted yes on the ballot — 56.58 percent of the votes.
Two of the five buildings in the Park District, which were planned to be built by Park District Investment Group on privately-owned land, will still move forward. - SN
link: http://statenews.com/article/2014/11/dtn-withfdraw-park-district
Why was this parking lot so important for DTN? Its a little greedy from them to not have a secondary plan.
So this is how I remember their proposal (off the top of my head, I could be wrong):
They wanted to build where the lots are, and put a parking ramp where the houses are. This needed the city to sell them the parking lot so they could build on it. An alternate plan could have the city building the parking ramps where the lots already are, and then no sale is needed. Although I don't think the city has the money to build their own parking ramps, especially after losing so much money in the current debacle of Michigan Museum Place/City Center 2/Park District.
A rendering from the LSJ, today, detailing discussions to be held on the project. This is Park District Investment Group's proposal.
The Park District Investment Group, LLC, is seeking approval to demolish seven buildings, including the former Citizens Bank Building, to make room for a 10-story building that will contain commercial space and a 50-seat restaurant on the first floor, a 121-room Hotel Indigo on the second through fourth floors and 100 apartments on the fifth through the tenth floors.
That looks pretty good. I would prefer more brick than the stucco-looking siding for most of the building. But the density and street frontage is on par with what I would hope.
That building on the right-side of the picture isn't part of the proposal though, right? It's just an artist rendition of what that corner could turn into in the future?
I don't know. The LSJ article clearly states that the plan includes the Citizens Bank Building, so perhaps they are feeling really good that they'll eventually be able to get it. What we seem to be looking at is a view from the Grand River looking northward where it intersects with Evergreen.
Oh that's a good observation! Ok so this rendering has both buildings that are in the project. Well if it ever get it off the ground it would be really cool. Not gonna hold my breath but I'll keep dreaming for it.
Comments
Yeah, I think the hotels at Eastwood show that there is demand, and if new ones got built in downtown East Lansing they would pull people away from staying out at Eastwood. The original proposals for Michigan Museum Place was to include a boutique hotel, and I don't think much has changed with the surroundings to make that not a feasible goal.
It really would be great if a new library would open up near downtown. The coffee houses are packed with students studying, and the library would be the ideal place but the MSU library gets very full and the ELPL is very small. A second branch of the ELPL near downtown could be really good, and might be a nice use of one of the city-owned buildings.
Two of the five buildings in the Park District, which were planned to be built by Park District Investment Group on privately-owned land, will still move forward. - SN
link: http://statenews.com/article/2014/11/dtn-withfdraw-park-district
Why was this parking lot so important for DTN? Its a little greedy from them to not have a secondary plan.
They wanted to build where the lots are, and put a parking ramp where the houses are. This needed the city to sell them the parking lot so they could build on it. An alternate plan could have the city building the parking ramps where the lots already are, and then no sale is needed. Although I don't think the city has the money to build their own parking ramps, especially after losing so much money in the current debacle of Michigan Museum Place/City Center 2/Park District.
This particular proposal won unanimous approval from the city's planning commission back in September.