I'm still having a hard time imagining this. This would have to mean that the top floor can't be apartments, then, because no one is going to want to live off a common wrap-around balcony like you're at some hotel. Either that, or it has to be a rooftop deck around a common-area penthouse. Actually, I guess you could have a top floor balcony that wraps around the entire building, but it'd have dividers for each unit, and in that case, it wouldn't make sense to think of it a s continuous balcony. Usually this is just thought of as recessed units.
Noticed a lot of flags around Marketplace Apartments by the River Trail. Some outlining what looks like could be the outline for the expansion towards Shiawasee. We might be hearing something new on it pretty soon.
This was just kind of dropped in a story on Gillespie, today, but it seems he'll be one phase II of Market Place by this fall:
His group’s Outfield Project at the Lugnuts stadium has about 80 residential units; its Marketplace project, near Lansing City Market, will add 90 new apartments this fall.
I suspect this is the other wing to the existing building, as opposed to the concept of the building up on Cedar which could be either apartments, offices or a mix depending on demand.
I'm not exactly sure how this works. I believe Market Place was approved as an entire project, but I think they'd need to come back for thing like building and eventually occupancy permits. I'd forgotten about council, but is there threat still on?
Walking around the Lugnuts stadium last game I was struck that, especially if you're in the NW corner of the ballpark, the new developments do make the environ feel a lot more urban.
I am glad to hear he is building out the whole project as planned. I give him points for adding color to the city, even if I don't like the colors. As we have all said before better quality materials would really make these buildings shine. Some street-scape improvements on Shiawassee street would help to extent the urban feel with the nice "Lansing" street lamps and a rebuilt street and sidewalks. Trees along Cedar would also encourage pedestrians to take the walk from the ball field to the brewery, and also provide shade for the people who may walk to their apartments in these developments. The speed limit on Cedar and Larch could also be reduced from Oakland to Kalamazoo to make a friendlier and safer place for people.
Those would be great improvements. High speed roads both reduce road biking and sidewalk walking.
Neither Larch nor Cedar need to be this wide, but the good thing is that these roads can be placed on a diet with the extra space used for dedicated bike lanes and parallel parking.
More trees, smaller / more personable street lamps, benches, and bike racks make a huge difference in telling people that their leisure time is wanted and they are welcome.
The crazy thing is that the speed limits on Cedar were actually increased, oh, about two or three years ago. Honestly, Cedar and Larch aren't that wide; they are only three lanes (Larch has a parking lane for a block or so and both of them have some forced-turn lanes at along blocks). The big problem is that they are one-ways and high-speed one-ways. Couple that with the fact that the blocks are very long, and you have two very pedestrian unfriendly streets. I'd suggest turning them (or at least one) back to two-ways, but it'd require reconfiguration of some other streets and particularly the interchange with 496.
Comments
I suspect this is the other wing to the existing building, as opposed to the concept of the building up on Cedar which could be either apartments, offices or a mix depending on demand.
Neither Larch nor Cedar need to be this wide, but the good thing is that these roads can be placed on a diet with the extra space used for dedicated bike lanes and parallel parking.
More trees, smaller / more personable street lamps, benches, and bike racks make a huge difference in telling people that their leisure time is wanted and they are welcome.