Just saw this in the paper. It looks amazing, and was certainly unexpected. As with all of thise corporate complexes, it would be amazing to see them grow in downtown, but this is a very well-planned project nonetheless.
I really wish both of these companies would move to urban areas though, that would really show a loyalty to the Lansing/East Lansing area and help out other businesses at the same time.
They've started to tear down a nature (with probably 15 large size trees) area adjacent to their current building. This area will probably be used for a parking lot or part of the new building.
I think it's pretty stupid how companies say they are going 'green' when they demolish forests to build a building. If they were really going green, they would increase density, build on preexisting developed land, add trees to the property, locate in a mass-transit friendly area, and at that point, then consider themselves working towards LEED certification. The LEED certification process ought to include certain requirements like the ones I have just stated.
MSUFCU's new headquarters tore down a tree farm, not green. They also located in an area where no bus routes go, not to mention they are now about 3 miles from their namesake, when they used to be located on campus.
The new Cristman headquarters: that is 'green'. The MotorWheel lofts: that is 'green'.
I couldn't agree more. Now MDA is taking it a step further by moving from downtown to the suburbs. I always thought suburban headquarters/office parks didn't make any sense, evironmentally or economically. Think about it, a suburban office location only remains valuable and desirable for a short period of time, then a new development is built. Over 20 years or so suburban office locations become worthless compared to their counterparts, even with remodling and good maintanence. Downtown offices on the other hand can remain valuable indefinately. There are buildings 150 years old that are as nice and as valuable as buildings built right now, the location may go through changes but those come and go in the relatively short-term.
That's the problem. These companies aren't really thinking long term. They are thinking about how much they can suck out of a community in their lifetime. Few think about the generational help of their companies and communities. We live in such a throw-away society. I know it's become such a cliche, this year, but things really do seem to be changing, though. After this "anything goes in the business world" culture we've seen for a few decades, now, and where it's gotten us, we're definitely at a crossroads. We can keep wasting, or we can start conserving and reusing what we have, and I mean that as part of every aspect of our lives.
BTW, no one every mentions it, and the media never touches it fully, but Meridian Township really isn't all that healthy or sustainable a community. It's already beginning to be seen as a "has-been" community with people rushing up to sprawl into Bath and DeWitt. That's not to say it won't remain nice, but its days as the "next big thing" are over. That's the other problem with these communities, their lifespans are even shorter than that of the cities they left for dead because they keep making communities even further out the "next big thing."
Many companies do look further down the road, that's why many of the nations largest companies are headquartered in downtowns. Like I say, I really don't understand these companies decision to locate in the burbs. I'm not just championing downtown, I really don't think it makes economic sense, not to mention the numerous other factors.
East Lansing is also eclipsing Meridian, with help of the northern tier. Not to mention Holt, which is a still largely undeveloped suburb, with plenty of room for growth, and retail development is severely lacking behind residential development. I honestly think Meridian has been stagnating since the late 90's, maybe even earlier.
On the subject of the trees being cut at Delta Dental ... I could be totally wrong about this, but I'm almost certain that a significant number of trees along the front drive up to the HQ were ash trees (I'm no horticulturalist, mind you. But I have been getting better at spotting area ash trees because so many are either dead or the tops of their canopies were bare this summer because of the emerald ash borer). It wouldn't surprise me if many of the trees on the whole campus were ash. They were seen as relatively easy to grow in all environments (or were, at least) and grow fast. Now there are a lot of dead or dying ash along Okemos Road that were planted as offices were built and the land was developed.
Delta Dental announced they are moving their call center from a building they lease in Okemos, to a building they own in Farmington Hills. They are giving the call center employees the option of commuting to their job. Apparently, this is to save them just over $1 million. They've lost about 60 employees over the spring and summer. They also said that they can't move the call center to their new headquarters, because the new headquarters will only be an administrative office and data center. It'd have been nice to see them simply revise their blueprints and add the call center at the headquarters property. Word is that Delta Dental isn't doing too hot, which is evident in them scaling back on their headquarters expansion.
BTW, in contrast, across town, JNL (Jackson National Life) will be buying an existing warehouse just north of Old Town (Seagar Street) and converting it to a data center. This is coupled with their announcement back in March that they'd be moving their service center to Lansing from Denver.
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It also says that Jackson National Life is looking to expand again and add up to 600 workers, they just built a huge new HQ.
I think it's pretty stupid how companies say they are going 'green' when they demolish forests to build a building. If they were really going green, they would increase density, build on preexisting developed land, add trees to the property, locate in a mass-transit friendly area, and at that point, then consider themselves working towards LEED certification. The LEED certification process ought to include certain requirements like the ones I have just stated.
MSUFCU's new headquarters tore down a tree farm, not green. They also located in an area where no bus routes go, not to mention they are now about 3 miles from their namesake, when they used to be located on campus.
The new Cristman headquarters: that is 'green'. The MotorWheel lofts: that is 'green'.
BTW, no one every mentions it, and the media never touches it fully, but Meridian Township really isn't all that healthy or sustainable a community. It's already beginning to be seen as a "has-been" community with people rushing up to sprawl into Bath and DeWitt. That's not to say it won't remain nice, but its days as the "next big thing" are over. That's the other problem with these communities, their lifespans are even shorter than that of the cities they left for dead because they keep making communities even further out the "next big thing."
East Lansing is also eclipsing Meridian, with help of the northern tier. Not to mention Holt, which is a still largely undeveloped suburb, with plenty of room for growth, and retail development is severely lacking behind residential development. I honestly think Meridian has been stagnating since the late 90's, maybe even earlier.
BTW, in contrast, across town, JNL (Jackson National Life) will be buying an existing warehouse just north of Old Town (Seagar Street) and converting it to a data center. This is coupled with their announcement back in March that they'd be moving their service center to Lansing from Denver.