Thank you! FBC will make many improvements over the current zoning code, but it won't fix the current problems since they will be grandfathered in. Introducing a new tax is something that if approved can affect underused and incompatible uses immediately. We should do both!
Anyway, speak of the devil and you can hold your horses. Looks like next week's development & planning committee includes...the Form-Based Code. There is no longer any need to bug them at the moment. lol
D.) RESOLUTION –Introduction & Setting of Public Hearing; Ordinance to institute Form Based Zoning Code
@MichMatters I really have trouble wrapping my head around all the changes involved in the form based code, I haven't really dug into it yet. I'm pretty sure I remember you giving some explanations of it before here, can you point me back to one of those posts? I'm specifically interested in how/whether it will regulate the aesthetics of new buildings, particularly the design and materials.
I was recently looking for old aerials and came across this site that makes it very easy to switch between years: https://www.historicaerials.com/viewer . I feel like I might be late to the party, but I remember having trouble finding something like this when I went looking for it years ago. Anyway I found comparing the photos in certain areas really interesting, especially Frandor, the Capitol Complex, the freeways, the old industrial areas and the southside in general.
@sabatoa I remembered someone bringing up an old airfield at Holmes & Waverly, I had to search to see it was you. I thought you might be interested in this 1955 shot of that corner:
I came across an interesting fact about Professor Newman, the fellow for whom the building is named. Perhaps some may already know this, but I was looking through a history of East Lansing book and found a photo of the home he built in the early 1900's. It still stands at 368 Oakhill, right where Hillcrest splits off to the left. It said that Newman was one of the developers of the Oakhill Subdivision. It is a very nicely designed house with barn gables. Too bad it looks out on a parking lot these days. I have been wondering [as I do] if the hill of the Hillcrest neighborhood is part of the glacial eskers that run through the Greater Lansing area? It is a very mound-like hill and has steep sides which is unusual for the area, except where the eskers are, and is also one of the higher points in East Lansing.
The hill there is an interesting feature of the landscape in that neighborhood it helps to make it very nice area. It makes for a good walk too. I was thinking it could be sand or gravel deposit from the glaciers as there are several sand pits/mines just to the north east and west. We used to swim in the gravel pits that were off of Burcham now called Hidden Lake Drive.
City Pulse had an article on some properties identified by the Historical Society and Preservation Lansing as at risk historic structures. I echo their desire to see all these buildings saved and thought the article was worth a read. One bit of new information is that the conversion of the old Genessee St School into 30 lofts is apparently still a go, the owner says they hope to submit plans to the city in as soon as a few months.
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Anyway, speak of the devil and you can hold your horses. Looks like next week's development & planning committee includes...the Form-Based Code. There is no longer any need to bug them at the moment. lol
https://www.lansingmi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5612/Form-Based-Code-PDF?bidId=
And here is the stand-alone zoning map:
https://www.lansingmi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3321/FBC-Zoning-Map?bidId=
@sabatoa I remembered someone bringing up an old airfield at Holmes & Waverly, I had to search to see it was you. I thought you might be interested in this 1955 shot of that corner:
https://www.lansingcitypulse.com/stories/history-and-preservation-groups-release-list-of-10-at-risk-buildings-in-lansing,19581?fbclid=IwAR3-1zYCzNIIijfUFaYyAk5b-hf7jNLj0q6ZlJ03G7IndfJHeo4NTJAdE_M