Thanks for clearing up the confusion Mich - I've been trying to keep an eye on what the city plans to do with those properties, as I believe they're a part of the financial mess that the city is in... as I recall, they were part of a large, overpriced land purchase by the DDA/city around 10 years ago for the original planned development. And as far as I know, the city owes a huge balloon payment on them; I'm pretty sure this info was uncovered by ELi over the past couple of years...
This project is hitting the city council, now. The developers took this before the planning commission on August 8th, where the commission unanimously recommended approval of the project (with conditions). The developer is asking the city council to approve its site plan and special use permit for the project at its meeting next Tuesday.
Despite being zoned B-3 City Center - the city's downtown zoning - each of the three buildings wouldn't conform to the code, the residential high-rise because multi-family residential isn't allowed as a primary use, by right, and because of the height, the hotel because it would be about 8 feet taller than the height limit, and the smaller residential low-rise because multi-family usage isn't allowed as a sole use and because where a building has a residential component it has to be 6 stories and this will only be four. Really crazy stuff.
Also, we get total height figures for each of these. The apartment high-rise will be 150 feet to mechanical penthouse, the hotel will be 129.5 feet to mechanical penthouse, and the apartment mid-rise will be 62 feet to mechanical penthouse.
EAST LANSING — After years of delays, a plan for a long-blighted corner of East Lansing's downtown may soon come to fruition.
The East Lansing City Council approved a site plan for the latest iteration of the $105 million Park District project, which would add hundreds of hotel rooms and residents to downtown East Lansing.
Article says they are looking for a January start. Aside from your normal building permits, no, I don't believe they need anything else from the council. This was the approval of the site plan, itself, and the special use permit, so that's the ballgame. They already did the rezoning, right?
However, I predict that any remaining issues will get fast-tracked towards a solution. Otherwise, if the city blows this deal at this point, I'd look for a few city council members to get the boot next time around.
Oh, okay, so the development agree with the DDA isn't completed, yet. That is always a major hurdle. But since the city council passed the special use permit and site plan with little-to-no controversy, it's very unlikely the DDA won't be able to reach a deal. It looks as if the only reason the DDA is involved here is because they own a single parcel of the Park District development: 303 Abbot.
Looks like the vote on this could happen on Thursday. That would be the last step.
Okay, so looking through upcoming council agenda (work only) meeting for Tuesday, it looks like the development agreement for this one has been worked out and will be discussed at the meeting. That would likely mean this would be put on the agenda at the next full council meeting for passage if the council like what they see from the planning department. This is a relatively minor reworking of the previous development agreement for the previous project that fell apart last year. The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA) both approved the development agree on their end at their September 6th meetings.
Concurrently, the council will also be reviewing the actual amended brownfield agreement at this same meeting (Brownfield Plan #11). This is another one that's largely the same as the previous version, but had to be amended because of the changes in plans for the project. This project will total around $102 million in total, and the plan calls for reimbursing the developer $5.96 million of that over 9 years. As with any brownfield plan the reimbursement will include things like the developer having to environmentally remediate the site, demolition and abatement of existing structures, infrastructure improvements, etc. The DDA and BRA also approved the brownfield amendments at the September 6th meeting where they approved the development agreement.
This is all to say that I see only two more steps in the approval process. 1. Passing the development agreement and brownfield plan that the DDA and BRA have recommended at their September 6th meeting the council approve, and 2. approving the reversion of rezoning for 341-345 Evergreen. A public hearing is set for September 18th for that step. I believe that would be the very last step in the approval process for this one, and the most tedious and complicated part as they frist needed pare off some of the houses (314, 328, 334, and 340-344 Evergreen) on the other side of Evergreen for the new plan by rezoning back to a lower-density residential zoning; and they also had to do this with 341-345 Evergreen. And then they are rezoning 341-345 Evergreen back to a higher-density downtown zoning with conditions. This is the little third building in the Park District project; oh, and 341-345 Evergreen is not contained within the brownfield plan to make this even more confusing, just the apartment tower and the hotel.
I'm guessing this will all wrap up then by early October, god willing?
The city council is also operating on a skeleton crew with only three regular attendees and they need votes of at least three in the affirmative to pass anything so each member has a veto now. If Ruth Beier manages to attend (she's taking night classes now) then they can get a fourth but it's not guaranteed.
I'd forgotten about this. Isn't the mayor out of the state or out of the country for a bit longer? Do you know how long the council has been working like this and when the mayor is supposed to be back?
Comments
Thanks for clearing up the confusion Mich - I've been trying to keep an eye on what the city plans to do with those properties, as I believe they're a part of the financial mess that the city is in... as I recall, they were part of a large, overpriced land purchase by the DDA/city around 10 years ago for the original planned development. And as far as I know, the city owes a huge balloon payment on them; I'm pretty sure this info was uncovered by ELi over the past couple of years...
This project is hitting the city council, now. The developers took this before the planning commission on August 8th, where the commission unanimously recommended approval of the project (with conditions). The developer is asking the city council to approve its site plan and special use permit for the project at its meeting next Tuesday.
Despite being zoned B-3 City Center - the city's downtown zoning - each of the three buildings wouldn't conform to the code, the residential high-rise because multi-family residential isn't allowed as a primary use, by right, and because of the height, the hotel because it would be about 8 feet taller than the height limit, and the smaller residential low-rise because multi-family usage isn't allowed as a sole use and because where a building has a residential component it has to be 6 stories and this will only be four. Really crazy stuff.
Also, we get total height figures for each of these. The apartment high-rise will be 150 feet to mechanical penthouse, the hotel will be 129.5 feet to mechanical penthouse, and the apartment mid-rise will be 62 feet to mechanical penthouse.
They've done it. This has finally passed:
Article says they are looking for a January start. Aside from your normal building permits, no, I don't believe they need anything else from the council. This was the approval of the site plan, itself, and the special use permit, so that's the ballgame. They already did the rezoning, right?
Jared and Mich - Not sure... this is the most recent update I've come across:
https://eastlansinginfo.org/content/details-revealed-proposed-redevelopment-deal
However, I predict that any remaining issues will get fast-tracked towards a solution. Otherwise, if the city blows this deal at this point, I'd look for a few city council members to get the boot next time around.
Oh, okay, so the development agree with the DDA isn't completed, yet. That is always a major hurdle. But since the city council passed the special use permit and site plan with little-to-no controversy, it's very unlikely the DDA won't be able to reach a deal. It looks as if the only reason the DDA is involved here is because they own a single parcel of the Park District development: 303 Abbot.
Looks like the vote on this could happen on Thursday. That would be the last step.
Okay, so looking through upcoming council agenda (work only) meeting for Tuesday, it looks like the development agreement for this one has been worked out and will be discussed at the meeting. That would likely mean this would be put on the agenda at the next full council meeting for passage if the council like what they see from the planning department. This is a relatively minor reworking of the previous development agreement for the previous project that fell apart last year. The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA) both approved the development agree on their end at their September 6th meetings.
Concurrently, the council will also be reviewing the actual amended brownfield agreement at this same meeting (Brownfield Plan #11). This is another one that's largely the same as the previous version, but had to be amended because of the changes in plans for the project. This project will total around $102 million in total, and the plan calls for reimbursing the developer $5.96 million of that over 9 years. As with any brownfield plan the reimbursement will include things like the developer having to environmentally remediate the site, demolition and abatement of existing structures, infrastructure improvements, etc. The DDA and BRA also approved the brownfield amendments at the September 6th meeting where they approved the development agreement.
This is all to say that I see only two more steps in the approval process. 1. Passing the development agreement and brownfield plan that the DDA and BRA have recommended at their September 6th meeting the council approve, and 2. approving the reversion of rezoning for 341-345 Evergreen. A public hearing is set for September 18th for that step. I believe that would be the very last step in the approval process for this one, and the most tedious and complicated part as they frist needed pare off some of the houses (314, 328, 334, and 340-344 Evergreen) on the other side of Evergreen for the new plan by rezoning back to a lower-density residential zoning; and they also had to do this with 341-345 Evergreen. And then they are rezoning 341-345 Evergreen back to a higher-density downtown zoning with conditions. This is the little third building in the Park District project; oh, and 341-345 Evergreen is not contained within the brownfield plan to make this even more confusing, just the apartment tower and the hotel.
I'm guessing this will all wrap up then by early October, god willing?
I'd forgotten about this. Isn't the mayor out of the state or out of the country for a bit longer? Do you know how long the council has been working like this and when the mayor is supposed to be back?