I was checking the EL planning agendas for the first time in months and there's actually a small item of note: A developer proposes tearing down the office building at 601 Abbot to build a 32 unit condo building that would be three floors over parking. (June 11th planning board meeting)
I think this will be a good test to see if people, and the bureaucracy, of EL are amenable to such developments. I imagine there's a pretty good demand for such condos along portions Abbot, Harrison and Grand River.
It is interesting to note that this relatively recently built office building would be replaced with non-student housing. I could see a couple more office buildings being replaced with housing along Abbot, I believe that the building across the street was also an office building that has been repurposed as studio apartment building. I like that in this case they want to build a new building, and I would think that it fits into the neighborhood and there would be no abjections.
The conflict of interest didn't stem from the sidewalk itself, but the retaining wall that the city installed which bordered the office of the city attorney.
The owners of The Student Bookstore want to build a 14 floor 325 unit apartment building on the site of their building, they're asking the city to revise it's requirement for low and lower income housing. Apparently the city is at least being mildly receptive, which is promising given the lack of new construction there despite favorable national and local trends. If they do revise their rules I'd expect a lot more happening in EL.
I guess agree to disagree. I believe the ordinance does create a not-insignificant barrier to development, look no further than the City Center/The Abbot saga where they still have not complied with the requirement, or Landmark which did market rate senior housing instead (a market with limited demand in downtown EL). You can't build $400k or $600k per unit buildings and lease them for "affordable" rates without having some very wealthy residents paying exorbitant rents to subsidize the whole scheme, not exactly something this region is overflowing in.
EL politicians and the misguided NIMBY residents that back them may ultimately be the biggest barrier to development, they nitpicked the next phases of the HUB out of existence even though it was in their designated student housing district after all, but the ordinance is not helping the city in any way. EL is hurting itself and in doing so hurting the region.
BTW, this is the same city that turned down a 100% affordable housing development to preserve a parking lot.
Just so you know the Landmark is all student housing, it is the Newman's Lofts a separate building on Albert that is senior market rate housing. I live in the Newman Lofts building and I would say it is nearly 90% leased, the rents are not really out of line with most in the area these days. We do add a little diversity to the neighborhood and year-round customers for local business. I believe that affordable senior housing would be a good thing for downtown EL, I wonder why the locals would oppose that. Albert Ave downtown is in no one's back yard.
The new service station and mini mart being built on Abbot and Saginaw is nearing completion and looks pretty nice for a gas station. Like the one it is replacing the pumps are behind a small berm of grass and nice looking "rock" walls out of sight from the street. The market looks a little nicer than most.
A couple weeks ago there we people out with petitions to support the zoning of a Meijer's service station at Lake Lansing and Abbot. It would be convenient [sort of], but that intersection is really busy already and getting in and out of a station there would be challenging and even dangerous it seems to me. I wonder if they planning to sell chicken there too, because like one more gas station, we can always use one more chicken place in East Lansing.
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I think this will be a good test to see if people, and the bureaucracy, of EL are amenable to such developments. I imagine there's a pretty good demand for such condos along portions Abbot, Harrison and Grand River.
https://eastlansinginfo.news/a-longtime-east-lansing-business-owner-wants-to-build-housing-downtown-first-the-city-will-have-to-change-its-policies/
EL politicians and the misguided NIMBY residents that back them may ultimately be the biggest barrier to development, they nitpicked the next phases of the HUB out of existence even though it was in their designated student housing district after all, but the ordinance is not helping the city in any way. EL is hurting itself and in doing so hurting the region.
BTW, this is the same city that turned down a 100% affordable housing development to preserve a parking lot.
A couple weeks ago there we people out with petitions to support the zoning of a Meijer's service station at Lake Lansing and Abbot. It would be convenient [sort of], but that intersection is really busy already and getting in and out of a station there would be challenging and even dangerous it seems to me. I wonder if they planning to sell chicken there too, because like one more gas station, we can always use one more chicken place in East Lansing.