Wow catching site of one of those woodpeckers is rare, so cool that these birds are in a city park. I hear the big woodpeckers in my forest but rarely see them, I do see the smaller downy woodpeckers up there and around Lansing parks and trails. thanks for posting.
I haven't been out that way in forever, you're talking about the apartment complex sort of in front of the plaza?
On another note, the developers for the student building on Albert are back with a 10-floor proposal with the same footprint and essentially the same design. A very 'meh' building but added density nonetheless.
No, this site is right on Chandler Road on the north side of the NoCal? [with the green window wells] apartment complex in an open space that was just a field.
This depiction looks like the last one but shorter, I guess. There is also a surface lot in this one. That lot doesn't seem large enough for the surface parking lot and this building. Looking at google maps I can see how that might work. With the "new Student Bookstore building" right in the next block there will be a lot of construction hassles if they both are built at the same time.
Down on E. Grand River Ave the women's clothing store Pitaya has a for lease sign, one less non-food shop which is very popular with the women college students. Maybe they are moving to another spot. Next to the Curious Bookshop a new Korean/Asian restaurant in moving into a long vacant storefront. The storefront renovations next to the Peanut Barrel seems to have stopped. The Student Bookstore Building is looking neglected with dirty windows and a ripped canopy; I wonder when the new building there will be constructed. On Albert they actually power washed the sidewalk on the south side! It was the first time they washed the sidewalk in the five years that I have lived down here. Whoever decided to do that has my great thanks! I guess Gr. River Ave is next for washing. there are also several more of those streetside cameras on the side streets. I am started to think they are creepy.
Another fast-food shop closed in downtown EL rather unexpectedly, like one day it was there the next it was closed. The Savey Sliders shop was only at the Ann Street location for about a year, seemed popular, the food was good. I think that real estate and rent are the issues here. I think some landlords are in a round of rent increases before fall. The building the slider shop was in now has two vacant spaces. It seems crazy to raise the rent so much that a business has to close. I guess it could also be too many places selling the same type of food. This while another restaurant is doing a major re-habilitation and moving into a Grand River Ave storefront.
Don't know. Asked Grok to try to find me a reason and it discovered a minor health citation at the shop at the end of last year, but for "your cleaning supplies are stored too close to your grill", which is an easy problem to fix.
It's sort of the opposite of your explanation, since your explanation is that the land is so gosh-darn desirable that the landlord raised the rent to infinity. You could be right. But I worry myself that EL is already experiencing a minor "donut-ing phenomenon", where problems in the very middle of the city start driving people to move away from it a little bit. Ann Street Plaza has become the place for (yes, the relatively small number of) vagrants to hang out. I know I personally tend to avoid it now. That's one person, anyway.
Last night I was actually reading about the proposed "downtown ambassadors" program in EL. Just from the name I had this image of people walking around, smiling, and saying "welcome to East Lansing". And that does seem to be part of it, but a lot of it, in the documents, just sounds like a private security patrol.
I kind of did not want to say it is because the men that hang out in the plaza, but I do think there are a lot of people who avoid them and the area. They don't seem to effect El Azteco's business, except like me I don't want to sit in a window booth and watch the proceedings on the street. Just yesterday this big sweety hairy guy was topless flexing looking at his refection in the windows of Foster's Coffee shop, yuck! I'm like "what are you doing?" [ I did not say that out load] I try to not focus on those people but often hear stories at the local shops about them ripping stuff off and causing trouble. They are also sleeping in the alley by Target during the hot weather. Perhaps the presents of "ambassadors" could encourage these guys to hang out elsewhere. Also, I believe that many landlords raise their rent on retail spaces every year regardless of location, at some point it becomes too much. El just raised our parking rate by $30 up to $130 a month! We could park in the surface lot by city hall for $90! This urban lifestyle is getting kind of old and expensive.
Comments
On another note, the developers for the student building on Albert are back with a 10-floor proposal with the same footprint and essentially the same design. A very 'meh' building but added density nonetheless.
This depiction looks like the last one but shorter, I guess. There is also a surface lot in this one. That lot doesn't seem large enough for the surface parking lot and this building. Looking at google maps I can see how that might work. With the "new Student Bookstore building" right in the next block there will be a lot of construction hassles if they both are built at the same time.
https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2026/06/msu-research-foundation-rosenberg-center
It's sort of the opposite of your explanation, since your explanation is that the land is so gosh-darn desirable that the landlord raised the rent to infinity. You could be right. But I worry myself that EL is already experiencing a minor "donut-ing phenomenon", where problems in the very middle of the city start driving people to move away from it a little bit. Ann Street Plaza has become the place for (yes, the relatively small number of) vagrants to hang out. I know I personally tend to avoid it now. That's one person, anyway.
Last night I was actually reading about the proposed "downtown ambassadors" program in EL. Just from the name I had this image of people walking around, smiling, and saying "welcome to East Lansing". And that does seem to be part of it, but a lot of it, in the documents, just sounds like a private security patrol.