I suspect that the real reason for a ban on left-turns from west-bound Grand River into the garage is that it would have been an absolute traffic nightmare. I'm glad the city shut that down.
Why would that be a traffic nightmare? There are left-turns from the east-bound lanes, they usually have a cutout so as not to disrupt the other two lanes of traffic.
Any additional access points create more traffic on a boulevard. You'd even possibly get back-ups on westbound lanes when any turn lanes would be installed.
Are we talking about two different things? The fewer left turns on any street not at a light, the better. This is kind of traffic 101 isn't it?
Yeah, I agree it's traffic 101, but I haven't understood why Grand River in East Lansing has basically zero left-turns going westbound, but multiple going eastbound. Shouldn't it be more balanced?
Well, no. You want more controlled access to the university, which would be the only real need for left-hand turns westbound through downtown. So, you'd expect fewer of them than in the other direction where you need more to access a business district.
I honestly think or dream that a thru traffic tunnel maybe two lanes from Harrison ending at Park Lake road would tame the surface traffic by removing thru traffic. No other exits except maybe for west bound Grand River Ave. I am just thinking out load trying to come up with ideas that would make Downtown East Lansing more livable, I know that no one is considering building a tunnel.
EAST LANSING – The developers proposing to build two 12-story buildings in downtown East Lansing want a $52-million property tax reimbursement from the city.
More than half of that money would be used to pay off a non-recourse bond issued by the city to cover the cost of building a city-owned, five-level parking deck and widening Albert Avenue, among other changes, according to the proposed brownfield plan submitted by the developers. A non-recourse bond prevents the city or brownfield authority from assuming any financial liability.
Chicago-based Harbor Bay Real Estate Advisors is asking for $32 million to cover eligible activities, of which $28 million would pay off the non-recourse bond. It’s also asking for nearly $20 million to cover interest from the bond. The project will cost $125 million.
With the Park District proposal the city granted the bonds but not the interest payments, saying that it didn't make sense for the city to provide basically an interest-free loan. I think it would be quite a walk backwards for the city to provide the interest-free loan to this project.
LSJ:
This type of proposal is new to the city, because the developer is asking for property tax reimbursement to pay off the bond. Harbor Bay is proposing to capture 90% of the new property taxes generated from the project for 30 years to cover that cost as well as to reimburse the costs of demolition and environmental cleanup.
The local and state taxing authorities would collect the remaining 10% of the new taxes during that time frame. The projected is estimated to generate roughly $600,000 a year for East Lansing. It currently generates $36,000.
Bell said the project would bring in additional revenue to the city through parking fees in the garage and ground lease payments.
It appears the south building (Grand River) is slightly taller than the north building, which is 138 feet to its parapet. The south building is 140 feet to its roof, and the rest of the structure is a bit higher.
Comments
I suspect that the real reason for a ban on left-turns from west-bound Grand River into the garage is that it would have been an absolute traffic nightmare. I'm glad the city shut that down.
Why would that be a traffic nightmare? There are left-turns from the east-bound lanes, they usually have a cutout so as not to disrupt the other two lanes of traffic.
Any additional access points create more traffic on a boulevard. You'd even possibly get back-ups on westbound lanes when any turn lanes would be installed.
Are we talking about two different things? The fewer left turns on any street not at a light, the better. This is kind of traffic 101 isn't it?
Yeah, I agree it's traffic 101, but I haven't understood why Grand River in East Lansing has basically zero left-turns going westbound, but multiple going eastbound. Shouldn't it be more balanced?
Well, no. You want more controlled access to the university, which would be the only real need for left-hand turns westbound through downtown. So, you'd expect fewer of them than in the other direction where you need more to access a business district.
I honestly think or dream that a thru traffic tunnel maybe two lanes from Harrison ending at Park Lake road would tame the surface traffic by removing thru traffic. No other exits except maybe for west bound Grand River Ave. I am just thinking out load trying to come up with ideas that would make Downtown East Lansing more livable, I know that no one is considering building a tunnel.
These numbers are making my head spin:
With the Park District proposal the city granted the bonds but not the interest payments, saying that it didn't make sense for the city to provide basically an interest-free loan. I think it would be quite a walk backwards for the city to provide the interest-free loan to this project.
This type of proposal is new to the city, because the developer is asking for property tax reimbursement to pay off the bond. Harbor Bay is proposing to capture 90% of the new property taxes generated from the project for 30 years to cover that cost as well as to reimburse the costs of demolition and environmental cleanup.
The local and state taxing authorities would collect the remaining 10% of the new taxes during that time frame. The projected is estimated to generate roughly $600,000 a year for East Lansing. It currently generates $36,000.
Bell said the project would bring in additional revenue to the city through parking fees in the garage and ground lease payments.
Just noticed that the city has a page up for this project:
https://www.cityofeastlansing.com/1789/Center-City-District
It appears the south building (Grand River) is slightly taller than the north building, which is 138 feet to its parapet. The south building is 140 feet to its roof, and the rest of the structure is a bit higher.