What I like best about this is that the original plan included cutting down the tree, but with enough appeal to reason and pressure from the community not only is the tree not going to be cut down, but has been made into the focal point of the development, to the extent that they are naming the project after the tree. Let this be example of positive people power where everyone came out a winner.
The City of East Lansing is going to put North Harrison between Saginaw and Lake Lansing on a road diet in the middle of June. The road will be switching from two lanes in each direction to one lane in each direction with a center turning lane and bike lanes on each side.
This will be very beneficial for all users of the road, as it never has enough traffic to warrant two lanes in each direction, and there is no sidewalk on the east side from Saginaw to Woodingham (along Hidden Tree Apts) and the sidewalk on the opposite side in the same stretch is very close to the road and is rarely plowed. The project won't be adding sidewalks but it will make cycling in either direction easier, and make it possible to walk down that stretch with more comfort.
I've been driving around in East Lansing a lot over the past two years and I've really grown to dislike all the four lane roads. Lansing did well when they switched most of their four lane roads to three lane ones, I hope that trend continues in EL.
I agree, several four lane roads in the area I think would benefit being three lanes. Harrison being one of them (a residential stretch of Harrison just south of that is two lanes, between Grand River and Saginaw).
I recall in the late 90s or around 2000 when Abbot Road in East Lansing between Saginaw and Burcham was four lanes, then reduced to three. Actually it might have been four lanes as far south as Albert St. It's hard to imagine that stretch as ever having four lanes. I remember the lanes felt so narrow driving on it. Reducing it to three did help calm the traffic.
Lake Lansing Road east of Saginaw Hwy (bus 69) is two lanes, then east of Okemos Rd becomes four lanes (unless they have recently changed it). That four lane stretch between Okemos and Haslett Road could become three lanes as well.
Yeah, I actually think I'd rather the city put a sidewalk there - and actually if there was I would probably bike on the sidewalk rather than in the road (which, last I used it anyway, is also all chewed up near the shoulder). But certainly an improvement at least.
The City Council was expected to approve White Oak Place at today's meeting, but instead they decided to table it until their next meeting (May 24th, over a month away) because some of the members want to look more in to the costs of the brownfield clean-up.
I don't understand why the council members couldn't have done their research prior to today's meeting. The Brownfield Redevelopment Authority already approved it (and they did their due diligence already), and the Planning Commission also approved it. It's also crazy that the next meeting this is slated for is over a month away. This cuts in to construction time and hurts the ability of developers to be successful in East Lansing.
Comments
This will be very beneficial for all users of the road, as it never has enough traffic to warrant two lanes in each direction, and there is no sidewalk on the east side from Saginaw to Woodingham (along Hidden Tree Apts) and the sidewalk on the opposite side in the same stretch is very close to the road and is rarely plowed. The project won't be adding sidewalks but it will make cycling in either direction easier, and make it possible to walk down that stretch with more comfort.
I recall in the late 90s or around 2000 when Abbot Road in East Lansing between Saginaw and Burcham was four lanes, then reduced to three. Actually it might have been four lanes as far south as Albert St. It's hard to imagine that stretch as ever having four lanes. I remember the lanes felt so narrow driving on it. Reducing it to three did help calm the traffic.
Lake Lansing Road east of Saginaw Hwy (bus 69) is two lanes, then east of Okemos Rd becomes four lanes (unless they have recently changed it). That four lane stretch between Okemos and Haslett Road could become three lanes as well.
I don't understand why the council members couldn't have done their research prior to today's meeting. The Brownfield Redevelopment Authority already approved it (and they did their due diligence already), and the Planning Commission also approved it. It's also crazy that the next meeting this is slated for is over a month away. This cuts in to construction time and hurts the ability of developers to be successful in East Lansing.
The LSJ has a story on this at their website: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2016/04/12/east-lansing-officials-defer-action-white-oak-project/82952448/