Well, I'm not from Lansing Twp, and it looks like no one else here is, but I'd certainly like to see some renderings and site plans along with your story. Besides, without more details of the project most opinions you gather wouldn't be specific to this project, they'd be for or against the development of Eastwood in general.
I'm pretty happy with the design too, I'm happier to see the height. I was figuring on the buildings being two, maybe three floors, but not five. Now I'm wondering if the other buildings will look like this or if they will have multiple floors at all.
It looks great, and I think that the project will be mostly successful. The housing is key because it means potential customers will be living on-site. A hotel is probably the next step (moderately sized, with some banquet and meeting facilities).
I guess my only concern with the current phase is that the parking deck seems like it's too far away from the rest of the development. I would like to have seen another level or two of parking, and move the whole thing closer by 75 ft. No one is parking in the garage and walking to changs or dsw. Well I might, but not in February. I was hoping to see less pavement when this is done, but that's my only gripe. I think this will be good for Lansing and the surrounding communities.
Am I seeing it correctly? The development will be on the north side of "Showtime Drive?" The parking ramp has over a thousand parking spaces... who is going to park there? Those things are expensive- If I was the owner of the Theater, I would want it next door, not 2 blocks away.
Or, If you look at the google map (which I don't know how to embed), is it in the somewhat grassy area south of "Showtime Drive?" That would make a bit more sense because it looks like the main entrance to the ramp is on the ramp's north side.
The development is on the north side of Showtime Dr, the grassy area to the south will become more parking. I would have liked to see this new development closer to the rest of Eastwood, but that would of created a whole array of new headaches with parking and congestion. It seems to me that the Township is interested in pushing development further north, where they can do things how they want to. I imagine that over time the area around this new development fill be infilled with more mixed use buildings and may even become the main part of Eastwood. Also, in one of the articles, someone with the Township was quoted saying that they want to provide incentives for employees to park in the ramp, freeing up surface parking for customers.
Another rendering from the LSJ article (the caption says there is also supposed to be a site plan, but I don't see it.)
I think it is a shame that the township and DTN are so focused on automobile and northward-expansion. For this and many other projects to succeed and increase the quality of living, they will need to incorporate proper busing and non-motorized transportation options.
Each road in Eastwood should have bike lanes, bike parking spaces should be equal to around 1/3 of the parking spaces, and there should be a covered area for people waiting for the bus. After they get these done (all of which are pretty cheap compared to installing a new surface parking lot), then the next step should be to add a safe way for pedestrians to cross the Lake Lansing/US-127 overpass.
I live in Lansing Township (southeastern Groesbeck), and this project, especially coming at this time, seems ill-conceived and not in sync with the environment as a living,
vibrant community. Although the mixed-use concept is a good one, this project creates an isolated, unnatural urban space in a suburban setting, where population density
and availability of alternatives makes this at best a risky project, and places the entire risk for the project on taxpayers, while developers reap the rewards (the incremental
rewards to the community of one more project are suspect, especially in the current economic climate, which has kept private investors and developers from risking their own funds).
My impression of the current area business and residential real-estate market is that many spaces are going wanting, and that this project has too high a risk-to-reward
ratio, and that township residents should not be subjected to the risk without their express consent, via the ballot box.
Here is an article from today's LSJ. The only new news regards the specified businesses and the timetable. There is also a new street-level rendering. The parking garage is currently being built (and going up pretty quickly), and its ground floor retail is up for bidding. I think the apartment building will be a funding nightmare- but I'm sure it will be attractive to twenty somethings (and also, maybe, students- better to live there than Chandler's). Two new restaurants/ bars are scheduled to open in the second building- and I think Verizon will also have a store in that building (yawn). The outside of that building looks to be almost done.
I like the architecture a lot- and, as I watch the parking garage go up, I am surprised by how tall this thing might be. I am also impressed by the info I have seen from the 2 restaurants. No freezers means fresh ingredients. Bar30 has a Facebook page. And, no, I'm not affiliated with the restaurants; I just like to eat...
Well until public transportation at Eastwood gets better, I can't imagine that many MSU students who will want to live there. It is very hard to take a bus or ride a bike from Eastwood to Michigan State.
For these new developments to succeed, they really need to do a better job at incorporating multiple modes of transportation.
Comments
View of a model. (screenshot from WILX's story on the project)
I guess my only concern with the current phase is that the parking deck seems like it's too far away from the rest of the development. I would like to have seen another level or two of parking, and move the whole thing closer by 75 ft. No one is parking in the garage and walking to changs or dsw. Well I might, but not in February. I was hoping to see less pavement when this is done, but that's my only gripe. I think this will be good for Lansing and the surrounding communities.
Or, If you look at the google map (which I don't know how to embed), is it in the somewhat grassy area south of "Showtime Drive?" That would make a bit more sense because it looks like the main entrance to the ramp is on the ramp's north side.
Another rendering from the LSJ article (the caption says there is also supposed to be a site plan, but I don't see it.)
Each road in Eastwood should have bike lanes, bike parking spaces should be equal to around 1/3 of the parking spaces, and there should be a covered area for people waiting for the bus. After they get these done (all of which are pretty cheap compared to installing a new surface parking lot), then the next step should be to add a safe way for pedestrians to cross the Lake Lansing/US-127 overpass.
vibrant community. Although the mixed-use concept is a good one, this project creates an isolated, unnatural urban space in a suburban setting, where population density
and availability of alternatives makes this at best a risky project, and places the entire risk for the project on taxpayers, while developers reap the rewards (the incremental
rewards to the community of one more project are suspect, especially in the current economic climate, which has kept private investors and developers from risking their own funds).
My impression of the current area business and residential real-estate market is that many spaces are going wanting, and that this project has too high a risk-to-reward
ratio, and that township residents should not be subjected to the risk without their express consent, via the ballot box.
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20111220/BUSINESS02/112200317/Expansion-near-Eastwood-Towne-Center-moves-along
I like the architecture a lot- and, as I watch the parking garage go up, I am surprised by how tall this thing might be. I am also impressed by the info I have seen from the 2 restaurants. No freezers means fresh ingredients. Bar30 has a Facebook page. And, no, I'm not affiliated with the restaurants; I just like to eat...
For these new developments to succeed, they really need to do a better job at incorporating multiple modes of transportation.