Development and Planning

The Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority has granted the City of East Lansing its request for $99,000 to demolish the vacant, blighted “little bank building” at the corner of Abbot Road and Albert Street, shown above.

Above: artist's rendition of a future BRT station

In East Lansing, CATA’s planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) would reduce the number of stops along Grand River Avenue, provide raised platforms for faster and easier boarding, reduce the greenway median by one-quarter in acreage, and reduce the number of westbound car lanes downtown by one, according to the current plan. An update on the plan was presented to East Lansing’s City Council this week by City Planning staff Lori Mullins and CATA’s Assistant Executive Director Debbie Alexander.

Photo courtesy Google Streetview

What has been the Gatehouse Suites Extended-Stay Hotel in East Lansing will soon be converted to apartments under a redevelopment plan approved Tuesday night by East Lansing’s City Council. The plan received unanimous support by Council, with Mayor Mark Meadows and Mayor Pro Tem Ruth Beier telling the owner they see this as an opportunity to provide rental housing to non-students near campus.

Above: The boarded up old Taco Bell building (left), where the redevelopment will occur

Following the lead of other Michigan cities like Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor, the City of East Lansing is gearing up to fight back to retain local control of its historic districts, even while some believe the districts impede productive redevelopment in East Lansing and elsewhere.

Image above is from the approved plan for the new development

Ingham County Judge Joyce Draganchuk ruled today against a request for legal delays by the corporation known as City Center Two Project LLC in regard to a group of major blighted properties downtown, essentially clearing the way for new owners to take over without major legal encumbrances. This means the new owners could potentially move to demolish the old buildings and seek approval for redevelopment of the blighted area.

Townhouses on Albert Street (above), photo courtesy of Hagan Realty

In a pair of unanimous votes, this week East Lansing’s City Council put through a group of zoning changes that appear designed to encourage more housing for non-students in high-density areas of the City and to discourage housing of large number of students in single dwelling units.

Above, the "big bank building" and former Evergreen Arms apartments

Above: One version of what the City thought the East Village could look like if redeveloped

Tomorrow, the City of East Lansing will host the first meeting of the group convened by City Council to address landlords’ concern about the City telling them they may not make improvements on certain properties. Since 2011, the City has determined that landlords cannot make certain changes to their buildings if they are “nonconforming”—that is, if the buildings don’t meet the zoning for that property.

Image: artist’s rendering of the proposed daycare space as would exist at the redeveloped Bailey Community Center

The Capital Area Housing Partnership (CAHP) is one step closer to redeveloping the Bailey Community Center as planned. The City of East Lansing announced on behalf of the group today that CAHP “has officially received a Low Income Housing Tax Credit funding reservation from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA)” for the project.