Development and Planning

Image: The corner where PDIG seeks to construct the 10-story "Building A"

The East Lansing Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is moving forward on controversial developer PDIG’s plans for the blighted area downtown. Two major buildings in the area are now estimated together to cost $101 million, and local government is considering $32 million in tax incentives for the project area. At a public DDA meeting yesterday, details emerged on the Tax Increment Financing plan as well as the development agreement being made between the developer and the City.

Photo courtesy of Google street view

Local developer DTN Management is set to present a new plan for the empty lot at the northwest corner of West Grand River Avenue and Delta Street, next to the West Village Condos. The empty lot is shown above; to the west are the West Village townhouses, and to the north, Valley Court Park.

The question: Any hope of groceries downtown?

If you live in or near downtown—which more and more permanent residents seem to be doing—there are actually a few nearby places you can now walk or bike to get some basic groceries.

Image: Courtesy of City of East Lansing

City Council is now set to decide the fate of the Bailey childcare program and the Bailey Community Center next Tuesday. Members of the Bailey neighborhood told Council last night that this means they are essentially also deciding the fate of the Bailey neighborhood itself.

Image: Tim Dempsey speaking at an earlier City Council meeting

Image: City Attorney Tom Yeadon, courtesy City of East Lansing

The battle over the future of the Bailey Community Center—and, according to some residents, the future of the Bailey neighborhood itself—will continue tomorrow night at City Council during a work session that will not be broadcast for public viewing. On one side is City staff who see the costs of keeping open the Community Center and the daycare it houses as simply too high for citizens to bear.

Image: Todd Arend, representing PDIG at Council last night

At East Lansing City Council last night, further discussion of the proposal from PDIG to redevelop the corner at Abbot Road and Grand River was deferred until January—but not before many objections to the developer from citizens and a lengthy Council discussion about how and when the City might legally be able to end the project if concerns about the developer’s trustworthiness persist.

Image: Planning Director Tim Dempsey speaks at City Council

Tonight at City Council, Planning Director Tim Dempsey told Council that the development company PDIG—with which the City is actively negotiating on what would be the largest development in City history, at the corner of Grand River Avenue and Abbot Road—is owned in part by minor children.