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I would guess that announcement should happen this year, no? I have no doubt we'll get federal funding. My worry is that a portion of gap financing will need to go to voters and there's a decent chance of them voting it down. But I really don't know. This town still surprises the hell out of me all the time. We'll vote 'no' on a millage increase to help the budget keep pace with dropping property values and lose a ton of police officers, but then vote yes on the Ingham County Health Plan millage increase. We'll spend money hand over fist on incentives packages for private developers with no ROI for the city and then turn around and sell public park land to developers to make up for the shortfall. This town has, albeit slowly, declined for about 45 years now, so it has this build-it-at-any-cost mentality when it comes to private development. It's the total polar opposite of how development happens in Ann Arbor, so maybe we will build this thing after all LOL. And with Snyder trying to up the gas tax and fund transit, maybe they'll see the state kick in some funds.

Word on the lot at Michigan & Larch right across from the Stadium District. The City Pulse is reporting there is a slight hang-up in the plans (internal politics), but we get for the first time the general outline of what's planned for the site, and it is indeed an active proposal:

Quote:

Lansing developer Pat Gillespie is interested in transforming a prominent eyesore across the street from his Stadium District in downtown Lansing, but a key step in the process has been held up in Mayor Virg Bernero’s office for over two months.

The Ingham County Land Bank board approved an “option to purchase agreement” with Gillespie Development LLC in August for the property at 600 E. Michigan Ave., the southeast corner of Michigan and Larch Street. It was appraised for $60,000. The Land Bank obtained the property in July 2011 through tax foreclosure.

The proposed development envisions a three- to four-story mixed-use building with retail or commercial space on the first floor and rental apartments above. Gillespie is working with Studio Intrigue Architects on the project.

While College Fields (originally Governor's Collection) is your typical sprawl, it's your typical sprawl that the City of Lansing will get direct financial benefit from since it's the result of a 425 Agreement (tax-sharing). Sputtering since the late 90's and through two recessions, it looks like it may finally start getting further off the ground:

Quote:

Homes planned at College Fields golf course in Okemos

Lindsay VanHulle | Lansing State Journal

February 23, 2013

MERIDIAN TWP. — A new housing development is expected to take shape soon at the College Fields golf course in Okemos.

East Lansing’s Mayberry Homes plans to build the 73-unit Parkside at College Fields development, which would include homes priced between $275,000 and $400,000 aimed at families with children, said Will Randle, Mayberry’s community development manager.

Parkside will join three other housing developments at the 276-acre College Fields site, located near Hagadorn, Hulett and Bennett roads in Meridian Township. It is the latest step for a project that has faced name and ownership changes, foreclosure and delays since it was proposed in the late 1990s.

College Fields is developed by Gary Jones, managing member of Jones Property Development LLC, which has an office in Los Angeles. Jones was an investor on the project in the early 2000s before the previous developer lost the site to foreclosure. He brought Mayberry onto the team about two years ago to build in its three other communities — Grandview, Fieldview and The Village.

Mayberry was looking for a planned community in the Okemos market before it joined College Fields, Randle said. Today, three houses in the $400,000-and-up Grandview area are completed, four are completed in the $350,000-and-up Fieldview development and roughly 20 are completed in The Village, which have homes on smaller lots that start around $245,000.

Parkside alone will reflect a roughly $5 million commitment from Mayberry, Randle said.

“We feel the potential here is tremendous,” he said.

The project has an Act 425 tax-sharing agreement between Meridian Township and the city of Lansing for infrastructure needs. Jones said his team can begin infrastructure and streetscape work on the Parkside section as soon as the city approves a site plan for the project.

He said he plans to have that work finished by June 1. Model homes could be ready to show potential buyers by summer, Randle said.

College Fields is an upscale 286-unit residential development in the Bennett Woods section of Okemos built around an 18-hole golf course. It includes both attached and detached single-family homes.

More suburban/sprawl stuff, but closer in. The site is two or three blocks from the city limits on the southwest side of town, and within the beltway.

Quote:

http://cmsimg.lansingstatejournal.co...W=600&Border=0

Two Men and a Truck expansion to create 125 jobs in Lansing area

By Lindsay VanHulle | Lansing State Journal

February 27, 2013

DELHI TWP. — A local moving company plans a major expansion of its business in the next five years, creating 125 new jobs in the Lansing area and building a 25,000-square-foot addition to its Delhi Township headquarters.

Two Men and a Truck International Inc. today announced its expansion plans at a news conference that included Gov. Rick Snyder, company executives and regional economic leaders. The family-owned company intends to push into roughly 300 new U.S. markets with franchised operations that will grow its nationwide presence to roughly 500 sites.

...

Sorber said the company will spend the bulk of its estimated $4 million investment by the time the project is complete in about 18 months. That includes about $500,000 in renovations to Two Men and a Truck’s existing facility on Belle Chase Way.

...

Two Men and a Truck logged 390,000 moving trips in 2012. It has 234 locations in the United States, 19 in Canada and one each in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Sorber said. That figure is up 20 percent from 2011.

...

Quite a bit of news over the last week. First, some photos of the Knapp's department store renovation:

Quote:

http://cmsimg.lansingstatejournal.co...&Maxh=465&q=60
Rod Sanford | Lansing State Journal

http://cmsimg.lansingstatejournal.co...&Maxh=465&q=60
Rod Sanford | Lansing State Journal

http://cmsimg.lansingstatejournal.co...&Maxh=465&q=60
Rod Sanford | Lansing State Journal

The next piece of news is the continued westward expansion of downtown East Lansing as multi-story, multi-family proposals continue to creep up Michigan and Grand River avenues through the Delta neighborhood:

Quote:

DTN proposes to demolish, rebuild Biggby's original location

By Lindsay VanHulle | Lansing State Journal

March 9, 2013

EAST LANSING — The original home of Biggby Coffee soon could have a new look.

The East Lansing coffee chain’s first store, at 270 W. Grand River Ave., is slated to be demolished and rebuilt as part of a new mixed-use project from Lansing Township-based DTN Management Co.

The project is in early stages and hasn’t formally been presented to East Lansing administrators. But Raji Uppal, a DTN vice president, said it has the potential to serve as a new gateway to downtown from the west — and tie in with the company’s proposal to redevelop a publicly owned section of the former City Center II property near the intersection of Grand River Avenue and Abbot Road.

What has been dubbed the 300 Grand River project would include nearly 150 residential units, commercial space with Biggby as a tenant and park features that would draw on nearby Valley Court Park, Uppal said. Apartments should consist mostly of one- and two-bedroom units and could be priced affordably, he said.

...

A few blocks east, it looks like the City Center II project, which has been stalled for years, has gotten some heavy, heavy interest:

Quote:

What's next for City Center II site? Six plans, one dilemma

Lindsay VanHulle | Lansing State Journal

March 10, 2013

DTN Management Co., known locally for its student apartment complexes, wants to build a skywalk at the corner of Grand River Avenue and Abbot Road so it can connect a collection of buildings along Grand River Avenue to the Michigan State University campus.

MTB Partners LLC and Visser Brothers Inc., the developers behind the building that houses CVS pharmacy and a Cosi restaurant near Grand River and M.A.C. Avenue, are pitching a hotel, apartments and, possibly, a theater for the Abbot spot.

And Chris Jerome, who is part of a team proposing to redevelop Lansing’s closed Red Cedar Golf Course, wants to start with public forums before he draws up a plan for the corner.

They are among six developers interested in reviving a distressed corner of downtown East Lansing.

And most of those six say their ideas for new housing and retail developments depend on whether they’ll be able to fold private property facing Grand River Avenue into their plans for the adjacent city-owned parcels.

...

I'll try and get the renderings off the include files when I get the time. For now, here are the descriptions of the proposals:

Quote:

Proposal 1

Capstone Collegiate Communities LLC (based in Birmingham, Ala.) and Vlahakis Cos. (Okemos)

• Concept:

Project would include 30,000 square feet each of retail and office space; 280 residential units aimed at students, young professionals, families and seniors; first-floor retail with Dublin Square restaurant as an anchor tenant. One building would be 10 stories tall. A hotel is possible, but not officially part of the proposal. Groundbreaking could begin in spring 2014 and construction could wrap in fall 2015. Capstone developed Capstone Commons apartments, now known as Abbott Place, in northern East Lansing, as well as The Lodges of East Lansing near the Hannah Plaza.

• Want privately owned property?

Yes

• Estimated cost:

$69.3 million

Proposal 2

DTN Management Co. (Lansing Township)

• Concept:

Project would include a 10-story building with underground parking, a 125-room hotel, retail space and 144 residential units; a five-story building with retail and 20 residential units; a five-story building with 207 residential units; a parking deck and a skywalk to Michigan State University’s campus. Also would include a year-round farmers market and outdoor performance space near Valley Court Park.

• Want privately owned property?

Yes

• Estimated cost:

$104.5 million

Proposal 3

Lurvey White Ventures (Flint)

• Concept:

Two versions. One would include four mixed-use buildings with a year-round farmers market, 120-room hotel with a 200-person banquet center, nine retail spaces, 100 residential units, at least 350 parking spaces and a 20,000-square-foot farmers market. The second would include six buildings, a 120-room hotel with a 200-person banquet center, 20,000 square feet of offices, 32 loft condominium units, 75 apartments, 120 student beds and 350 parking spaces.

• Want privately owned property?

Unknown

• Estimated cost:

First version would cost $66.9 million. Second option would run $82.4 million.

Proposal 4

MTB Partners LLC (Birmingham, Mich.) and Visser Brothers Inc. (Grand Rapids)

• Concept:

Project would include a 100-room hotel, 15,000 square feet of retail space with a possible grocery store, 80-100 residential units aimed at mixed markets, 60-80 units of senior housing based on demand, a publicly owned parking deck with 360 spaces, green space for a farmers market and a theater with possible ties to Michigan State University’s Wharton Center for the Performing Arts. MTB Partners developed East Lansing’s initial City Center project downtown that includes CVS pharmacy.

• Want privately owned property?

Yes

• Estimated cost:

$39.9 million without land costs

Proposal 5

Chris Jerome (Lansing-area developer) and Carpenter & Co. Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.)

• Concept:

Details about the “Parkside” project are not specific. Jerome’s proposal said the project contains too many unknown details to include a plan, but his vision would incorporate public forums, buying adjacent properties and discussing finances before negotiating a development agreement with East Lansing. The concept would include mid- or high-rise mixed-use buildings that also incorporates green space at adjacent Valley Court Park.

• Want privately owned property?

Yes

• Estimated cost:

Unknown

Proposal 6

Urban Cultural and Arts District LLC
(represented by Lansing’s Studio Intrigue Architects LLC)

• Concept:

Two 10-story buildings with retail, 96 hotel rooms, residential units and a grocery store; two three-story buildings with office space and housing; a six-story parking deck; 3,000 square feet of space for a farmers market or outdoor events; an elevated pedestrian walkway and the removal of Evergreen Avenue south of Valley Court.

• Want privately owned property?

Unknown

• Estimated cost:

$63.5 million

It's looking like most of these developers want to max out the height limit of downtown, so whatever is built there is going to be substantial.

Some of the renderings for the proposal for City Center II:

Lurvey White Ventures:

http://media.mlive.com/citpat/busine...7031-large.jpg
Lurvey White

Studio Intrigue:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8088/8...a985377a_z.jpg

Looks like General Motors is further investing in Lansing Grand River Assembly in downtown Lansing. This is pretty huge, because it'll replace a lot of the ugly, vacant land currently sitting at the site of the former Lansing Car Assembly nextdoor to LGR:

Quote:

GM looks to invest $38M into Lansing Grand River plant

By Lindsay VanHulle | Lansing State Journal

March 14, 2013

LANSING — General Motors Co. has applied for tax incentives that would help with a $38 million expansion to its Lansing Grand River assembly plant, an move that also would add at least 150 jobs.

The Detroit automaker was tightlipped Thursday about its plans. Local spokeswoman Erin Davis would say only that GM is “developing a business case for a potential future investment ... (that) would fund facility improvements aimed at strengthening the plant’s manufacturing capability.”

But Bob Trezise, president and CEO of regional economic development group Lansing Economic Area Partnership Inc., said GM is considering a 400,000-square-foot addition to the Grand River plant that makes the Cadillac ATS small luxury car and the Cadillac CTS line of sedans, coupes and wagons, and is in line to produce the next-generation Chevrolet Camaro.

...

Well, after years of extensions/delays, the first phase of the Market Place development is finally getting underway. Work looks to have been started on the prep work for the site - directly across from the Lansing City Market - which includes taking up the old footings and parking lot of the market and soil remediation work.

A rough rendering:

http://gillespie-group.com/images/st...commercial.jpg

BTW, the mixed-use building at Larch & Grand across from the Stadium District is still moving foward. Like the similar plot down Michigan - also an old gas station - it'll most likely be three stories and be in the mold of the Avenue Flats:

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...42016876_n.jpg
The Gillespie Company

LMich, do you mean Larch and Michigan, where that Marathon gas station used to be? If so, that is great news. Prime real estate, right there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michagain (Post 6102264)

LMich, do you mean Larch and Michigan, where that Marathon gas station used to be? If so, that is great news. Prime real estate, right there.

Yup, that's the place. If you don't mind the traffic, the homeless shelter, or the impact wrenches going at two neighboring mechanics...this is for you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michagain (Post 6102264)

LMich, do you mean Larch and Michigan, where that Marathon gas station used to be? If so, that is great news. Prime real estate, right there.

Yep, my bad; Larch & Michigan. Though, I am a bit disappointed to hear they are only shooting for three stories. I'm not asking for a high-rise or anything, but everything west of the railroad tracks really should be at least four floors like the Stadium District whenever we get the chance.

As for the location, a better spot than living on the Square, where you have to worry about getting your windows smashed out or vomit on your doorsteps. The homeless have proven themselves far better/quieter neighbors than the suburban bar patrons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LMich (Post 6102848)

Don't get me wrong, I'm FOR it. Michigan Ave has been in transition for a long time and these kinds of transformations always have growing pains, ours just have been slower than most, lol.

I'm certainly glad that the abandoned gas station is gone. However, there are still quite a few of what I would consider incompatible uses if we're talking putting in neighboring mid-density housing. The homeless shelter would be the least of my worries. Butting up against two garages though might prove to be kind of annoying. These are things people consider when they choose a place to live, particularly folks with the kind of income who can afford to live there. Good neighbors or not, they can be busy, unsightly, noisy, and just plain annoying.

I also wonder about retail space saturation. Not that this isn't technically a perfect location to build this type of mixed use building, but the market in the area has proven that there is high demand for rental housing and terrible demand for retail space. Yet we keep building them. I'm wondering if there couldn't be some sort of intermediary use on the ground flour, or live work spaces.

Finally, whatever they could do to slow traffic down between Kalamazoo and Shiawassee would greatly improve the desirability of this area. The speed limit may say 30, but traffic is certainly moving at 50+ mph at times.

So long as you've got these one-way speedtracks, they are going to be fast. This is particularly true when you consider how few cross streets there are on this stretch, mid-block, so automobiles have a long stretch in which to build up speed. Short of turning one or both of them two-way, there doesn't seem to be much of an answer. A road-diet wouldn't do much as the street is already only three thru lanes wide as it is.

As for the neighborhood, I realize it's not optimal to have Liskey's and Brogan's as neighbors, but do we not build in them, then? I think the idea is to build up these neighborhoods and raise property values that will eventually lead to other types of businesses eventually setting up in those locations. Even still, though, Liskey's and Brogan's are only open until 6 PM Monday thru Friday, and Brogan's on Saturday only until three. Generally, these folks are at work when everyone else is.

I was wondering what this was:

Quote:

http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/lans...t8756widea.jpg

Electric carport installed at Lansing City Market

By Sam Inglot | Lansing City Pulse

April 24, 2013

Wednesday, April 24 — On Tuesday, city and Board of Water and Light officials unveiled a new solar-powered, two-bay electric car charging station at the Lansing City Market.

“Mid-Michigan residents, especially electric vehicle owners, can be proud that this project makes our community an even more attractive choice for shopping and doing business in the downtown area. All signs point to this being a successful endeavor and a huge step in the direction of sustainable energy use,” said BWL General Manager Peter Lark in a statement.

The carport was paid for by BWL as gift to the city and is part of the “Live Lansing Green” sustainability program as well as the BWL’s “Plug-in Electric Vehicle Community Project,” which aims to expand the ease electric vehicle usage.

According to a press release, the costs of operating the charging station should be “near-zero” because the solar-powered station will use the sun to produce electricity. When the carport is not being used, the electricity the station creates will go back into the BWL grid to supply power elsewhere.

The charging station cost $60,000 to build and was part of a U.S. Department of Energy program to push for use of green transportation technology. The BWL has built over 40 charging stations in the region at both residential and commercial sites.

“Lansing is once again leading the way on cleaner, greener practices that conserve energy, reduce pollution and improve our environment,” said Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero in a statement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by subterranean (Post 6102921)

That's interesting as buildings adjacent to garages here tend to be desirable since residents get larger viewsheds. There's always NIMBYs around the corner to save a firestone or BP gas station to protect their windows from getting hit by those evil tower shadows!

Quote:

Originally Posted by subterranean (Post 6102378)

Yup, that's the place. If you don't mind the traffic, the homeless shelter, or the impact wrenches going at two neighboring mechanics...this is for you.

Fair point, but hopefully as property use continues to gravitate towards residential/office/retail perhaps the auto mechanics and the like will be pushed further away from downtown. And after business hours the area gets pretty quiet (excepting the bar crowd).

Wish this was downtown, as it would have been high-rise, but this is exactly the reason why Lansing "annexed" this land in Alaiedon Township so many years ago:

Quote:

Jackson National Life plans to add 1,000 jobs with headquarters expansion

by Lindsay VanHulle | Lansing State Journal

April 30, 2013

ALAIEDON TWP. — Jackson National Life Insurance Co. plans to hire more than 1,000 employees and more than double the size of its headquarters site.

The insurer plans to spend more than $100 million on the project, which could be completed in three years once construction crews break ground. The project still needs approval from various government entities before that can happen.

“This is the biggest job announcement that I’ve worked on over the last decade,” said Bob Trezise, president and CEO of regional economic development group Lansing Economic Area Partnership Inc., which worked to convince JNL to expand locally for more than six months.

Company leaders say JNL has outgrown its existing headquarters near Interstate 96 and Okemos Road in Alaiedon Township. They plan to add a 260,000-square-foot office building and an 80,000-square-foot data imaging center to accommodate expected growth.

...

The company purchased 175 acres in Alaiedon Township between 1998 and 2000. The company built its 320,000-square-foot headquarters there in 2000.

...

JNL’s headquarters is in Alaiedon Township, but the company has a tax-sharing agreement with the city of Lansing, making the city its corporate home. JNL also maintains regional offices in Denver and suburban Nashville.

...

It's unfortunate that the JNL property is really in its own little world back there. At some point I hope the office park develops start to give way more to the downtown developments we have going on.

All I can say is finally. Even with the addition, quite a few years back, now, Spartan Stadium has to be one of the uglier onces in the conference. The surface lots on both ends of the stadium are unforgivable. Not a huge change, but anything is better than what is there now.

Quote:

http://cmsimg.lansingstatejournal.co...e-20M-makeover

Spartan Stadium in line for $20M makeover

By Joe Rexrode | Detroit Free Press

May 13, 2013

EAST LANSING — The illustrations are public, the final approval is next and then comes the actual construction.

By May of 2014, Michigan State should have a completed $20 million Spartan Stadium renovation, to be spruced up during the summer and unveiled for the 2014 season.

“It should be ready next spring, right around a year from now,” MSU athletic director Mark Hollis said.

MSU’s Board of Trustees will have a retreat and meeting from June 19-21, during which construction is expected to gain final approval. If so, “we’ll start doing it right then,” Hollis said.

The $20 million cost is split between $14 million in donations – with more than $10 million raised so far – and $6 million of MSU athletic department funds, Hollis said. MSU hired IDS for the architecture and Barton Malow for the construction.

The plan calls for a two-level building at the north end of the stadium. On the first level will be locker rooms for both teams and coaches, a locker room for officials, an equipment room and a media center.

...

The upper level of the building will be split, with new restrooms and concessions stands connected to the stadium’s concourse. They would be models for planned restrooms and concessions upgrades around the stadium, MSU deputy athletic director Greg Ianni said.

The other part of the upper level will be a recruiting room for all sports.

...

Looks like the mess up at Eastwood Town Center will begin again after construction delays:

Quote:

http://cmsimg.lansingstatejournal.co...developers-say
Rod Sanford | Lansing State Journal

Heights at Eastwood delays near end, developers say

By Lindsay Vanhulle | Lansing State Journal

May 13, 2013

LANSING TWP. — Developers behind an expansion project near Eastwood Towne Center in Lansing Township say months of construction delays soon could end.

Groundbreaking has yet to occur on two of the largest pieces of The Heights at Eastwood development — a Hyatt Place hotel and an upscale apartment building to be owned and managed by Lansing Township-based DTN Management Co. Both have been tied up in complex legal negotiations with lenders, in part because the project includes both public and private ownership.

The $47 million Heights development, near U.S. 127 and Lake Lansing Road, is being funded in part with $22 million in bonds Lansing Township issued in 2010. The effort has been controversial, since it means the township essentially is acting as its own developer instead of relying solely on the private sector.

Delays at the Eastwood-area project mean it will take longer for the township to collect property tax revenue, which is captured and reinvested in a Downtown Development Authority district drawn up around the site.

...

Developers of the hotel and apartments say shovels could be in the ground within a month.

Plans for the $15 million, 128-room Hyatt Place hotel were announced in June 2012, with a completion date of this fall. Construction now is set to wrap by fall 2014, said Kent Gregory, a principal member of Savannah, Ga.-based MDG Development LLC, which is developing the hotel.

Gregory said private money already has been invested in the project and the hotel will be built. Groundbreaking could happen by early June, he said.

...

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/a...nclick_check=1

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