That "Millennials like colors" comment really grinds my gears whenever I hear it. And it's not just that the target occupants are unaware of good vs. bad architecture, it's that the Developers and Architects are too. This is a bigger industry-wide issue, especially on projects that don't have limitless budgets. So much of building today is based on this kit-of-parts, shop-and-save, slap-it-together, value-engineering philosophy, that instead of achieving good Architecture with thoughtful detailing, skilled labor, and quality materials, the Architect and / or Developer simply end up creating the illusion of something fresh and brilliant with splashes of color on cheap metal or fiber-cement panels. And as more projects do it, it becomes more acceptable.

All of this. You can do great architect on a budget. There are quite a few Lansing developers who do smaller scale projects without all of this "lego-looking" bull the Gillespie's and their ilk do. In fact, you can even make cheap-looking materials look tolerable. I look at Gillespie's stuff and cringe to think what it'll look like even a decade down the road.

Anyway, looks like Red Cedar Renaissance on the old Red Cedar Golf Course at Frandor my finally begin this year. They are asking less money from the public, which has resulted in a small-if-signifcant downgrading of the project, but it's still multiple buildings and hundreds-of-millions of dollars. The big change is that the developers were originally asking the city to issue $35 million in bonds; the city was didn't want to to do it because of their credit rating, so they asked the county and the county balked at the price tage. They are not only asking for $10.7 million for the public portion of the project and putting in +$60 million of their own toward the public portion, which means they have to do less on the private development side of things.

What's made this project so difficult is that it's a massive public project and private project. First off, it's not only in the floodplain, but a huge chunk of it is in the floodway. Some Michigan State Police aerials from a few days ago showing the land in the background:

http://expo.advance.net/img/8c09f1aa...505_flood7.jpg

http://expo.advance.net/img/839df5d6...edd_flood5.jpg

So, what is being required for the private part of the project is a plinth to lift the entire thing above the floodplain. Twenty acres of this will remain parklands which will clean run off into the Red Cedar River, which the county is required to do in one way or another. Anyway, the requirements of the project in the development agreement include:

The plinth is going to take up quite a few months of the initial construction. The good thing about this is that the developers have said they already have hotel tenants kicking down the door to get in here, and they have some of the retail still interested in the site. As for the massing on the site, it sounds like the hotels will probably be similar in height to the SkyVue Apartments across the street.

^ What is the plinth going to be? Compacted earth, maybe with geogrid reinforcement?

As far as I know it's a simple garage with concrete piers. What exactly it will be topped with I'm not sure. I'm not sure it's all been worked out as specific materials are concerned.

While the flooding has come down, it looks like there are still quite a few roads out as of this morning. The killer here as traffic is concerned if Pennsylvania Avenue; that's forcing a lot of traffic on Mt. Hope.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4620/...9956c46a_c.jpg
Flooding by NewCityOne, on Flickr

Poor Urbandale. I'm trying to figure out how they let them build 496 without putting multiple culverts in to drain the area. The freeway effectively acts as a levee keeping water from rolling back down to the Red Cedar south of the freeway. Fortunately, the city and township have been planning for a flood just like this and has slowly had the land bank buy up property as it becomes available and making them vacant lots. But as you can imagine it's a slow process.

Speaking of flooding and urbandale, here was my first try at a documentary on the subject. I did it in planning school almost 7 years ago.

https://vimeo.com/14666949

We're getting some initial renderings and plans for this down-sized portion of Red Cedar Renaissance.

http://lansingcitypulse.com/images/1...iclefull.0.jpg

http://lansingcitypulse.com/images/1...iclefull.0.jpg

http://lansingcitypulse.com/images/1...iclefull.0.jpg

http://lansingcitypulse.com/images/1...iclefull.0.jpg

Another view of what the site looked like last week to understand why the plinth is so important:

http://lansingcitypulse.com/images/1...iclefull.0.jpg

This is a massive undertaking; the whole site has to be raised over 6 feet. Everyone is a bit disappointed in the reduction in the quality of the project, but that's because the developers nor the city were willing to spend as much on the plinth.

Oh, deja vu, one of the graphics speaks to your question about the specific construction of the plinth: post-tensioned concrete and foam fill.

And where does all that displaced water go during the next flood when the plinth is in place? There's a reason why many parks and golf courses are sited where they are, and it's generally due to floodplains.

Under the plinth, of course. That's why they are building it, to raise it above the 100-year flood data.

http://lansingcitypulse.com/images/1...iclefull.0.jpg

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. I was thinking of this as some sort of solid podium.

Center City District in East Lansing looking south towards campus on March 1:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DXN7NRMW4AAW7-J.jpg
City of East Lansing

http://news.jrn.msu.edu/wp-content/u...r2-336x252.jpg
Andy K. Hahn | Spartan News Room

Apparently, the foundation at the 10-story, 144-foot The Hub down the street has also begun construction. Picture from late-February when they were still doing site prep:

http://news.jrn.msu.edu/wp-content/u...28-771x578.jpg
Anthony Sandoval | Spartan News Room

The state is taking another crack at selling off the old state Senate office building. The city envisions are refurbishment of it as a hotel with views of the capitol.

The building is 93,000 square feet and has open floor plates. They could conceivably carve a atrium/courtyard into the middle of build the core in the middle and sheer off the back if they need to make it residential or hotel.

Responses are due back May 1 for the RFP, and the winner will be chosen on June 1.

The 2 feet of foam fill is interesting. Makes sense - lightweight, cheap, works well in compression, and has insulating attributes to boot. I'm guessing this is a common approach for designs like this that are trying to get above flood plain in an economical way, I just haven't seen it done in our region before.

To be honest, the renderings look alright to me, but I can't get over the fact that they spelled Commission wrong on the site plan, in the wetlands area (missing the second 'S'). I've worked with the Ingham County Drain Commission - they might take offense to such carelessness!

A few more pieces from the development agreement for Red Cedar Renaissance:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4785/...37d03be3_o.png

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4786/...c42a36c2_o.png

I think I may have forgotten originally when talking about this to say that this is primarily an environmental project, and the private development came later. The area has been facing down a requirement to stop storm run-off into the Red Cedar River from the Montgomery Drain, which runs through the site and Frandor to the north. This could either be accomplished by sewer projects or by this more natural approach of using the former Red Cedar Golf Course to clean the run-off before it reached the river. Ingham County's long-time Drain Commissioner has been really big on using nature to clean storm water run-off, so of course this is the option he chose. At the same time, the previous mayor was really big on connecting Lansing and East Lansing more closely along Michigan Avenue and saw this as an opportunity so he pushed the site for development above the public drain commission project. So this is what you got. I want to some better architecture, here, but it's really a miracle they are developing anything above the flood plain at all.

Marketplace Phase II officially opens, today. Now GG can devote the full attention to the next endeavor.

https://scontent.fdet1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...a8&oe=5B7312C0
Gillespie Group

In other news, the 2017 Census estimates are out. Population is up to 477,656, up from 464,036 at the 2010 Census and growth is accelerating. At this rate, the tri-county region will end up with its fastest growth since the 1970's, and what's more is that the growth is not much more centered in the urban area of the metro than in decades past. For the second year in a row, Ingham County grew at an almost identical rate to Washtenaw and both just a bit less than Kent County so the area is finally generally matching these two faster-growth areas after having trailed them significantly in decades past. Growth has slowed way down in Eaton County, and picked back up in Clinton County, which was the fastest growing county in Michigan between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.

Center City District, East Lansing - March 29

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EastLansingBuzz

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EastLansingBuzz

They expect to start pouring the second floor by the end of this week.

^ Looking good :tup:

The local paper got around to doing up a write-up on the recently completed second phase of Marketplace. The Gillespie Group actually saved a bit of surprise for the end: The building will have a bar/lounge with a restaurant that will be open to the public and will have access to the riverfront patio.

More photos from LSJ photographer Matthew Dae Smith:

15 units are micro-units of 405 square feet. Gillespie Group's two remaining projects in the Stadium District include a large, mixed-use development at Larch and Michigan kitty-corner to the southeast of the stadium, and the third phase of Marketplace fronting Cedar Street to enclose the parking lot, which unlike the first two phases will be mixed-use.

Ha! Speak of the devil. The Lansing City Pulse has a juicy rumor on Larch & Michigan: A name-brand grocer is in talks for the project. Dis gone bee gud, y'all.

The thing is that this is a direct result of Mayor Schor's recent history. His last piece of legislation he got through as a state legislature, last year, before he became mayor allows municipalities to use economic development funds to attract grocers to downtowns and commercial corridors in urban cities to combat food deserts.

The Lansing State Journal did an update on a few key projects in East Lansing. We get an update on when the Target in Center City should be open:

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f...c413d9~mv2.jpg
EastLansingBuzz

Another shot from March 27:

https://scontent.fdet1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...f5&oe=5B33EE19
City of East Lansing

East Lansing Buzz is finally starting to also carry regular updates for the construction of The Hub going up down the street. From April 5:

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f...b64a27~mv2.jpg
EastLansingBuzz

Trader Joe's? Or maybe Meijer? I'm guessing not Whole Foods.