Not sure I see the demand for this, but there has been talks for years now about using boat service to connected the city's three city center nodes (REO Town, downtown, and Old Town):
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Lansing just passed a "complete streets" ordinance a few weeks back after a petition drive led to council's passage of the ordiance. I was surprised and pleased to learn the city is the first in the state to pass such a measure.
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Wow...even beating out Ann Arbor! Good job, Lansing!;)
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Ha! The difference being that Ann Arbor probably automatically does this, anyway, when they have to reconstruct a street. lol Oh, and we need it way more than they do. If you've ever tried to travel around central Lansing by foot, you know how difficult it can be to navigate it on foot.
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The crazy thing is the many people who were/are opposed to the complete streets initiative. Sometimes I feel like Lansing is so backwards and it is that mentality that will ultimately drive the "good" people away from this town. We're incredibly lucky to have people like Ms. Neuner in this city.
People constantly complain that this is a waste, that the taxes are already high, and that we can't even maintain the streets we have. They note the "decaying" infrastructure that already exists, and that this combined with the taxes are what are driving people to the suburbs. Hello? Have you driven in Meridian Township lately? They have the worst roads, by far, than any other in the area. Yet they have the highest incomes in the region. Makes sense, eh? Maybe it's because they're completely auto-centric, low-density, and can't afford such a level of pavage per resident. |
Keep in mind that in a lot of measures the loudest group isn't always the largest group.;)
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I don't know about you, but what I'm seeing is an increasingly progressive city, which is something not to be expected of such a blue collar, industrial town losing so many people. I've become increasingly impressed by Lansing's people and its leadership, not less impressed. For a town that is neither Grand Rapids nor Ann Arbor, who get a lot of attention, these days, for their progressive citizenry, I think this town is maturing quite well and under the radar. Every city has their NIMBYs. I actually find that Lansing's are quite a bit less influential/powerful than most. BTW, here's a recent photo of the demolition of the ginormus North Grand Avenue Parking Expansion over Grand Avenue courtesy of the Lansing EDC: http://www.lansingedc.com/imageresiz...jects/52_6.img Man, do I love to see this. |
From Yesterday
New Lansing City Market & Boardwalk - on the other side of the Lansing Center promenade from where the first two shots were taken was a huge riverfront wedding going on, but no one had made a sound. Since this part of the promenade is currently closed off for the new boardwalk construction, they were as surprised as I was when I came across the promenade on my bike. lol http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/...c45684c3_o.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2518/...a94656c3_o.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2625/...6eb821e5_o.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2455/...71f01a85_o.jpg Michigan State Police Headquarters - the exterior has been basically done for months, now. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3430/...ff8d8134_o.jpg Accident Fund Insurance Headquarters Complex http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2598/...1a4632a0_o.jpg (Grand Avenue streetscaping & parking expansion demolition) http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3514/...cb0ea86b_o.jpg Lansing Board of Water & Light Chiller Plant http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2509/...e8995c00_o.jpg |
That boardwalk is looking really nice. How far does it stretch in either direction?
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On the eastbank from the current Lansing Center promenade (from where the first two pictures were taken) to the Shiawassee Street Bridge, to the north. So two blocks, three if you include the existing promenade, itself. On the westbank two blocks to the same bridge.
All of it, though, is formally part of the Lansing River Trail system, which depending on the geography, switches between riverside asphalt pathways and boardwalks for over thirteen miles through the city. http://lansingrivertrail.org/images/rivertrailmap.jpg lansingrivertrail.org The map is actually slightly incorrect. The northern end actually extends a little further north, and technically, where the trail hits the East Lansing city border is where it ends (the trail through MSU is of their own making), but it's fairly accurate. |
You beat me to it. Here are a few more, for good measure.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3530/...7c101f8d_b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2428/...7bda5d54_b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2561/...5f346be0_b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2465/...6032e6cb_b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2544/...09f37165_b.jpg The old Troppo http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3197/...1ee5d98b_b.jpg And where the "new" one will go: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3516/...94136ca4_b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2450/...b00f9d23_b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2542/...526c7a9c_b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2542/...7d38c8d9_b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2459/...789c6e4d_b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2656/...eedd3ffc_b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2536/...b1a56737_b.jpg The Old Market http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/...161b73ce_b.jpg |
I love those new windows.:)
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The first is a story about a developer trying to build more interest in his proposals for the downtown area in a very shrewd, but interesting, way:
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September 22
Accident Fund http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2549/...bef5429a_o.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3526/...2b74fbefa0.jpg New Lansing City Market & Boardwalk Construction http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3469/...decf0664eb.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2437/...067ba0160f.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3459/...ff0613cd7a.jpg Proximity seen down Museum Drive http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2502/...7235a06336.jpg |
This expansion will bring their headquarters complex to 850,000 square feet. It'd have been nice to see them relocate to the city proper, but it's good to see them staying in the area. Insurance now makes up a significant chunk of the local economy, and has helped offset a little bit the huge losses in manufacturing.
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City Market Getting Screwed. Hate to Say I Told You So...
Plans for City Market shrinking in size, scope
Tight budget forces original concept to be scaled back Susan Vela svela@lsj.com The new $1.6 million Lansing City Market continues to shrink before even opening its doors. Still scheduled to open Dec. 1 and expected to require more expensive fees from vendors, the new market will lack a picnic pavilion and community kitchen that was envisioned for classes. Also, there will be 6,700 square feet of rentable market space for vendors, compared with the 7,800 square feet originally proposed. Scott Keith, interim president of the Lansing Entertainment & Public Facilities Authority, announced the changes Thursday to the Lansing City Council during a Committee of the Whole meeting. "We had a very tight budget - $1.6 million is not a lot of money to build anything," Keith said afterward. Some council members raised concerns, even though LEPFA officials hinted at the limitations of a $1.6 million budget when they announced bids were coming in higher than expected last spring. LEPFA officials reduced the overall size of the new market several months ago from about 13,000 square feet to 11,400 square feet. Officials scaled back the project to fit the budget. Charlotte-based Kares Construction Co., which was awarded the contract, initially bid $2.2 million. Some vendors already have said they will not move to the new location, just southwest of the present market at the corner of Cedar and Shiawassee streets. They've known for awhile that fees to rent market space were going up. But that doesn't make it any easier. According to John Hooper, who supervises the market on site, they are jumping from a dollar a square foot to $1.40 a square foot, which includes a dime-per-square foot charge for maintenance. Hooper said he knows for sure that the Green River Cafe stand and Anna & Co. knickknack booth will not move to the new site. "I haven't made up my mind yet," said Nan Jasinowski of Sweet Seasons Orchards in Concord. "Some of it is personal issues." Keith still has said that approximately 30 percent of the market's 30-plus vendors may not move to the new location. Councilwoman Sandy Allen said Thursday that a project that started out on an exciting note obviously may not be what it was expected to be. "I understand what's happening," she said. "At the same time, I am getting some concerns." Additional Facts What's next • The new Lansing City Market is expected to open by Dec. 1. |
I can't believe I hadn't seen that aerial earlier, Mr. Nick. Where'd you find it? Man, you know how big the former LCA plant was, but you don't really realize it until you see it above. That's an amazing development opportunity. You could increase the size of downtown by about 50% if it was ever developed in such a way.
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Another few hundred new jobs, downtown, but I really wish the retail would start following, and it just hasn't been.
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