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.