[LMich]

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:

Rod Sanford/Associated Press

Scenic view: People take pictures on the Grand River Monday in downtown Lansing as developer Pat Gillespie leads a downtown development boat tour of the riverfront.


Taking in the sights: Developer Pat Gillespie (foreground) leads a downtown development boat tour Monday on the Grand River in downtown Lansing. Above, the Accident Fund project is visible from the Grand River

Boat tours give glimpse of city, downtown developments

Melissa Domsic • [email protected] • September 15, 2009 • From Lansing State Journal

People stopped, stared and waved as a pontoon boat full of people cruised down the Grand River Monday morning.

Boat tours are a somewhat unusual sight in downtown Lansing, but developer Pat Gillespie hopes they will gain in popularity.

Gillespie took several groups of people on boat rides Monday to show off the mixture of natural beauty and urban development along the river.

He is developing the Ballpark North and Market Place mixed-use projects near the river.

On Monday morning, construction crews could be seen on either side of the river working on the new Lansing City Market as well as the Accident Fund Insurance Co.'s headquarters building.

Gillespie said he hopes to start offering public and private cruises so more people can enjoy the water. He also plans to take more than 500 people on free, one-hour tours this week.

"We purely want to expose as many people as possible this week and then have them go tell, tweet, Facebook, e-mail, tell their friends back at work and go, 'You won't believe what I saw,' " he said.

The next is about a near-downtown site that is sure to be a residential high-rise in the coming years if the city has anything to say about it.

ROD SANFORD/Lansing State Journal

The exterior of the now-boarded up Deluxe Inn near downtown Lansing. The property has been sold to the Ingham County Land Bank.


Deluxe Inn has new owner

Christine Rook • [email protected] • September 15, 2009 • From LSJ.com

The Deluxe Inn property sold this week for $400,000.

And the new owner: the Ingham County Land Bank is already working today to get the motel sign torn down.

The downtown Lansing motel, which police said used to have high prostitution and drug activity, now stands in the way of city progress.

City officials want the two-story motel ripped down and the site rebuilt, possibly into a high rise apartment complex catering to college students. Hopes are for such a building to contain a restaurant or perhaps a pharmacy on the first floor.

The property officially changed hands Monday morning when Business Lenders LLC and the Ingham land bank closed their deal.

Land bank officials have said that already four parties have shown interest in developing the site, which backs up to the Grand River.

And, after a few years as a nightclub and then three years sitting empty, again, it looks like the former Temple Club will get a new life:

Lansing State Journal file photo

New life coming? Exterior of the now-closed Temple Club in Lansing. The building has been vacant since 2006.

Company looks to revive Temple Club site

Melissa Domsic • [email protected] • September 16, 2009 • From Lansing State Journal

Plans are in the works to renovate and bring new tenants to the former Temple Club building, an Old Town landmark for more than 90 years.

Old Town Temple LLC is seeking local and state tax abatements to help fix up the building at 502 E. Grand River Ave.

"It's a wonderful old building and we're hoping to put it back to productive use," said Alan Hooper, managing member of Old Town Temple LLC. "The use of it in the future will be dictated by who ends up renting it."

The company spent $250,000 to purchase the building. It plans to invest another $655,400 to add a new roof, restore the stained glass windows, install new doors, replace windows and make other improvements.

Hooper is seeking about $228,000 in local property tax abatements over 12 years under the Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act. He also plans to request a Michigan Business Tax credit for up to $131,080.

Construction is expected to start this fall and should be complete by mid-April 2010.

The building was constructed in the early 20th century and housed churches for several decades. In 2001, it opened as the Temple Club, a bar and concert venue.

The building has been vacant since the club closed in 2006, said Brian Anderson, Center City Director for the Lansing Economic Development Corp.

"That's such an architecturally significant building," Anderson said. "For it to sit empty probably didn't reflect well on the city."

Hooper said he's had interest from a variety of possible tenants, but nothing is final. The 14,300-square-foot facility likely will be used for office space and can accommodate at least 40 to 50 workers, he said.

Hooper is president of Triterra, an environmental consulting business in Old Town.

Brittney Hoszkiw, executive director of the Old Town Commercial Association, said Hooper's dedicated to the area and volunteers in the neighborhood.

"We're excited that he is working on the project because we know that he'll be able to retain the building's integrity while giving it a new and exciting use for the community," she said.

Other business owners have taken advantage of tax incentives to breathe new life into once-vacant buildings in Old Town.

Preuss Pets moved into a former auto repair shop in 2006.

This spring, the Old Town Medical Arts Building opened in the former Cedar Street School. The $3.6 million project received more than $415,000 in state and local tax incentives and expects to receive federal tax incentives as well.