Lansing-East Lansing, MI Development

[CDENT]

Originally Posted by deja vu

Thanks for the updates! I knew about the groundbreaking for the Plant and Environmental Sciences Building, but had no idea the others were so far along. The multi-colored panels on the new Multicultural Center are not my favorite, but interesting nonetheless.

@hood thanks for the updates and being the hooking us up with updated pics!

@deja vu - yea, with Hood's new pics, this design is growing on me. There are 3D vertical panels that run the full height of the building and jettison outward. I think the aesthetic would benefit if these were not at 90 degree angles and instead angled at something less like 60 or 45 degrees. You'd also noticed them with head on shots.

[DetroitMan]

Downtown Lansing could see 567 new housing units as 3-building project grows to 5

The board of the Michigan Strategic Fund voted Tuesday to approve $202.2 million in transformational brownfield funding that allows the developer — Lansing-based New Vision Lansing LLC — to capture local and school taxes, as well as income taxes, as part of a goal to close a housing gap in the area that surrounds the Michigan State Capitol. In the project, unveiled in the summer of 2023, the New Vision Lansing developers — affiliated with Lansing commercial real estate firm Gentilozzi Real Estate — plan a total of 567 housing units spread across five different developments in and around Lansing's central business district, an area hit hard by the rise of work from home during and post COVID-19 pandemic when many state workers halted going into the office.

The developer's $317.7 million investment in downtown Lansing and the nearby Old Town neighborhood comes as the area faces a shortage of 1,143 housing units, according to an MSF briefing memo outlining the project.

"The NVL projects will provide 483 units in Downtown and 90 units in Old Town, making a significant contribution to closing this gap," the memo says.

Developers Paul and John Gentilozzi, as well as partners JFK Investments, aim to bring units at a variety of income levels.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/real-e...0m-state-funds

[subterranean]

What a strange ass looking building with weird proportions, and very awkwardly positioned next to Grand Tower. Why does it always seem like Lansing has no clue what the hell they are doing? And I say this as a long-time former resident that has witnessed disaster after disaster, often facilitated by government agencies bending over backwards for any development whatsoever, usually accompanied by an absolutely ill advised demolition with taxpayer dollars.

[uaarkson]

Nothing livens up a street like two parking garages on either side, connected via skybridge.

[DetroitMan]

Lansing to build over 100 new affordable housing units
lansing2 by Brandon Dolley, on Flickr

lansing1 by Brandon Dolley, on Flickr

City officials cut the ribbon on the project earlier today. The officials behind the new project tell 6 News that it’s going to help fill a vital gap in Lansing’s housing shortage and help people improve their lives with a safe place to stay.

The project will include two apartment buildings that will bring nearly 120 new units to Lansing. Most of the apartments will be rent-controlled, helping to take people out of temporary shelters and give them a real place to live. Officials told 6 News that this is going to make a huge impact. “The basis of all foundation of moving forward with your health, with your education, with your job skills, everything starts with a safe, clean, affordable house,” said Doug Fleming, executive director of the Lansing Housing Commission.

These two developments will be the first new units built by the housing commission in more than two decades and will add up to more than 41 million dollars in new construction.

https://www.wlns.com/news/lansing-to...housing-units/

[DetroitMan]

A few development updates. MSU announced plans for a mixed-use development at the corner of Trowbridge and Harrison Rds. Also, the Tower on Grand mixed-use project in Downtown Lansing broke ground today.

 
MSU proposes Olympic sports arena, new hotel, housing, restaurants on campus

About 14 acres of now largely wooded area directly south of the under-construction Student Health and Recreation Center on Harrison Road would be razed for the Spartan Gateway District.

The plans, unveiled ahead of Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting, would transform the entrance to campus off US 127 and Trowbridge Road. It also appears to be unique in that MSU officials plan to lease land to developer under a long-term agreement in exchange for developments in addition to the arena, such as the hotel.

Trustees are expected to vote on whether to approve the plans at their meeting Friday.In addition to the 6,000 seat Olympic Sports Arena, which will host MSU women's volleyball, gymnastics and men's wrestling, the site will include a hotel, housing, retail, restaurants, offices, parking and a future academic or healthcare development, according to university documents. The project is expected to be developed in three phases. The arena, hotel and parking would be completed first. The arena is expected to be operational by late 2027 with the hotel and parking operational by mid-2028.

The housing, office space and retail are expected to be open in 2030. The future MSU healthcare or academic facility completion date is still to be determined.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...n/82972179007/


NNew Vision Lansing project, including 28-story skyscraper, breaks ground in Lansing

The New Vision Lansing projects, roughly $315 million in investments, will start with a 28-story skyscraper, the Tower on Grand, that will take about two years to fully build. The centerpiece of the New Vision Lansing projects, it is expected to become the city's tallest building, a title that has been held for a century by a building now known as the Boji Tower.

The 300,000-square-foot Tower on Grand is planned for a lot between the Grand Tower at 235 S. Grand Ave., where West Washtenaw Street dead-ends into Grand Avenue, and a parking garage to the north. The project will also include more than 560 apartments along with commercial, retail or office space in every building. Additionally, an existing building in the 100 block of S. Washington Square will be repurposed into mixed use, the Capitol Tower at 201 N. Walnut will be a new building with 105 residential units with mixed-use and office space, as will an existing five-story building at 116 W. Ottawa, the Ingham Building. And in Old Town, the project will include a new building with about 90 residential units and mixed-use space

The project has already gone through the ringer and there's plenty of other challenges to come, said John Gentilozzi, vice president of Gentilozzi Real Estate and a project leader.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...d/82978733007/

[DetroitMan]

'Incredibly long road' for new Lansing City Hall, now under construction

Lansing's new city hall took its first concrete steps as officials broke ground April 23 on the 65,000-square-foot, three-story building.

The new city hall is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, with the current city hall expected to be turned into a hotel by a Chicago developer once city operations are moved. Mayor Andy Schor said during the groundbreaking ceremony that what never changed is what residents would see: A first-floor service center to pay taxes, bills and fines and take care of other city business. The first floor will also have the city's council chambers, with city staff filling up the second and third floors. The new city hall has been an "incredibly long road," Schor said.

"This has been in the works for years and years and years," he said, pointing to former Mayor David Hollister, who had worked on an earlier version of a city hall plan with Louie and Ron Boji in 1994.

Hollister said he was "thrilled" that the city was finally going ahead with a new city hall and "thrilled" that it would again be named for him. The current David C. Hollister City Hall will keep its formal name when it relocates.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...n/83227908007/

[ColDayMan]

Yikes.

[hood]

I'm copy and pasting a photo tour/construction update from today that I shared on a local forum, with all the activity ramping up around the Lansing area I'm going to try to make this a regular thing...

I grabbed pics of a lot of the construction going on around downtown and out at MSU...

Grand Vista Place : The first elevator shaft is topped out



City Hall: The old parking lot has been tore up and footings are being drilled & poured


Riverview 220: The first elevator shaft is rising


Tower on Grand: There's a large drilling rig onsite, I think they've already been digging/pouring. Lots of rebar and caisson forms lying around




Walter Neller Building soon to be demolished:


Fish Ladder Music Park construction is in full swing, it'll be difficult to get good pictures of the progress:


Speaking of difficult to get pictures, the Student Wellness Center at MSU continues to be hard to capture:





MSU's new Outdoor Tennis Courts appear to be a bigger to do than I imagined. The new Digital Innovation Center should be getting underway next door as soon as Trustees authorize to proceed:


Plant and Environmental Science building is above ground:



The completed Multicultural Center and Farm Lane Bridge:

[DetroitMan]

Thanks for the photos Hood! The Lansing-East Lansing area seems to be experiencing a mini building boom. I hope this trend continues.

While a 5-story building isn't a "high-rise", its good to see more development like this happening in DT Lansing. I'm really excited about the potential 2nd building that could be 15-stories or higher.



Granger plans 5-story, 76-unit residential high rise in downtown Lansing

​

Granger Group plans to build a five-story residential building with 76 market rate apartments and commercial space where the historic Walter Neller building still stands in downtown Lansing.

CEO Gary Granger made the announcement June 2 at the abandoned 122 S. Grand Ave. building that he plans to tear down so he can build the high rise in the shadows of the city's first skyscraper in a century.

Granger did not provide an expected cost for his project, but he expects his development to be built and open for residents within two years, beating the more complex skyscraper to market, and also offering Grand River views.

"We should offer high quality jobs, we should offer young people the opportunity of getting to their dreams," he said. "We should offer young people the opportunity of having a dream and working hard for it in their own backyard."

Granger said he envisions developments in Lansing moving down Michigan Avenue toward Michigan State University and bringing more people to live in downtown Lansing.

His new building would take advantage of proximity to the Lansing Center and nearby museums. Granger said he wants to see Lansing take notes from Grand Rapids' downtown populations shift, which he said has gone from 5,000 people living in downtown to 20,000 in recent decades. A second Granger building, in the Lansing parking lot next to the Walter Neller building, is planned for afterward, Granger said. That could be 15 stories or more and would help to round out Lansing's skyline, Granger said.

​https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...g/83989530007/

[hood]

A mini-building boom indeed. Now if we can sustain this pace for ten years we'll have a fundamentally different city here.

Downtown Lansing Inc shared some renderings of the 5-floor building to be built imminently and the taller building to come later in an 11-floor form:
https://www.facebook.com/10006447218...2071116618617/

EDIT:
I don't think this new Old Town apartment building has been mentioned here yet:



-Turner North (Proposed) $25 million https://maps.app.goo.gl/wwtC6Ds3Gvsdu6xQ8
This project calls for 76 residential units on a 1.2 acre site at the northwest corner of Turner & Dodge River Dr. The building will include income-based rents with mostly 1 and 2 bedroom, and a few 3 bedroom, units starting at around $1000/month. The developers, Develop Detroit and Creative Options, hope to acquire the city owned parcel by June 2025 then proceed with incentive packages and city approvals. Construction is expected to begin no earlier than August 2026.
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...s/83355280007/

[hood]

A brief construction update below, but first... Here's a couple of newly proposed small projects, one in East Lansing one on the Southside of Lansing, along with info & renderings for the above-mentioned Granger developments. (as always, this is copy pasted from another forum I post on, just fyi to explain formatting/context).

I'm hoping this development boom plays out like mid-2000's Grand Rapids, or Ann Arbor a little later, in that it's just the tip of the iceberg and this level of activity is the baseline of the next decade+. If anyone who's closely followed Ann Arbor or GR developments over the last 20 years reads this, I'd love to know your thoughts.




-601 Abbot Condos (Proposed) https://maps.app.goo.gl/NF9a2w5kiKxZzV1F8
A developer proposes razing the existing office building at 601 Abbot to build a 32 unit condo building with 3 residential floors over 18 ground floor parking spaces. All units are to be one-bedrooms with the building totaling just over 23k sq ft of space. (Info from EL Planning commission June 11th packet)




-2130 W Holmes Rd (Proposed) $9.6 Million https://maps.app.goo.gl/khvqeibqThVc5aECA
Introduced at the June 20th, 2025 Brownfield meeting, this project would be built on the northeast corner of Pleasant Grove & Holmes on the site of the former Pleasant Grove Elementary, where Malcolm X attended. The new building, developed by Forsberg, would be three floors with 5k sq ft of commercial space and 30 apartments (15 one-bedroom and 15 two-bedroom).




-122 S Grand Ave (Proposed) https://maps.app.goo.gl/aRghdSjurvfjx1AD9
This proposal calls for a 5-floor 76 unit mixed use building on the site of the now demolished Walter Neller Building. Proposed by Gary Granger, this project is expected to be completed by 2027. Granger is also proposing another building, 200 Michigan Ave, on the parking lot directly north of this site to begin construction at a later time.
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...g/83989530007/




-200 Michigan Ave (Proposed) https://maps.app.goo.gl/XbMQ3QQG1JJ722h1A
Proposed as a conceptual plan by Gary Granger at the same time as the more modest 122 S Grand mixed-use building, this project will occur at an unknown future time. The conceptual rendering shared at the time (above) shows a 5-floor base with a narrower 11-floor tower, at the announcement of the proposals (June 2025) Granger said the tower could be "15 floors or more."
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...g/83989530007/




--------------------------------------------

One last photo update before things get interesting and these projects start going above ground. Here's to 3+ years of having multiple major buildings going up downtown:

It looks as if they may be done with foundation drilling for Tower on Grand, the base for the tower crane has been installed and one section of the crane is lying on site



Footings are poured for the new City Hall, there's currently a hole where I assume the elevator tower will rise:



All the elevator/stairwell towers at Riverview 220 appear complete, no wall panels on site here yet. Grand Vista Place does have wall panels on site though, so I expect we'll see that start to rise this week or next:




The lone loader recently delivered to the site of The Ovation:




...A few other construction updates while I'm at it:
I also noticed a dumpster and some fencing over at the Prudden Building at Washington & Michigan a couple weeks ago so I think we can call that one officially underway as well. Not activity yet at the Capitol Tower site, although they still have until the end of the month before they're even behind their initially scheduled start (Q2 2025). Sparrow seems very unrushed to make progress on any of their proposed projects. No visible work at The Iris/900 block of W Saginaw despite getting state grant money, hopefully it actually happens. Nothing happening at the Wheel District yet and I haven't checked on the new Prudden Wheel Lofts (if anyone has lmk). I rarely drive by the the new Public Safety Complex, but last time I did it appeared topped out. Walter French has gotten some solar carports and looks as though exterior work on the back section is finally done, it has turned out great. Miller's Crossing has completed one row of the single family homes facing Aurelius and two duplexes on a side street, not moving as fast as I expected after seeing their start.

[hood]

An update of downtown Lansing construction:

Tower on Grand



Walter Neller Building demolition continuing


First new stuff installed at the Fish Ladder Music Park (These might be the instruments intended to be played by parkgoers)


There was a crew onsite at The Ovation for a day or two to clear the parking lot and level everything out nice, now another waiting game.


The first vertical progress on the new City Hall


Second floor work on Grand Vista Place


First walls going up at Riverview 220

[Velvet_Highground]

Thanks for the update Lansing may not be too many big waves but it’s plugging along with a steady drumbeat of development. Always nice to see, improving community standards as well as the quality of life.

Edit; anyone every watch the Channel 5 News on YouTube they have some really great content from time to time, I bring it up because Andrew sort of leans into the fact that people sometimes mistake his content for an actual local channel 5 news outlet. Using the Lansing skyline for his banner is a nice touch I think, the state capital points to something official while the kind of any-town USA skyline reaffirms the unwary that he is just some local affiliate.

Also apparently he likes to post up in the Upper Peninsula during the heat of summer, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of content out this year now that he got his camper back from impoundment by HBO.

[hood]

Yeah, Lansing is finally starting to come around. There's more downtown development now than at any time in my life and there's a lot to come. That's funny about that YouTube channel, I had to look him up.



Here's another copy-and-paste construction update post. Still small stuff with visible progress now: wood-framed apartments and out new (mildly embarrassing) city hall. Soon Capitol Tower & Ovation will start and Tower on Grand will be above ground, marking the real ramp-up in activity.

-------------------------

Some pictures from today...

Grand Vista Place:


City Hall
]

Riverview 220


Tower on Grand


Walter Neller site cleared with no signs of imminent new construction (surprising, I know)


Houses cleared for Capitol Tower



A small glimpse at what's going on at Fish Ladder Music Park


MSU's Plant and Environmental Science Building

[Velvet_Highground]

It’s going to be very interesting to see how downtown changes over the next few years. Things have been percolating for a long time now it’s nice to see the efforts pay off with some dramatic changes in motion.

[hood]

A few bits of good news in East Lansing...

https://eastlansinginfo.news/develop...ey-court-park/
- The developer of a potential ~100 unit 6-floor affordable housing building (that was supposed to be completed as part of The Abbot/Graduate Hotel project) is still pursuing the project and is "optimistic" about their chances in this round of low income housing tax credits.



https://eastlansinginfo.news/dda-ann...en-properties/
- Right across the street sits a property long-held by EL's DDA, they've finally sold the property after a RFP-like process. There's no details yet but the buyer is a large housing developer.



-Lastly, the longtime owner of The Student Bookstore at the NW corner of Grand River & Charles wants to redevelop is property into a 14 floor student apartment building, details and links below in my copy-and-paste entry from another site:




-The Howard (Proposed) https://maps.app.goo.gl/78KZbdEafsEqk9b47
The Ballein family, owners of The Student Bookstore, have proposed building a 14 floor 325 unit apartment building on the current site of the business. In order for the project to proceed as-proposed East Lansing needs to make changes to their requirements for low to middle income elements in downtown housing.
https://eastlansinginfo.news/a-longt...-its-policies/
https://517mag.com/developer-and-res...w-development/

[DetroitMan]

Gillespie Group begins major remake of 600 block of Michigan Avenue in Lansing

Local officials and staff from the Gillespie Group held a “wall-breaking” on Dec. 1 to kick off a major redevelopment in the Stadium District.

Lansing-based developer Pat Gillespie’s company is remaking six buildings, including the former home of the City Rescue Mission, just east of Jackson Field, the city’s minor league ballpark.

The $8 million project, dubbed Brick Row, is expected to modernize one of the last remaining areas of the Stadium District that hasn't been redeveloped.

Brick Row’s name, according to the Gillespie Group, "pays homage to its historic original brick structures and the stories they hold, blending historic architecture with fresh energy to create a vibrant hub in one of Lansing’s most active districts."

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...5007/?tbref=hp



Spartan Stadium to see major update as part of MSU's $1B athletics campaign

Plans for the football stadium, which opened in 1923, include a new East Tower with a variety of premium seating options and year-round functionality to "provide football fans the best in-game experience in college football," MSU said.

The idea for a new East Tower was floated a year ago, when the board of trustees approved another $15 million on top of previously approved $28 million for renovations and updates to Spartan Stadium that included new videoboards, updates to the west office tower, new seating and more. Stadium modernization is aimed at enhancing the fan experience with things such as new seating, concessions and concourses. It will also focus on improving safety and security and bringing Spartan Stadium on par with peer facilities, the university said in December 2024.

The updates are also focused on providing a modern venue for the university to host events, donors and dignitaries and generate revenue through sponsorships and other sources, MSU said.

At the Breslin, an exclusive club and courtside suites are planned, providing an elevated experience for fans attending basketball, volleyball and gymnastics events. New and renovated spaces in the historic Jenison Field House will support volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/sports...aign-athletics

[andre133]

https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2025/1...t-news-release

MSU received a record $401 million gift from Greg and Dawn Williams.

$290 million will be used in support of Spartan Athletics as part of the $1B FOR SPARTA: The Capital Initiative for MSU Athletics, which was announced on Tuesday.

In addition to gifts to the university, the Williamses are investing $100 million in an entity to be formed by the affiliated organization Spartan Ventures. The investment reflects a determination to see Spartan Athletics lead in an era of unprecedented change across college athletics. Spartan Ventures will serve as the revenue, innovation and development arm of MSU Athletics — creating new revenue streams, expanding strategic partnerships, enhancing student-athlete opportunities and driving long-term financial strength.

$11 million of the gift will be directed toward academic and extracurricular initiatives, including the MSU Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Risk Management and Financial Insurance Program in the Eli Broad College of Business, the Spartan Marching Band and Pep Bands, and the Sparty Mascot Program.

The capital initiative includes major upgrades at all the main athletics facilities on campus, including Jenison Fieldhouse, Munn Ice Arena, Breslin and Spartan Stadium.

https://forsparta.net/#featured-project

[Velvet_Highground]

Nice modern look for Spartan Stadium. MSU has a bit of an odd layout with the agricultural land to the south of the campus and downtown EL to the north. I may have done more walking when I was in Ann Arbor but I don’t think I ever felt so far away from my goal sometimes as I did when in EL.

Can’t hate my sister went through the Veterinary program so I appreciate the close connection to the agricultural space for students. However it aligns everything towards Grand River and downtown EL which makes it a madhouse. I kind of just got walking in A2 even if I wasn’t sure exactly where I was, in EL I sometimes felt daunted. Not a criticism really it’s a newer campus which has its upsides and the woods and farmland is cool next to the dorms (especially before weed was legal haha).

Either way nice to see the investment.