Lansing-East Lansing, MI Development

[Velvet_Highground]

Yup. If I were a true optimist I would say it’s an opening to build out a new wing of the Lansing skyline towards the Grand River. I’m not a pessimist though but I thought Grand Rapids when I saw the placement and with GR’s sold growth they still haven’t rationalized their skyline.

I’m glad to see a major project in the works (hopefully) with the goal of getting state workers to live downtown. I really want to say that this could jumpstart a new phase in development in downtown Lansing, I want to see it happen. I’m not overly familiar with the in’s and outs of the state of play in the city but there’s definitely potential to be unlocked.

Not trying to be down on the city it’s made great strides over the past couple decades & I don’t doubt we’ll keep seeing more good news, of that I have no question. I just really what city leaders and developers to understand just how important it is to get a project like this the first new skyscraper in decades right.

Smh this is probably going to scare Ann Arbor into downsizing its next few tall proposals. You let developers build one tall awkward building in the 70’s and it ruins it for every skyscraper enthusiast who wants to see a tall balanced skyline built in Michigan, lol.

[subterranean]

I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but I lived in Lansing and worked for the state for about a decade. Very familiar with this town. Lansing is fairly livable overall, but its biggest issues in my mind are as follows:

• Most state workers want nothing to do with living in Lansing. Nearly everyone I know who still lives there are in either Grand Ledge, Portland, DeWitt, East Lansing, Okemos, or Williamston. Like with other urban areas, the primary issue is the schools. Of the people I knew who do/did live in the city itself, they were either young professionals without kids, empty nesters, or Catholics who sent their kids to private schools (Catholic Central). East Lansing and Okemos are both near the top in term of rankings. Larry Page graduated from ELHS.
  
• Lansing is too quick to tear down its history in the name of "progress". I still cannot even believe some of the demolitions that have occurred in that town. They tore down the Michigan Theater, leaving the city with no downtown venues for movies or live music. They tore down two whole blocks of historic commercial buildings along Michigan Avenue as recently as the last 5-7 years. The first was for the Stadium District, the second was for apartments on Michigan Avenue where Emil's used to be across from Green Door. They tore down the historic Lansing City Market. All of these except the theater were torn down for shoddy apartment complexes by Pat Gillespie. It's criminal.
  
• They do not attract nationally touring music acts of any small to medium size since the only real venue they have is Wharton Center on the MSU campus. I was constantly driving to Grand Rapids or Detroit for live music. It is a major quality of life issue and actually shocking given that they have a campus of 45,000 college students.

[DetroitMan]

What to know about Lansing's newest city hall proposal

A new city hall project has been announced but Mayor Andy Schor says there are few details, because it's early in the planning process, which he hopes to keep public for transparency.

With that in mind, here's what we do and don't know about the project.

What do we know about the proposed city hall?
Schor is planning a new city hall, with about 75,000 square feet of space including a first-floor service center where residents could pay taxes, bills, and fines and take care of other city business. The Capital Area Transportation Authority would consider adding onto the new city hall for its own new headquarters.


What don't we know?
There's no firm timeline yet and the city doesn't know which offices will go where or many of the key internal design points. There is no rendering or formal design work. The floorplan, which had been designed based on Schor's previous plans to transform the Masonic Temple into a new city hall, will need to be adjusted.

The current plans will build off the Masonic plans and a 2019 study by Ghafari Associates. That study looked at the parking lot site and determined it was viable for a city hall, Schor said.

Where will the new city hall be built?
It would be built at a surface parking lot called City Lot 1, 425 S. Grand Avenue, at the intersection of Grand Avenue and East Lenawee Street.

What's the deal with the parking lot?
Prior to the pandemic, the 115-car lot was frequently used by state workers and brought the city around $150,000 a year in revenue from parking, said Scott Bean, a spokesperson for the city. In the most recent year, it drew around $6,000 in revenue, which likely isn't enough to cover costs like plowing or maintenance, he said.

A new city hall would convert a portion of the city's surface lots to a better use, Schor said. The city has a reputation for having way too much surface parking, the mayor said, which he blamed largely on state complexes.

Who will develop the project?
The bid for a new city hall was awarded to the Boji Group back in 2021. That older bid for a city hall had been tweaked to accommodate the Masonic project, and some council members objected to the process. The other bidder in 2021, Granger Group, also sought a new bid process this year. The Boji Group declined to comment, through a spokesperson, for this story.

Following the mayor's announcement of the new city hall plans, Jason Granger said in a statement that "Granger is supportive of this decision."

"Mayor Schor has chosen the right direction for the City of Lansing and has made a common sense decision that is in the city's best interest," the statement said.

Can the city use the state money?
The new plan would likely be able to use $40 million in state money, which came with few conditions: There is a "tentative" deadline of Sept. 30, 2027, regarding effort made to work on a campus with other state or local organizations and there is language about "historic preservation considerations or evaluation of alternative options."

The new project would help bolster the city's historic Cherry Hill neighborhood right next door, said council member Ryan Kost.

What about local tax dollars?
The plan could be cheaper than the Masonic redo, which had anticipated a $2 million sale of the existing city hall to supplement the state appropriation and additional brownfield money to fix up the top floors for other tenants. Schor said the new city hall plan would aim at using only the state appropriation.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...w/73619121007/

[deja vu]

Just some spring-time aerial views of East Lansing & the MSU campus -
















Source: LinkedIn | Michigan State University

[deja vu]

East Lansing -

The final beam was set last week for MSU's new Student Recreation and Wellness Center -


Source: LinkedIn | Granger Construction

[hood]

There's a few projects over the past year or so that I don't think got posted here, along with some new renderings/info on some upcoming MSU projects. The formatting is because I just copied these from a post I maintain on another local forum cataloging Lansing area developments (link in signature):


-Park Michigan (Proposed)
This long awaited project calls for replacing the State of Michigan employee parking lots between Ottawa and Allegan east of the Hall of justice with an expansive park space that will tie into the existing memorials there.
https://www.wlns.com/news/new-park-p...higan-capitol/
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...g/71620184007/



- The Iris (Proposed) https://maps.app.goo.gl/DKi5CuxygtnTXast6
This project will renovate the storefronts on the north side of the 900 block of West Saginaw into 11 apartments with 11k sq ft of commercial space that will include a career training center with other community services.
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...y/71419515007/
https://www.lansingcitypulse.com/sto...-lansing,23053



- Genesee Street School Apartments (Proposed) $18.5 million https://maps.app.goo.gl/hP5kLRoycBQHZ2Aq6
After several failed attempts to rehab the school in recent years have failed, this proposal calls for turning the old school building into 22 apartments along with building a new three floor wing to the south to house an additional 32 apartments. The project would total about $18.5 million, the apartments would be subsidized and only for elderly or disabled individuals. Construction is tentatively slated for May 2025 with completion June 2026 pending a Low Income Housing Tax Credit application



-Prudden Wheel Lofts (Proposed) $8-$10 million https://maps.app.goo.gl/iW7xtiQ53UV5YFmA9
A proposal by Harry Hepler for 134 units in the building directly north of/attached to MW Lofts, part of the newly minted "Wheel District" where a large new-build apartment project is also proposed by Hepler
https://www.lansingcitypulse.com/sto...district,82525



- Fish Ladder Music Park (Proposed) $2.3 million https://maps.app.goo.gl/1DcuR45HUVuhCy926
Another project by the Capitol Region Community Foundation, the organization behind Rotary Park and the Play Michigan playground at Adado Park, this $2.3 million transformation of Burchard Park its Brenke Fish Ladder received $1.7 million in State appropriations and is fundraising to complete the project. The fish ladder will be transformed into an amphitheater with permanent sound and lighting, the bowl section of the fish ladder becoming seating. Other additions around the park will include improved seating, an outdoor fireplace, "electric forest" lighting, space for temporary stage and a food truck area, along with general landscaping improvements.
Official Site: https://ourcommunity.org/leadership-...der-music-park




-Plant and environmental science building (Proposed - funded) $195 million https://goo.gl/maps/BQcHidDJp1PrAAJfA
A new $195 million ~150k sq ft building at the northeast corner of Wilson & Farm.
https://ipf.msu.edu/construction/cur...ience-building



-Engineering and Digital Innovation Center (Proposed - funded) $318 million https://goo.gl/maps/cLcZ1JAqUUwFDmyq9
A $318million ~270k sq ft building proposed for the southwest corner of Shaw & Red Cedar streets. The project may also include a new parking ramp.
https://ipf.msu.edu/construction/cur...ovation-center



-Health education building (Proposed - funded)
A large new building in the south academic district, specific location TBD.
https://ipf.msu.edu/construction/cur...ation-building

[deja vu]

Thanks for taking the time to share these updates on here.

[hood]

No problem, I appreciate all the updates in other cities that I browse from time to time. I'm quite happy if anyone interested scrolls through the Lansing section.

A few pictures today:

A section of newly paved Michigan Ave:



The fountains in Michigan Ave median are finally working! In fact all the water features throughout the Red Cedar development and Ranney Park are up and running, with that the drain project finally feels complete



Neogen's exterior seems largely complete:





Multicultural Center progress:




The new Student Wellness Building is hard to photograph in its entirety with so many trees around, it's quite a sprawling building:

[DetroitMan]

MSU plans new 4,000-seat sports arena, hotel on East Lansing campus

Michigan State University is looking to add a mixed-use project with a hotel and 4,000-seat arena for hosting regional Big Ten athletics events on its East Lansing campus.

The MSU board of trustees on Friday unanimously approved planning for the public-private development as well as construction of a $200 million Plant and Environmental Sciences building. Both projects are aimed at making the East Lansing-based university more competitive, both in the Olympic sports of volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics offered by its Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and in the attraction and retention of top researchers, MSU said.

As envisioned, the mixed-use project slated for 14 acres on the west side of MSU’s East Lansing campus will include a new hotel, retail space and a 4,000-seat athletics arena. It’s also expected to include locker rooms, coaches office space and classrooms for various academic units. The remainder of the project site would be financed, constructed, owned and operated by a developer to enhance the arena, MSU said. That could include buildings to support academic programs, a hotel to augment the 73-year-old Kellogg Center, mixed-use retail/office/housing, market-rate housing and parking to serve the site.

Officials did not disclose a budget or timeline for the proposed project.

https://www.crainsdetroit.com/econom...rena-and-hotel

[hood]

They also approved a ground lease for 5 acres just down Harrison in that area to the MSU Foundation to build a new HQ with additional leased space. This is part of the old Spartan Village which is set to be redeveloped into a mixed use public/private district:
https://trustees.msu.edu/meetings/do...Foundation.pdf

A link to the resolutions approving construction on the new Plant & Environmental Science Building and the resolution to plan for the new arena & associated developments:
https://trustees.msu.edu/meetings/do...ng%20Study.pdf
https://trustees.msu.edu/meetings/do...0Building3.pdf

[hood]

Lansing's proposed performing arts center, The Ovation, got a new design courtesy of Albert Kahn Architects. While it's still not the full-scale performing arts center city officials had hoped for, the new design is vastly better than the old one and looks to be a venue that would still have a place even if the city manages to cobble together funds in the future for a larger venue. Construction is expected to start in Spring 2025.

https://www.lansingcitypulse.com/sto...ovation,110395
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...s/75267931007/
https://ovationlansing.com/

[subterranean]

This type of thing is desperately needed in the downtown area. Lansing is severely deficient in venues for performing arts.

[hood]

Yeah it is. Grewal Hall is a new 900 person capacity club style venue that focuses on live performances, between that and Ovation we'll be back on the right track, there will also be a small amphitheater with permanent sound/lighting at Old Town's Brenke Fish Ladder opening in the next couple years. The city has also made a few moves over the years towards a large(ish) permanent outdoor performance venue in Adado Park, like a smaller version of what's being done in Grand Rapids, but so far no traction.


Hopefully the new venues will prove successful and can help Lansing can get that Adado venue off the ground in the medium term, then maybe aim for a larger performing arts center down the road a ways.

[CDENT]

@hood - if it's not too much trouble, can you drive through campus and take some photos of the completed exterior of the Multicultural building? I believe all of the exterior panels and decor are completed based on what I see on the Oxblue cam. You only see the east side of it in the webcam, though. Thank you!

https://app.oxblue.com/?openlink=cla...culturalcenter

[hood]

Yeah, for sure. I usually grab these pictures on bike rides, at minimum I was going to do one last photo update of the year within the next week or two, I was trying to wait for fencing to come down at Multicultural Center but that may be awhile yet.

[hood]

I just wanted to share what appears to be the final iteration of the New Vision projects. Tower on Grand has become a glass tower, Capitol Tower lost a floor of office but expanded its footprint and the Prudden Building is unchanged. There are two new projects added to the deal: A new 6 floor apartment building in Old Town and renovating the Ingham Building on Ottawa St into apartments. I'll likely get out for a few photos of the ongoing/recently completed construction projects within the next week. (I copied this from my thread on another site to make my life easier, hence the formatting)




-Tower on the Grand (Proposed) $187 million https://goo.gl/maps/8GDTkWhhWUud1z4u9
The Tower on Grand will be a 26 floor, 330k sq ft building with 287 apartments along with commercial space and parking. The project will include a 300 space parking ramp behind the atrium building on Washington Sq with a deck over Grand Ave connection to the new tower, the rooftop of this deck will include amenities for the apartments. There will also be improvements to the River Trail including a new pedestrian bridge across the river to the Museum District. Construction start is anticipated in Q1 2025 with completion in Q3 2027.
https://www.fox47news.com/neighborho...wntown-lansing
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...e/70543000007/



-Capitol Tower (Proposed) $53 million https://goo.gl/maps/yWFGw6ekRBVUTSCE7
This new six floor building at the northwest corner of Walnut & Ottawa will house 80 apartments on the lower floors and 24k sq ft of office space on the top floor. Construction start is anticipated in Q2 2025 with completion in Q1 2027.
(see Tower on Grand for links to media)




-Prudden Building apartments and parking garage (Proposed) $37 million https://goo.gl/maps/4UpWM3oMJ9ktrPC19
This office building at the southwest corner of Michigan & Washington would be renovated into 60 apartments and restore its ground floor retail, the two floor building at 108 S Washington Sq would be demolished for a new 3-4 floor 100 space parking garage with 5k sq ft ground floor retail. Construction start is anticipated in Q2 2025 with completion in Q2 2026.
(see Tower on Grand for links to media)



-Old Town Apartments(Proposed) $28 million https://maps.app.goo.gl/emaN6UfAnqKz1hRN7
This proposal would bring a new 6 floor building to the empty parking lot next to 1223 Turner St in Old Town. The project will house 80 apartments, retail space and two floors of parking. Construction start is anticipated in Q1 2026 with completion in Q4 2027.
(see Tower on Grand for links to media)



-Ingham Building Apartments(Proposed) $6.5 million https://maps.app.goo.gl/7XfgAJRTwAZAPY5u8
The existing Ingham Building on Ottawa St will be converted into 25 apartments with a small ground floor retail space. Construction start is anticipated in Q1 2027 with completion in Q4 2027.
(see Tower on Grand for links to media)

[ColDayMan]

Is there an official height for the Tower on the Grand?

[hood]

Originally Posted by ColDayMan

Is there an official height for the Tower on the Grand?

No, in the brownfield documents they've referred to it as both the "tallest" and "one of the tallest" buildings in Lansing.