Lansing-East Lansing, MI Development

[DetroitMan]

Developer proposes 13-story student housing development in East Lansing

A Minnesota developer wants to build a 13-story mixed-use development in downtown East Lansing that would mean more than 200 new apartments primarily for Michigan States University students.

There are drawbacks for the approximately $90 million project that would sit at 530 Albert Ave., right behind the well-known Peanut Barrel. Rents are expected to tip over $4,000 a month for a three-bedroom apartment and the building would replace one of the city's last large surface parking lots.

Cody Dietrich of Tareen Development Partners in Roseville, Minnesota, has been working with neighbors, businesses owners, city officials and other stakeholders to build the project that would include 236 one-, two- and three-bedroom units with amenities geared toward MSU students and young professionals.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/stor...lopment-minnesota-developer/88491345007/

[hood]

I kicked myself to get out in the nice weather and took a few pictures of some of the construction along Grand Ave, but first here are a few pictures of the new Fish Ladder Music Park:


Looking south into the park


The permanently installed "instruments" for the public to play


One of the newly installed swinging benches



A couple pictures of the newly created seating area that has turned the Fish Ladder into an amphitheater



Onto pictures of Tower on Grand...

Looking south from Rotary Park, this is a view I hope to recapture as the project progresses


Looking southwest from the Rivertrail near Riverwalk Theater


Looking northeast from Grand & Washtenaw



...And pictures of the trio of projects in the 400-500 block of S Grand starting with Grand Vista Place:




The new City Hall

Looking northeast from Lenawee & Grand


Looking southeast from Kalamzoo & Grand


And finally a couple pictures of Riverview 220:

A view of the Grand Ave facade


Looking southeast with Riverview 220 in the foreground, then City Hall and Grand Vista Place behind it.

[CDENT]

I love when you go around and take pics like this.

When you get to MSU next, could you take pics of the new Recreational/Wellness center and the Plant/Enviro building that are being erected? I think the new IM center is about done and will open in May.

[subterranean]

Thanks for the photos.

[hood]

I usually take these pictures on bike rides (coming from downtown Lansing), so once we get some consistent 60 degree+ days I will certainly be out to MSU taking pictures of all the construction activity on campus. Maybe I'll get adventurous during one of these earlier warm spells. I'm happy that anyone finds my photo tours useful and/or interesting.

[hood]

There's a couple new projects in the area that haven't been shared over here yet...



-Brick Row (Under Construction) $8.2 Million https://maps.app.goo.gl/yvQZ5bD9s9Ab2wnC8
Gillespie Group proposes renovating the storefronts at 603-607 E Michigan, including the entirety of the former Rescue Mission property, into 15 residential units and ground floor commercial space.
https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/stor...um-district-michigan-avenue/84431190007/
https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/40e8af27-2462-465f-8368-49e6abec7e97?cache=1800



-Capitol Walk Apartments (Proposed) $38.8 Million https://maps.app.goo.gl/SHeDwPnY3mSb56J99
From Brownfield documents made public in January 2026... Capitol Walk Apartments are proposed as a five floor building containing 124 "workforce" apartments across the four upper floors with ground floor parking and resident amenities, there is also a rooftop deck proposed. Unit distribution will be 44 studios, 64 1-bedrooms, 16 2-bedrooms. Construction is anticipated to begin in October 2026 and be complete by October 2028.

https://www.wilx.com/2026/02/19/lansing-moves-closer-new-downtown-workforce-housing-development/






- Churchill Gardens (Proposed) https://maps.app.goo.gl/mXHZzPYQ4uVx1rmi9
Churchill Gardens is a proposed Planned Unit Development (PUD) on Holmes Rd on the property of the Pentecostal Church of God in Christ. The development itself will occupy about 12 acres of the 20 acre site and will include 78 residential units, a community building and an urban farm. The residential will be split amongst single family, townhouses and apartments. The plan was introduced at the April 7th Planning Meeting, no timeline is known at that time.
https://lansingmi.portal.civicclerk.com/event/8224/files/agenda/14909




-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).





-MSU Pavilion expansion (Proposed) https://maps.app.goo.gl/jfGMirMY2czQ1mzb9
***The MSU BoT will vote to authorize planning for a new arena sponsored by Farm Bureau at the Pavilion during their December 2025 meeting. Old information follows... (A proposed 40k sq ft expansion on the east side of the MSU Pavilion would allow for a second indoor arena. There is currently a fundraising effort with a goal of $4 million.)
https://www.canr.msu.edu/pavilion/pavilion-project
https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/michiganst...12-12/bf2-plan--farm-bureau-pavilion.pdf



-School of Packaging addition (Proposed) https://maps.app.goo.gl/cPruFPdDUD62BLCB9
MSU received a $47 million donation from Charles & Jacqueline Frasier that will contribute to an expansion of their existing facility. The new two floor addition will sit just south of the existing building and will utilize mass timber construction.
https://www.wilx.com/2026/04/07/msu-scho...illion-gift-launch-next-phase-expansion/
https://www.canr.msu.edu/packaging/alumni-giving/school-of-packaging-building-renovation-phase-II

[DetroitMan]

A couple of updates on Lansing developments. MSU is reviewing three bids to develop a "Stadium District" on their campus. Personally, I like the Hines proposal. Also, the Lansing Housing Commission and Gillespie are rehabbing a building at 405 S. Grand.



MSU stadium district could include hotels, bars, dining. See the plans

When the MSU board moved forward with the initially proposed project, in April 2025, the Gillespie Group got the bid. In the latest proposal, the group partnered with Marquee Development, the real estate arm of the Ricketts family — majority owners of the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Stars, a women's professional soccer team. Marquee Development has experience working on mixed-use sports-related developments, including projects in Illinois for developments near Wrigley Field in Chicago, and an ongoing project in partnership with the owners of the Kansas City Current, a women's professional soccer team, developing an area around a new women's sports stadium.

The plan for the group is to develop multiple sites near Spartan Stadium, including creating a Munn Field Social Club that would have a green space that transforms into an ice skating rink in the winter.



The Gillespie Group proposed 750 units of student housing, 160 hotel rooms, 48 units of alumni housing, and 10 to 12 spaces for retail and dining. Additionally, there would be 40,000 square feet of office space.



As proposed, the hotel "is envisioned as an iconic, upper-upscale anchor; one that brings elevated hospitality, design-forward energy, and destination-level appeal to the district," according to documents obtained by the State Journal through a public records request to MSU. In addition to the available units, the goal for the hotel would be to include a signature restaurant and small bar on the ground floor, as well as a rooftop bar.



Hines proposes 3 villages around Spartan Stadium, Breslin and Munn


In its three-phase development plan – plus a "future phase" inclusion – Hines' proposal to MSU includes separating three distinct villages around each of Spartan Stadium, Breslin Center and Munn Ice Arena, including the creation of "Spartan Arena," which would serve as a home for MSU fans with media walls, outdoor dining and tiered seating. The proposal also includes a sports medicine complex, which would be used to combine academic, athletic and healthcare uses under a single roof, according to university documents.

The proposal would also bring 500 beds of student housing and 190 hotel rooms, along with the 45,000-square-foot "Spartan Arena," which would be positioned between just southwest of Spartan Stadium.


In the second phase, the group would work on making the MSU Innovation and Conference Hub, a 160,000-square-foot building making space of offices, labs and conference rooms, another 500 beds of student housing and the creation of the MSU Sports Medicine Complex. The project's third phase would bring 175 units of multifamily housing, the creation of the MSU Athletics and alumni center, another academic building and renovations to Demonstration Hall.


Down the road, there are potential plans to bring 175 units of multi-family housing, a 150,000-square-foot built-to-suit office and another location with 100 units of multi-family housing.


Sterling Group pitches hotel, alumni apartments

As proposed, the Sterling Group's design would feature a 5-story, 160-room hotel that would feature a fitness center, coffee bar, a third-party restaurant and a two-meal restaurant. There would be 1,500-square-foot apartments available for alumni on the hotel's top floor – 33 in all – as well, with balconies overlooking green spaces.

The initial proposal includes a plan that would bring five buildings west of Spartan Stadium.


The group is also anticipating the creation of a large-scale, multilevel sports bar situated beside Spartan Stadium, with a rooftop component overlooking proposed green spaces and a large pedestrian walkway proposed to be added around the stadium.


Sterling's proposal included a plan to move the hospitality business program, which currently operates out of the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center and at the Eli Broad business school, to an 80,000-square-foot space in a building off Chestnut Road. The proposal recommends the move so students can see the benefits from the project first-hand.



Two buildings proposed to be built on the Northeast corner of West Shaw Lane and Chestnut Road would include estimated 350 units of upper-class student housing. Additionally, Sterling Group recommends a 185,000-square foot parking deck being built on the north end of the project space, creating around 450 spaces. To make the garage "as unobtrusive as possible," they recommended wrapping the building with an alumni center or welcome center, maximizing the space and keeping it conveniently located to center campus.

​https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/stor...g-housing/89490066007/?tbref=hp​​​



Housing commission, Gillespie Group to rehab downtown Lansing building

​

The building has the potential to house up to four different users, Gillespie said.



"We're marketing it to three but it could be one, if one person came in and wanted the whole thing or four different people came in and said, 'We each want 1,400 square feet we can make that work," he said.



Fleming favors businesses that will offer goods and services new residents and downtown workers will value.



"A coffee shop, some kind of lunch spot for all the new residents around here or a service center of some sort," he said.



The building itself is in good condition but needs some refreshing, Gillespie said. "All the new stuff around it is going to make it look even older," he said.

​https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/stor...ommercial-property/89623597007/?tbref=hp

[DetroitMan]

Developer pulls proposal for $90M, 13-story East Lansing development

An April 21 City Council vote on an approximately $90 million, 13-story mixed-use development in downtown will not happen, because a Minnesota developer wants to resubmit designs, East Lansing officials confirmed.

City Council was scheduled to vote on a special use request that would have allowed Cody Dietrich of Minnesota-based Tareen Development Partners to build more than eight stories.

Dietrich postponed the vote "to a future date (indefinite but likely in the next few months) for a redesign of the project," city planner Landon Bartley said in an email.

Bartley said Dietrich has not shared anything about his future designs with him and his staff. They’re scheduled to talk in the next few weeks.

Any new proposal will mean similar review by the planning commission, downtown development authority and council, the planner said.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/stor...ry-east-lansing-development/89715913007/

[DetroitMan]

It would be called the Howard and would be a mass timber building.

12-story high-rise pitched for Student Book Store site in East Lansing

If the proposal gets approval from the city, The Howard would be the third East Lansing development the Ballein family would partner with Harbor Bay Ventures on.

They were responsible for building Landmark above the Target store on Grand River Avenue, and Newman Lofts senior housing at 200 Albert Ave., just north of Landmark and above the Foster Coffee Company. Ballein said the family had good experiences partnering with Harbor Bay Ventures, and wanted to make a truly special development in honor of his dad.

"What's more important is ... you need to be responsible and build for future generations," he said. "I want my grandkids to be proud of what we've built."
Ballein said Harbor Bay Ventures worked on a project in Cleveland, Ohio, a development using mass timber, an engineered wood that is made by fastening smaller pieces of wood together to serve as columns and beams in construction.

The timber would replace steel beams, and, according to the submitted slide deck for the May 13 planning commission meeting, is faster to build with than steel.

Additionally, it's more fire-resistant.

If approved as proposed, The Howard would be a 12-story, 296-unit apartment complex. The goal is for construction to be complete by 2028.

The ground floor level would be preserved as a commercial space.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/stor...ansing-development-proposal/89994233007/

[deja vu]

Here's another article about the proposed Spartan Stadium revamp. It would be very cool if this happens -

Michigan State refining $500M Spartan Stadium renovations, will play through construction
Matt Wenzel | MLive
May 8, 2026

[andre133]

Leinweber Center for Engineering and Digital Innovation - Under Construction at MSU. The $340 Million 265,000 sqft facility will Serve as a convergence point for education, research and career readiness, including materials science, data science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductor research, space electronics, ultrafast science, entrepreneurship and esports.






Student Recreation and Wellness Center Complete at MSU. Opened in April 2026. $200 million and 280,784 sqft. This new facility replaces the aging IM West facility which is approved for demolition in 2027.

https://statenews.com/article/2026/04/ne...ct-inside?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_latest

6 basketball courts
6 volleyball courts
Complete weight/fitness room
All purpose turf arena
Indoor pool
Judo room
Full locker rooms
Rock Climbing
Bouldering
Sports Simulators

[hood]

I finally got out and took a few photos on Sunday... Here's a link to an album with a few more pictures: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCV53Y

Starting out with Ovation, not much to see but it's great to see real work beginning


And a mix of Riverview 220, Grand Vista Place, and new City Hall pics:

Front of Grand Vista Place (GVP), looking northeast From Grand & Hillsdale


Front of GVP, looking east/southeast from Grand Ave


Rear of GVP, looking southwest from Lenawee & Cherry


City Hall, looking northeast from Grand & Lenawee


City Hall, looking east/southeast from Grand


City Hall, looking north/northeast from Lenawee


Front of Riverview 220, looking northeast from Grand


Side view of Riverview 220, looking southeast from Kalamazoo & Grand


Rear view of Riverview 220, looking from Cherry & Kalamazoo



Onto some pictures of Tower on Grand:


Tower on Grand, views looking northeast from Washtenaw & Grand


Tower on Grand, looking northwest from the Kalamazoo St bridge



And out to MSU for a picture of the groundwork at the new engineering building and some near-completed pics of the Student Wellness Center (more pics at album link)...

Engineering and Digital Innovation Center, Looking south from Shaw



Views of Student Wellness Center's (SMC) main entrance, looking southwest


View of SMC's eastern facade along Birch, looking southwest


View of SMC's western facade where work is ongoing, the pool at the south end of the building is also still under construction, looking southeast along Harrison

[CDENT]

Thanks for sharing, hood. I've been waiting for your tour-de-campus photos.

[hood]

No problem, glad they're useful to someone. I realized when I got home I forgot to take pictures of the new Plant and Environmental Science building so I'll have to grab some pics of that soon. One of these times I'm going to slow down a little and just take some general pictures around MSU to share as well, same with areas of Lansing over the summer.

[subterranean]

Agreed, thanks for the update. Good to see so much going on in the Lansing region.