East Lansing will have 32 new residential units by the time students return to school in August.
Construction of the West Village development has been ongoing throughout this semester, and developers say they are on track to move in the first tenants by fall.
The West Village development is a mix of townhomes, flats and condominiums off West Grand River and Hillcrest avenues.
The properties will be for purchase only, not for leasing, with a price tag of $100,000 to $300,000. People can make a $1,000 down payment to have their name added to a reservation list.
The properties, which began construction in January, are slated to open in late August, West Village spokesperson Emily Soracco said.
"We're definitely on schedule," Soracco said, adding that she's received positive feedback from community members. "Everybody loves this project. They love that basically the anchor of East Lansing is going to be redeveloped."
A pre-existing apartment building is being renovated to house 32 flats by August — the first stage in the project. About 16 of the 32 flats have been sold, Soracco said.
As that building is renovated through May, all appliances from the previous apartments will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, she said.
"They're all in decent condition, so it's silly for us to just throw it out," she said.
Habitat representatives could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Pricing for the 15 townhomes and floor plans for the condominiums have yet to be finalized, but reservations for both types of units are being accepted, Soracco said.
The town homes should be ready sometime during the fall, and the condominiums will be finished by summer 2008, she said.
The development also includes up to 9,000 square feet of retail space on the buildings' first floors, but Abood Properties Inc. hasn't determined specific tenants yet, developer Jerome Abood said in an e-mail to The State News.
"We have several leads, as well as some restaurants that want it, but nothing that I can provide you (with) specifically," Abood said.
Last week, construction workers furthered the progress of the development by moving the former Board of Water and Light substation building from the development site to Valley Court Park.
Soracco said the building might be used as an entertainment site in conjunction with the West Village, since the development is right next to the nearby park.
"It's great for entertainment to round out the project," she said.
