On Tuesday, the group’s nine-member exploratory committee, which consists of residents from Lansing, East Lansing and Lansing Township, will hold its first meeting.

The committee is expected to take six months to a year to brainstorm ideas and craft a development plan, said Brian Anderson, a member of Lansing’s Economic Development Corp.

Once traffic, beautification and the area’s business climate are studied, the committee will craft specific development plans and make an estimate on the amount of money necessary for carrying out the plan, Anderson said.

“We want to make sure Lansing and Lansing Township’s residents understand the concerns of East Lansing’s residents, and vice versa,” Anderson said.

Renovations are possible because the state Legislature passed a law in 2005 that provides tax incentives for developments spanning more than one community, Anderson said.

Because the committee is regional, Anderson said he expects a broad spectrum of ideas, including suggestions for businesses the committee would like to pursue and ways to beautify the street, Anderson said.

“Higher speeds tend to discourage (people from walking) and slower traffic tends to encourage it,” he said. “Traffic makes a lot of things different, not just walking but whether people want to sit outside at cafes.”

When human biology junior Amanda Reisedge travels down Michigan Avenue to volunteer at Sparrow Hospital, she sees stores that don’t appeal to her and little foot traffic.

“Everything’s closed,” Reisedge said. “I don’t ever see any open shops or people going into them.”

Creating a more attractive streetscape with more shopping and restaurants would help make the area appealing to students, she said.

Despite the difficult business climate, some businesses have kept their doors open.

Since it opened in 2003, Gone Wired Cafe, 2021 E. Michigan Ave., has attracted a mix of students and Lansing residents, said Colleen Davis, the Internet cafe’s owner.

But given the number of business closings on the avenue, renovation is a must, she said.

“I think the corridor project is necessary and vital to energize this avenue that has dilapidated buildings all over it,” Davis said.

Tim Dempsey, East Lansing’s economic development administrator, will serve as the city’s liaison to the committee.

Planning from the standpoint of the three cities will help to create an area different from East Lansing and downtown Lansing, he said.

“The goal is to really make it look and feel like a vibrant urban corridor,” Dempsey said. “This is a substantial effort to work on a regional issue.”