City Center II redevelopment moves forward to city council

After months of consideration, the East Lansing Planning Commission voted 7-2 Wednesday to forward a site plan proposal for the City Center II project to the East Lansing City Council.

The commission did not approve a proposal to decrease the size of the project’s largest building — a 10-story landscape on the corner of Grand River and Albert avenues.

Despite the project’s goal of attracting a new mix of residents to the area — young professionals and retiring baby boomers — the planning commission wasn’t willing to recommend two-year lease minimums for the proposed condominiums and apartments.

While the developer says the apartments are higher-end, students could rent them if one-year leases are allowed, commission member Richard Hill-Rowley said.

“(The apartments) are likely to return to the normal market for East Lansing which is student rentals,” Hill-Rowley said. “I’m sure (the developer) is hopeful these buildings will become condos and they will attract the demographics they want.”

But with the state’s lagging economy, immediately attracting older residents to the area could be difficult, said Kevin McGraw, principal director of development for Strathmore Development Co., the project’s developer.

“We have to make citizens happy, we have to make the city happy and we have to make the banks happy,” McGraw said. “We don’t want this to turn into a dormitory.”

Rejecting a commission member’s request to limit leases to two years, didn’t make citizens like Ann Nichols happy.

Nichols, who lives at 526 Forest St., has been critical of the plan, said the commission’s rejection of the two year lease mandate shows how difficult it attracting new residents to the area could be.

“They really want to believe there will be a mix of people,” Nichols said. “But the reality is we know who rents in this area and who signs one-year leases.”

Rental housing along the 300 block of Evergreen Avenue must be destroyed in order to create a parking garage.

Commission member Rebecca Devooght said restricting leases would stifle growth.

“What happens if I’m a young professional renting and I want to buy a house?” Devooght said.

Since the project first came into the public spotlight in January, several changes have been made to the project because of public concern and the university’s decision not to include the MSU Museum in the project.

Changes include fewer apartments and parking spots and the addition of a traffic diverter at Evergreen and Oakhill avenues.

The diverter would help reduce the development’s impact on surrounding neighborhoods, said Tim Schmitt, an East Lansing community development analyst.

“It essentially forces traffic from going into the neighborhoods,” Schmitt said. “We’re also setting aside $100,000 if future changes are needed.”

Bert Seyfarth, a self-employed architect, presented an alternate site plan to the planning commission. The planning commission did not act on that plan.

Compared with the city’s plan, Seyfarth’s places the parking garage proposed for the area on top of The Peoples Church’s surface lot. Albert Avenue is reduced in length, connecting directly to the parking garage, which creates more green space.

“I think this is a fabulous opportunity the city has to create an urban space to connect Valley Court Park with the downtown,” Seyfarth said.

“The open space would bring a campus-like atmosphere to the area.”

Published on Wednesday, April 9, 2008