City Council sets date for development district hearing

East Lansing City Council members took a first step in bringing industrial growth to the city by setting a Jan. 20 hearing date for the creation of an Industrial Development District at Tuesday’s council meeting.

The district would designate facilities at unspecified locations for future tax incentives in an effort to lure industries to the city.

“We designated an area that, in hopes for future companies and industries, will provide tax abatements,” said Tim Dempsey, community and economic development administrator for East Lansing.

Council members decided on the development measure hours after MSU and IBM announced a partnership for a computer programming center, which is expected to bring some industry of its own to East Lansing and create hundreds of jobs in the state during the next year.

“Looking at the recent news, it’s good for the short term,” Mayor Vic Loomis said. “It will create jobs, strengthen the market and be very positive.”

During their discussion of the district, council members stressed the importance of fostering a high-tech, knowledge-based economy in East Lansing.

The council also was set to discuss the proposed Delta Township rezoning project, which could lead to the building of more multiple-student and multiple-family homes.

The project involves 3.8 acres of land along Louis Street, Michigan Avenue, Delta Street and Elm Place that is occupied by several sorority and fraternity-type buildings.

The buildings are aging, and a developer is considering building more multiple-family and multiple-student homes, said Darcy Schmitt, East Lansing’s planning and zoning administrator.

“Currently, the master plan is to redevelop homes that are older,” Schmitt said. “They might require them to keep multiple-family and multiple-student homes.”

The council also scheduled a public hearing on Feb. 3 for an ordinance that would make it easier for house owners to rent while their property is for sale.

Property owners currently face a “rigorous” process to rent, said Howard Asch, director of code enforcement and neighborhood conservation for East Lansing.

“There is real softness in the housing market,” Loomis said. “It’s not quite as soft in East Lansing as in other places, but there are a number of houses that aren’t selling but could sell if people could purchase or rent homes.”

Published on Wednesday, January 14, 2009