Council rezones corner lot into retail district

A vacant corner of the Abbot and Lake Lansing roads likely will have a very different look in the future after it was rezoned to a retail business district Tuesday.

After several weeks of discussion, the East Lansing City Council approved the rezoning of the 2.1 acre plot of land to entice investors to pursue future development.

The other three corners of the intersection already are filled by offices and retail, but property owners said the traffic on Abbot Road makes the vacant site an ideal location for more retail.

“The best and highest use for that corner is retail … and competition is healthy,” said Valerie Stewart, associate broker for NAI Mid-Michigan Vlahakis Commercial, a real estate services agency that owns property across the street from the lot.

Before being rezoned, the lot was designated as an office business district, but the property owner approached the city with interest in rezoning, said Tim Schmitt, a community development analyst for East Lansing.

In previous weeks, council members expressed concern that placing businesses on the lot could increase vehicle traffic on Abbot Road, causing problems for drivers.

The road is already a high-traffic area with multiple student housing developments and businesses, they said.

But Stewart said the traffic greatly benefits businesses.

“There’s MSU traffic, and there’s a bus line,” Stewart said. “Those are very important to retail and businesses.”

Business owners agreed the area is a good spot for retail and could support additional businesses.

“We just opened a week before Thanksgiving, and we haven’t dropped off much,” said Brian Ogorek, manager of Marco’s Pizza, 3498 E. Lake Lansing Road. “I think we’re in a pretty good location here.”

The owner of the newly rezoned lot, Stan Martin, also was granted a special use permit by council Tuesday.

The permit allows for greater versatility of future development but gives the council more control over what gets constructed on the property.

“The city’s been interested in this rezoning for a while,” Councilmember Roger Peters said.

The area of land has been considered by retailers in the past and has continued to garner interest since it was last considered for retail use, city planners said.

No developers are looking at the site, but rezoning would make development easier, planners said.