City officials weigh parking structure in light of foreclosure

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Despite a decline in people using city-owned parking during the past few years, East Lansing officials are planning to construct a new parking ramp near Rick’s American Cafe, 224 Abbot Road.

The plan is part of the troubled City Center II project, a $116.4 million mixed-use development on the corner of Abbot Road and Evergreen and Grand River avenues, which has parts that have gone into foreclosure. Seven properties held by Strathmore Development Company, the developer, could go up for auction Sept. 17.

The proposed parking structure, which will cost about $11 million, originally was intended to house the tenants of City Center II. But without the development, the structure will sit among empty buildings.

Director of Planning and Community Development Tim Dempsey said the city can start building the structure whenever it feels ready to start the project. No specific date has been set for construction.

“The (Downtown Development Authority) is currently leasing the properties acquired for the ramp so we have the flexibility to wait until the project moves forward,” he said.

If the City Center II project doesn’t go through, East Lansing Parking Administrator Dan O’Connor said he was unsure whether or not the extra parking would be needed.

“That end of town does run at a higher capacity than other areas,” he said. “I’m not sure what would happen if the project didn’t go through if we would still need that down there.”

O’Connor said he has seen fewer people using city parking facilities in recent years, especially at night. The city saw a 2 percent decrease in use between 2007 and 2008, with the average number of weekly occupants decreasing to 11,254 in 2008 from 11,785 in 2007.

“There have been several things that have affected us,” he said. “The taxicabs at night and the (Capitol Area Transportation Authority) buses; they’re more available and it’s had an effect on us. Our occupancies are down in the evening.”

Students such as communication seniors Katie Szynkowski and Taylor Swineford said they don’t utilize parking downtown and prefer to walk or take cabs when hitting the bar scene.

“I don’t know anyone that drives when they go to the bar,” Swineford said. “If they don’t walk or take a cab, they usually ask a roommate that is staying in to drop them off or something.”

East Lansing has 2,760 public parking places, including parking decks and lots. The City Center II parking deck would add 520 spots, increasing the total number of public parking places to 3,280.

City Manager Ted Staton said the city still owns properties in the area that would house the parking structure. The city plans to keep them for the development.

Dempsey said the demand for parking on that side of downtown is high, despite the lower numbers from the city’s parking administration.

“That area has been identified as needing more parking for a long period of time,” he said. “Aside from Biggby’s, Crunchy’s, and the Valley Court Community Center, which already place a high demand on existing parking, we have events such as the Farmer’s Market and the Midnight Film Festival that are generating additional demand.”

More parking is a part of a redevelopment plan envisioned for the western end of downtown, Councilmember Roger Peters said. Peters said he hoped the City Center II project would go forward, but regardless of the project’s status, the plans for parking still are in place.

“That has been a piece of the redevelopment plan and I think it would certainly be a necessary part of the downtown,” he said.

Dempsey said if something were to happen to the City Center II project, the city would go ahead and redevelop the land slated for the project with the same purpose in mind — a high density mixed-use project. The fate of the parking structure if the project falls through would be determined at a later date.

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