East Lansing City Council members had said they would not review any changes to the site plan until Strathmore had paid its city taxes. City Center II is a $116.4 million mixed-use project slated for the corner of Abbot Road and Grand River and Evergreen avenues.

City Manager Ted Staton said Strathmore restructured finances with smaller “boutique lenders” and not commercial banks, although he was not sure of specific details. He said he was more optimistic about recent City Center II discussions because he heard from a bank about the refinancing progress, although he would not say which bank. Mayor Vic Loomis said Strathmore has not found new financiers, rather it refinanced with existing backers.

Strathmore developer Scott Chappelle did not respond to e-mailed questions and refused to speak on the phone.

Staton also was told the nearly $98,000 in delinquent taxes owed to Ingham County would be paid at the same time as city taxes, but Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing could not confirm whether those taxes were paid as of Tuesday evening.

Loomis said he didn’t read too much into the recent news.

“I guess what I want to say is I don’t want to speculate,” he said. “I think the only news … is he paid his taxes which we’ve been waiting on for several weeks now.”

Strathmore owed city taxes on six of its seven properties, as it last paid $41,000 in October to clear one of its parcels.

The city’s planning commission will consider Strathmore’s modified site plan at its Feb. 24 meeting, which will allow Building B — located at the corner of Abbot Road and Albert Avenue across from Dublin Square Irish Pub & Restaurant, 327 Abbot Road — to incorporate office space in the top four floors of the five-floor structure.

The bottom floor will remain zoned for retail activity. The original site plan restricted the top four floors to residential use but the amended plan would enable Chappelle to use either all residential, all office or a mixture of the two.

Staton said it could take about 90 days to approve the project’s new site plan and that it will be reviewed by the planning, environmental and transportation commissions.

“This is a virtually identical site plan that went through 47 meetings, including reviews by virtually every city board and commission,” he said. “It was endorsed by a super-majority by every board and commission that reviewed it, City Council approved it unanimously. … It’s a pretty modest change and in my opinion a change for the better.”

East Lansing Planning and Community Development Director Tim Dempsey said Chappelle wanted to incorporate more office space given successful ventures such as the Technology Innovation Center, 325 E. Grand River Ave., and the IBM Global Delivery Center for Application Services, 600 E. Crescent Road, that have shown East Lansing is a coveted technological destination. Dempsey said both Chappelle and the city received inquiries about more office space downtown, and the modified site plan would accommodate some of that demand.

“The proximity to the university is intriguing for businesses because they can tap into the talent on campus,” Dempsey said.

Staton said he expected the site plan to move through all the necessary commissions. He also said the proposal addresses qualms related to residential units, as many residents felt the project contained too many.