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Council set to approve downtown project

June 27, 2011

The East Lansing City Council is slated to make a significant stride in a pair of development projects that will add to the downtown skyline.

The council is set to approve the first of two mixed-use development agreements that would authorize construction of an eight-story, mixed-use building near the Ann Street Plaza, on the corner of Grove Street and Albert Avenue.

The approval is expected to come at the council’s work session tonight at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 410 Abbot Road.

The $8.5 million high-rise building is slated to include retail space on the first floor, with residential units on the upper seven, housing 84 residents.

The adjacent development — named St. Anne Lofts — will be a four-story structure housing 39 residents with retail space on the first floor. The second floor will partially serve as a restaurant with open-air rooftop dining.

Director of Planning and Community Development Time Dempsey said a request for approval on the St. Anne Lofts agreement likely will be included on the agenda for the council’s July 12 meeting.

A&G Partnership LLC developers David Krause and Doug Cron — the developers of the unnamed, eight-story project — could not immediately be reached for comment Monday evening.

Mayor Vic Loomis said the developments will provide a different downtown housing mix — different than the for-purchase Albert Place Condominiums and condominiums in the City Center complex.

Dempsey said the project’s close proximity to campus and unique living style likely will attract students.

Dempsey also said the project is an efficient use of existing land downtown and will appeal to a wider demographic of renters — including graduate students and young professionals.

“This will enliven the street life by placing that retail front and center,” Dempsey said. “We’re going to have a much more vibrant plaza.”

But success might not be that simple, said Zachary Neal, an assistant professor in the College of Social Science who specializes in urban economic development.

The projects could result in vacant spaces downtown if not paired with other initiatives to get businesses to stay, Neal said.

Neal said he has noticed a high turnover rate in the Ann Street area, including both storefront and office space.

“Simply putting a new building in won’t automatically produce revitalization,” Neal said. “It’s a bit of a high stakes gamble because it could create more vacancy than we already have.”

Dempsey said the developers engaged in numerous talks with possible tenants for the retail space, although they are not ready to announce a solidified deal.

Loomis said he hopes the space will include new clothing outfitters to provide more business diversity.

“We’ve lost some soft good retailers,” Loomis said. “I would hope that would help us drive a different mix in our retail.”

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