Lansing Off Topic

[RustTown]

huh? Michigan goes nowhere near Hagadorn.

[statedude3]

I think you mean Grand River Ave.

I have heard this, but I dont think it will work. The traffic is too busy in that stretch, and would require the addition of more stoplights. It's hard enough to make a left turn in that stretch anyway, and having a median with a left turn lane in it would probably create backups into traffic lanes at certain busy cross streets (Spartan and Milford come to mind).

[RustTown]

If they ever hope to reduce traffic on Grand River between Bogue and Hagadorn, they MUST draw another key bridge across the river to alleviate the traffic. Between those two roads (quite a distance), there is no major, or even semi-major north/south street. Couple that with the fairly dense population in Cedar Village only have Grand River and Bogue as exits and entrances, and Grand River being a major east/west thoroughfare, and it's prime for a traffic nightmare.

[hood]

Anyone read the LSJ story on the Melliing Forge today? Old factory gets new life in Lansing

I'm impressed with one thing in particular:

"In addition to renovating the building and grounds, Van Acker plans to put trees and historic lighting along Thompson Street to enhance the site's curb appeal. And an old structure housing the building's power supply is going to be dressed up to resemble a Louisiana row house, with siding, false porches and lattice work."

Louisiana row house facade? Seems sort of odd, but if not done cheaply it should look nice.

[RustTown]

I was going to post something about this today, but thought no one would be interested. I'm so happy to see the place up and running again. It just goes to show that it's not always about downtown development that make a city successful. Hopefully, the large factory on the other side of the the Cedar/Larch viaduct will see some spillover now that the Melling Forge Plant is filled to capacity.

[hood]

Overall this factory is no big deal, but I want to know what this false Louisiana row house facade will look like. I don't even what a Louisiana row house is or looks like.

[RustTown]

Though definitely a biased report, here is what was in the City Pulse concerning the Michigan Avenue beautification/rain gardens:

http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/060208/news/index.asp

The city really f'ed up on this one. No, the city is going to have to pay much more out-of-pocket money to do this in 2008.

[hood]

I like the median an rain garden concept, but I'm glad there won't be a traffic circle. I don't like traffic circles anywhere, but especially not downtown.

[RustTown]

Actually, that would be one of the few places where a traffic circle would work. Currently, that intersection is just poorly designed. A four-way stop in the heart of a downtown is just laughable.

[hood]

I always thought it should just be a stoplight. I know a four way stop at the intersection of the two main downtown streets confuses many out of towners, every now and then I mess up there. But for a decent traffic circle you need a very large area, here there would only be enough room for one of the neighborhood style circles, whic are nothing more than an annoyance.

[RustTown]

While the intersection isn't huge, it's bigger than any of the current neighborhood traffic circles. Seeing as how I know we disagree on this, I'll drop it. For whatever annoyance they are for some, they are far more effective and safer for pedestrians than the four-way stop at the Four Corners.

[hood]

Check out this site: http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/searc...?search=lansing

It lists old lansing thaters and other stuff it has info and pictures for most of them. They list this stuff for cities around the state.

[hood]

WILx reported that Bernero is going to South Korea to meet with business leaders (inlcuding those of Hundai and Samsung) and try to convince them to move some operations to Lansing:

"In recent weeks several major companies from around the area have announced they are cutting back on employees. A total of 535 workers from both General Motors and the Electronic Data Systems Corporation will be unemployed very soon. And Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero knows the area is dealing with a major blow.

"We're in a global economy, that's a fact. Michigan's economy more than any other states has really been hit by that."

So Mayor Bernero is headed to South Korea. He hopes to convince companies like Hyundai and Samsung to invest in the community.

"We need to go over there, build these relationships. We're very fortunate to have meetings with the top leadership of these two corporations and maybe some other businesses as well."

He says he's also looking forward to Lansing's economic future.

"We have tremendous opportunities, tremendous strengths, and the ingredients for greatness."

Mayor Bernero is scheduled to leave Sunday for the four-day long trip."

I wonder if there are any serious considerations being made by these companies to build in Lansing?

[jaredw]

I hope so, he is also going with somebody from Michigan State University. That ties in what he has been talking about building a stronger relationship with MSU and Lansing.

[RustTown]

This is more symbolic than anything else. Granholm has been going to Germany and Japan over the last few years for this same kind of thing hunting down jobs for Michigan. It usually doesn't yield anything major for the area, but I guess it helps to build connections nonetheless.

[hood]

Bioport held a cerimonial groundbreaking yesterday for a new $75 million facility on north MLK. From LSJ business breifs:

"A day after receiving a $6.3 million Single Business Tax credit, anthrax vaccine maker BioPort Corp. held a ceremonial groundbreaking with employees Wednesday for a $75 million expansion to its north Lansing campus. But the event does not guarantee BioPort will expand in Lansing, spokeswoman Kim Brennen Root said. BioPort is considering a Maryland site and awaits a decision by the city of Lansing on a tax break worth more than $9 million over 15 years. State Rep. Michael Murphy, who attended the event, is confident BioPort will expand in Michigan. "A big bulldozer took a big hunk of dirt out of the ground where the building is going," said Murphy, D-Lansing. Still, Murphy encouraged city officials to act quickly on BioPort's request "to send a message that we want you here; we value you." The Lansing facility employs 322 workers."

[hood]

The Mutual Building is up for sale, for $1.7 million. Mutual Building flyer (pdf) notice the interior shots, looks pretty nice! For $1.7 million, it's not a bad deal for an almost 60,000 sq. ft. building in good shape, it even has 13 parking spots, nine of them covered. It also says it has a partially finisheed lower level with a ballroom. I really hope this isn't bought and used an office building, I would really like to see another developer revive the loft plans, and maybe have a resuraunt in the ballroom.

Some pics from CBRE's site:

Exterior

Lobby

[RustTown]

I really think it will be used as an office building for quite some time. The former plan was very creative, and that is very rare for this city. To find another developer that wants to reconstruct the building for residential use, especially with its location, just seems like wishing now. The last plan seemed like a one-in-a-million chance to make it residential. I hope I'm wrong.

I'm surprised by the condition, and by that I mean that it doesn't look to have been "modernized" too badly on the inside.

[hood]

I'm surprised by the condition, and by that I mean that it doesn't look to have been "modernized" too badly on the inside.

Yeah, I wouldn'y be suprised if theres still an origional tin celing above the dropped one.

As for what the building will be used for, I don't even want to guess. The cost would probably be much lower than the Arbagh's, this building needs no work on the exterior, appears to need no work on the interior (besides what you convert to residential) and probably doesen't need any major repairs to elevators, elecrical, plumbing, ect... So I think it comes down to location, like you said. It's definately financially feasable, given the price and copndition of the building, but people would have to want to live there.

[RustTown]

My worry about the location is that it would be the ONLY housing in the area, and it sits opposite of the dead North Washington Square pedestrian mall. I mean, there is really nothing north of Michigan, downtown, in terms of residential amenities, no real reastaurants, no real retail. You have the YMCA and the Beaners on Ottawa, but that's about it. This is the only reason I think it will go office for quite some time before the area around changes. I mean, it's not that far of a walk to South Washington Square, but the area that it sits in can feel very dead even during the weekday.

[hood]

I realize what your saying, that this just seems cut off from Washington Sq. In the long term though, City Hall will likely be torn down, but that could be 10 or 20 years away. Until that, I never see N. Capitol having anything retail on it (if then.)

Edited February 17, 2006 by hood

[GaryP]

at $1.7M for 60,000 sf and that buildout, what a bargain! It's probably too square in shape to go residential, but at that price I would think it would be possible.

[hood]

The shape is something I didn't think of. I guess if the elevators and stairs are towards the center you could have long skinny units. I guess it really isn't too desireable unless it was converted to larger units.

[RustTown]

Well, the thing is, there was a serious plan just a few months ago to turn most of it residential with first and basement floor office space. The architect was going to construct an entire level of residential penthouses on top, but the developers backed off. So, it could most certainly go residential, but the chances seem slim.

Hood, I wasn't talking about North Capitol going retail. North Capitol is the backdoor, if you will, and will always be that way. Both it and Grand serve as feeder and 'escape' routes being one way and directly connected to the freeway. Everything would be tied to Washington Square if the north square was ever reconstructed, and some major demolition took place, even any future residential along Capitol.

[hood]

I think that the 200-300 blks of N Washington are scheduled to undergo CSO work in 2007, it will likely be fixed up just like the 100 blks north and south were. While I never expect N Capitol to have much of any retail or residential on it, S. Capitol, all of Grand and all of their cross streets from Ionia to Kalamazoo should be designed for ground floor commercial. Lansing cannot depend on Washington for it's only retail strip, it must be spread out, and while S. Capitol is a little questionable, Grand is clean slate. Most of Grand between Shiawassee and Kalamazoo will be either new, heavily modified or remain permanently undeveloped in the near future. Grand, I think, will become a more impressive corridor than Washington, with the Ottawa station, Shiawassee & Grand Apartments, MSP HQ,all the surface lots, the likely to be razed S Grand Ramp and GrandView Plaza, Grand Ave has a bright future.