Thursday, March 28, 2024

City council makes changes

Drinking games ruled an 'aggravated factor' for noise citations; Virginia Avenue project moves forward

August 16, 2006
East Lansing residents Eric, left, and Pam Schoen are proud of the work they have put into their Virginia Avenue home. If the Schoens have to move, they said they don't know what they'll do. "When I think about the work of (remak-ing the dream home), I think none of us are getting any younger," Pam Schoen said. The garden is full of memories, she said. The tree to the left of the Schoens is a gift from their daughter, Jennifer, a 1998 MSU graduate. —

While the vast majority of students were lounging in the sun, away on an internship or bumming around their hometowns, the East Lansing City Council remained hard at work.

Throughout the course of the summer, the council revamped the noise ordinance, gave its official nod of approval to a new student apartment complex and began dismantling the 600 block of Virginia Avenue.

Here is a breakdown of some of the group's most important actions:

Noise Ordinance

The ordinance was amended at the May 2 City Council meeting and now lists drinking games as one of the aggravating factors that could lead to the most severe noise citation, which carries a minimum $500 or $1,000 fine and a possible 72 hours of community service.

Only two of these enhanced noise violations were handed out in the past two years. Civil infractions and misdemeanors are commonly given to people who violate it.

"The whole idea behind the ordinance has been to be preventative in nature," East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said. "The noise caused by having a beer pong game at one in the morning is the problem. Hopefully it will move games inside, where it is quieter. The goal is not to write more tickets."

Other changes to the ordinance include handing out civil infractions for excessive noise created from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., misdemeanors for loud conduct between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., and the elimination of jail time.

Campus Village II

Campus Village Communities, the company that manages Campus Village apartments, 1151 Michigan Ave., is spearheading a project that calls for the construction of a 3-1/2 story apartment building next to its current complex. The new building will contain 47 apartments and 5,314 square feet of lower-level retail space.

The building also will be constructed at the site of an old Honda dealership at 1231 Michigan Ave.

"(Campus Village apartments) are first-class and well-maintained," City Manager Ted Staton said. "Students seem to be willing to pay for the quality they get there. I think that the developer's got a business plan that works — in the second phase, he's replicating it."

Before ground can be broken on the project, Campus Village Communities must purchase at least five of the 25 rental properties in the Chesterfield Hills Neighborhood and consent to converting all of the neighborhood's rentals into homes suitable for families.

The neighborhood is bounded by Highland, Michigan and Grand River avenues.

"For everybody, it seemed like a win, win, win," Staton said. "There were a lot of negotiations between the developer and the neighborhood."

With rent prices ranging from $530 to $685 per person in Campus Village apartments, some students aren't jumping at the chance to leave the comfort of their rental homes.

"It's nice they are trying to compensate us, but they need to lower the rent," said Cliff Carlson, an electrical engineering junior who lives in one of the affected rental homes on West Grand River Avenue. "We have the right to be here just like everybody else."

The Virginia Avenue Project

The project calls for the creation of 39 new homes and condominiums along the 600 block of Virginia Avenue, so families — especially those with children — can move into the area, which is near three schools.

The area is currently inhabited by student renters.

"We are trying to strike a balance for the housing policy," Staton said. "The idea is to meet the demand of multiple demographic groups.

"Obviously you can't dictate who buys them. It's going to be a mixture of people."

The City Council chose a company to assist in the acquisition of the area's 23 homes in early June. They are in the process of appraising homes and talking with residents on the block.

"We had agreed that we would hire a consultant to help with our acquisition and relocation process," said Stephanie Gingerich, a community development analyst for the city. "We don't have the internal staff to deal with it."

Market Street Realty was selected to carry out this process.

The firm's experience with similar projects is what the city's staff was looking for, Gingerich said.

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