Students soon might have more places to shop, because of plans to expand a Lansing Township shopping center by about 15 acres to accommodate more tenants.
A proposed plan by the Lansing Township Downtown Development Authority would redevelop the east side of Eastwood Towne Center, 3003 Preyde Blvd., in Lansing, increasing commercial and retail spaces. The project would cost more than $80 million and would be a Class A LEED-certified development, meaning it would follow a rating system set by the U.S. Green Building Council, said Steve Hayward, executive director for the Lansing Township DDA.
Since 2005, the Lansing Township DDA has been in the planning stages to expand the shopping center. Hayward said the intent is to create a unique mixed-use center in the township that isn’t just another mall.
“It isn’t our goal just to compete with existing projects. That doesn’t satisfy or enhance the region at all,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is add those components that are missing (in the region).”
The project would include commercial offices, retail, dining and living areas. A parking structure that would hold more than 900 spaces would be included in the expansion.
Dan Zopf, general manager of Mitchell’s Fish Market in Eastwood, said he has seen sales increasing for the restaurant, despite the state’s economic downturn.
“Even with this economy, and us being an outside mall, people are coming in and shopping,” he said.
The center currently is 95 percent occupied. General Manager of Eastwood Towne Center Emily Desrochers said some stores have been interested in locating at the center, but it has not had the space. With the expansion, the center could house bigger tenants.
A bigger center could attract more students out to Lansing Township, but East Lansing’s Director of Planning and Community Development Tim Dempsey said he is not worried about it negatively impacting business in downtown East Lansing.
“Eastwood is a suburban-style development that requires shoppers to drive from destination to destination,” he wrote in an e-mail. “East Lansing is more urban and more pedestrian-oriented.”
The housing units in the project would include multiple-family units and owner-occupied condos. Some students said living there might be too far from the university.
“I like to shop there but there would definitely have to be a good bus system for me to live there,” said art history and visual culture freshman Molly Shoup.
Funding for the project is coming in through different entities, including a potential $27 million in bonds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Hayward said. The DDA submitted a formal letter to Ingham County Friday requesting the bond funds, Ingham County Controller Matthew Myers said.
The Lansing Township DDA is working to secure financing through both private and public means, but Hayward said both the DDA and the developers for the project are confident they will be able to secure funding. Construction could begin in early 2010.
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Discussion
Share and discuss “Expansion of Eastwood Towne Center may start in '10” on social media.
