The East Lansing Planning Commission unanimously approved an application for the property at 1600 E. Grand River Ave. to convert the existing extended stay hotel to an apartment complex at the commission’s meeting Wednesday night.
East Lansing Community Development Analyst Timothy Schmitt presented the plan and said it will be passed on to city council.
“A major issue of the site is that it was designed under a much older standard … that does not meet minimum site requirements,” Schmitt said.
The current property, composed of three two-story buildings and a one-story maintenance building, was built in 1984 based on a site plan approval from 1982. It is currently branded as Gatehouse Suites but was once a Residence Inn.
The proposed development does not involve any exterior changes. Instead, the proposal would change the use of the building to become more appropriate for longer-term rental, largely targeted toward the MSU student population. The current hotel has a total of 60 suites, including 44 studios and 16 studios with lofts.
According to a staff report from the East Lansing Department of Planning, Building & Community Development, the applicant has a current rental license on the property that would continue through the new use.
Developer Mike Foley said the housing would be a good future option for international students who are not at MSU for more than a year.
“The reason that we are looking at this is because we are very close to the university and we have teachers and students who already do this,” Foley said.
Commission member Stephen Wooden pointed out the first condition of the application, which states that the Zoning Board of Appeals variances must also be approved. This includes the distances between the buildings, front yard parking and lot coverage, setback of the building and the park space sizes.
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