The project is the second to last item on the agenda. Council will likely hold discussion and ask questions regarding the city staff’s recommendation from two weeks prior, City Manager George Lahanas said.

“They have all the materials, they’ve had the presentations and they have our (staff) recommendation, so hopefully there will be good discussion and a decision made,” Lahanas said.

In a city document, staff explained that DTN Management Co. sets itself apart from its competitor because of access to sufficient capital, a positive track record in East Lansing and a wide variety of projects, including commercial buildings and mixed market housing.

Although nothing is set in stone, DTN Management Co. Vice President and former MSU offensive lineman Colin Cronin said he and his company were pleased with the staff’s recommendation.

“We’re looking forward to hopefully working with the city to … transform the west side of downtown East Lansing,” Cronin said.

Cronin said that even though DTN owns many properties in the Lansing area, it does not own any land in the “core downtown” of East Lansing.

“To have something down there would be nice,” Cronin said.

DTN’s proposal includes a 400-space parking structure and a 10-story building with hotel and residential units — something Cronin calls “a crown jewel of East Lansing.” The residential unit would hold approximately 450 units, and an additional 400 parking spaces would be created on the ground level.

Lurvey White Ventures partner Ridgway White said his company’s experience in Flint, Mich., makes it a qualified candidate for the Park District.

“We know what it’s like to deal with university projects in a university town,” said White as he mentioned Lurvey White’s work on the University of Michigan-Flint School of Management in 2011.

Other Lurvey White projects include the Michigan School for the Deaf, a $14 million project completed in June 2012; and the Luke M. Powers Catholic High School campus, which cost $22 million.

“We view this project as, a game-changer; from converting a historic downtown that’s a few miles down, and one block deep, to something that has density and a sense of community,” White said.

Lurvey White’s plan features a year-round farmers market, a 120-room hotel including a 200-person banquet center and new parking and residential mixed-use buildings.