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New downtown apartment complex approved by City Council

June 4, 2015
<p>Approved site of building. Graphic: Google Maps</p>

Approved site of building. Graphic: Google Maps

A plan to construct a four-story, mixed-use building at 500 Albert Ave. and 122 Division St. was approved by the East Lansing City Council at this week’s meeting. The building will consist of 13 apartments and roughly 1,000 square feet of nonresidential space.

However, several concerns were voiced during the discussion.

A majority of the concerns centered around the materials used to build the exterior of the building.

Mayor Pro Tem Diane Goddeeris noted the plans didn’t delve too much into the exterior’s make-up, which conflicted with a recent ordinance.

Mary Swanson, owner and architect at Swanson Design Studios, explained the exterior would mostly consist of brick and limestone. However, she also said the higher floors and possibly the south wall of the building would consist of a different material.

Councilmember Ruth Beier asked if there would be any sort of art embedded into the building, to which Swanson said it would just be a plain, brick building overall.

As a result of the many questions surrounding the building’s materials, Goddeeris added an amendment to the plan. The amendment states the building would primarily consist of brick and limestone and wouldn’t substantially deviate from what’s pictured in the plans.

Goddeeris’s amendment was unanimously approved by the council.

Even though she amended the plan, Goddeeris said she was in favor of it overall.

“I’ll be supporting this,” she said. “It’s a better project than what was presented before.”

Councilmember Kathleen Boyle said she would also be supporting the plan.

“I (appreciate) the effort that’s been put into a very difficult project, both by the applicant and the Planning Commission and ... staff, to make something that seems it’s going to fit,” she said. 

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