Vacant downtown space to house tech companies

MSU students, professors and East Lansing residents who are looking to start up a technology-based business could soon have a place to do so.

East Lansing is part of the SmartZone program, along with Lansing and MSU, which is designed to support and attract technology-based businesses, said Jim van Ravensway, director of planning and community development for East Lansing.

After being vacant for several years, the space above Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 333 E. Grand River Ave., is preparing to house office space.

“About a quarter of the space (will be) reserved for incubator space — space for start-up companies, just to help them get off the ground until they can graduate into regular office space,” said Jeff Smith, project manager for East Lansing.

The space should be ready by early October, but the city is recruiting tenants before then, he said.

Making downtown East Lansing the geographical region to nurture and support these start-up businesses is part of the city’s participation in this program, he said.

“This isn’t the biggest project in the world, but the potential long-term impact of this is huge,” van Ravensway said.

Choosing the vacant space above Barnes & Noble to house the start-up businesses seemed natural, he said, as it is right across from campus, near a parking garage and in the heart of downtown.

Brian Winn, associate professor of telecommunication, information studies and media, said that he thinks adding this office space is a good idea.

“That’s a lot of what we teach,” he said.

“I think that information technology is one of the industries that could really help Michigan regrow its economy.”

Winn said he thinks it would be most likely for a graduate student doing research in an interesting area to start a technology-based company in one of the offices.

“They’re working with professors, and they may go out and start a company based on the work they’re doing with the professor, and they’ll build it from there,” he said.

The project is going to the Downtown Development Authority board for approval soon, and construction should begin right after the Fourth of July, van Ravensway said.

“(The developers will) have to demolish whatever was there so we can bring in loft-style office space (to make it) a little bit newer,” Smith said.

Published on Wednesday, June 25, 2008