East Lansing City Council members had the opportunity to discuss the possible Red Cedar Golf Course and Michigan Avenue redevelopment at their work session Tuesday night.
The Capital Gateway Project, in its entirety, involves complete redevelopment of about 70 acres along the Michigan Avenue corridor to solve water pollution issues in the area, as well as offer housing and entertainment options for students.
CEO of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership and project contributor Bob Trezise and East Lansing Community and Economic Development Administrator Lori Mullins presented the project to the council.
They stressed the possibility of the project happening at the same time as the City Center II project, if need be.
“The Red Cedar project and development is a great thing for the two cities coming together,” Trezise said. “It will enhance (the) City Center II project; we cannot state that strongly enough.”
Although the timeline for the project is uncertain at this point, Trezise said interested tenants have come forward, and the group could realistically begin construction in the spring of next year.
“We caution that it’s a very complex project, and identifying the floodway alone could take months — there’s no way around that,” Trezise said. “We’re hoping if we’re aggressive … that by spring, we could have these kinds of issues resolved.”
Some of the issues involved in the project include 20 of the acres that fall in the area’s floodplain, making them off-limits for development.
There also are some residential portions of the project that need flood insurance.
Ingham County Drain Commissioner Pat Lindemann hopes to address these issues, as well as polluted entry points into the Red Cedar River that exist within the project, with ecological features built into the development.
Councilmember Vic Loomis expressed concerns specifically about the project’s ties to East Lansing.
Trezise said the project would have a strong impact on both the MSU and the East Lansing communities.
A portion of the project already has been approved for development by Lansing voters.
This November, the project will be on the ballot again for voters to approve an additional 48 acres for possible development.
Trezise said many of the details of development could not be explained during the meeting or any time soon.
Prior to the discussion of the Capital Gateway Project, Kathleen Boyle took her seat alongside the other members of the council after being sworn in as its newest member.
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