East Lansing City Council members will discuss a downtown housing study and the possible construction of skate parks in the Lansing area at their city council work session tonight.

The Downtown Housing Market Study will be a 60-day project that begins Dec. 1. The focus of the study is to see if there is a market for other types of housing for people other than students. The study will be taken by an internal task force which is part of the planning commission.

Jim vanRavensway, East Lansing’s director of community planning and development, said the focus of the study is to see if there is a market for young professionals, older couples or any other type of residents other than students.

“The two points we are trying to cover with the study is to look into the ongoing question of housing in the downtown area other than student housing,” vanRavensway said. “The other point, is if the study shows a market for condos or other type of living units, to meet with developers to actually come up with a plan.”

He said most of the units downtown are built for student life, and if a young professional or single person wanted to live in East Lansing, he or she may not feel comfortable doing so.

“If we have a diverse variety of people living in the downtown area, that will just benefit the city and the people living in it,” vanRavensway said.

Another issue that will be discussed is the idea of two skate parks that would be built at Ranney Park and Benjamin Davis Park in Lansing. The reason the East Lansing City Council is involved is because Ranney Park, east of Michigan Avenue and next to Frandor Shopping Center, backs up to a few East Lansing neighborhoods where the residents there are interested.

East Lansing Parks and Recreation Facilities Director Tim McCaffrey said there is tremendous interest with the youths and skating in the downtown area.

“The interest in the community is unreal, but unfortunately the funding doesn’t exist right now,” McCaffrey said. “The parks will cost $500,000 to build, and apparently the City of Lansing has committed $200,000 toward the project.”

That still leaves $300,000 needed for both of the parks to be built. McCaffrey said he thinks one of the parks should be built with the money they have, and fundraising efforts should be used to fund the next. He also said skaters have never been a problem downtown as long as he has been an employee of the city.

“It is the city council’s decision whether or not to donate money to the parks,” McCaffrey said. “It is more or less a playground for our youth.”

The council will meet at 7 p.m. in Courtroom 2, 101 Linden St.