East Lansing officials want the stench of car exhaust to be a distant memory for visitors to downtown’s Ann Street Plaza. This summer, workers will transform the “parking-dominated space” to a “people-dominated space.”
Four of 11 parking spaces in the plaza, at M.A.C. and Albert avenues, will be replaced with space for 17 plants and four benches, creating a place for “plaza patios,” said Lori VanOmmeren, a community development analyst and urban designer for East Lansing.
The city council approved alteration to the plaza at its Monday meeting.
“Right now the plaza is very much a parking lot,” VanOmmeren said. “The idea was to make it a more pleasant place for outdoor dining. It makes it a more people-dominated space.”
Envision East Lansing, a downtown development group, is paying for the project. The plants and benches are estimated to cost $10,000, but installation costs are undetermined, VanOmmeren said.
Officials will re-examine the plaza’s renovation next spring. Different parking schemes and additional plants could be part of the plaza’s future.
The 14-foot-wide driving lane through the plaza also will be reduced to 10 feet so cars cannot illegally park along the drive. Business owners have complained people park illegally, sometimes leaving their cars running. The traffic led to an increase in exhaust fumes in the area.
“We’ve always been in favor of plants and benches,” said Linda Dufelmeier, owner of Mackerel Sky Gallery of Contemporary Craft, 217 Ann St. in the plaza. But she did not agree with the entire plan.
“Taking parking spaces away will be detrimental to business,” she said, adding any loss of space is important to a business.
City Manager Ted Staton said parking will not be a problem because of the City Center parking structure. “I think it’s a great way to encourage more pedestrian activity,” he said.
The idea for improving the plaza first came up several years ago on the “Downtown East Lansing Urban Design Plan,” but that called for keeping all the parking while adding plaza patios.
“I’m definitely for widening the eating area. It has tables for me,” said Tony Lagalo, owner of Tony’s Restaurant, 235 Ann St. in the plaza. “The only thing I can say is, we’ll have to see how it goes.”
