To Megan Guzman, the International Center and its surrounding lawn serves as a temporary home on school days - providing her a place to study, eat and waste time between her classes while miles away from her apartment.

Guzman, a special education senior, depends on the Capital Area Transportation Authority bus system for transportation from her apartment in Capstone Commons, 2501 Abbott Road, in East Lansing’s Northern Tier.

“It would be pointless to go back to the apartment for an hour,” she said. “I get a lot of homework done in that time, and I pack my lunch.”

But the apartment luxuries are worth the long bus ride, Guzman said.

“I wanted to live somewhere nice for once,” she said. “Everywhere around campus is so crummy.”

Capstone and three other complexes have lured about 2,700 students to the Northern Tier with swimming pools, fitness centers, activity centers, tanning beds and an abundance of parking spots as bait. The complexes are located about three miles from campus.

But about four years ago the area where Capstone stands was filled by farms and undeveloped land.

The area of the Northern Tier, which stretches from Saginaw Street to the city‘s northern boundary, includes 1,700 acres of undeveloped land north of Lake Lansing Road. Some 1,200 acres of that area became part of the city under two recent land-share agreements with DeWitt Township, which increased the land mass of East Lansing by 20 percent.

The area is now home to the four apartment complexes, three golf courses, single family subdivisions, a soccer field, softball field, aquatic center and pages of plans for future development.

“What began as a notion of moderate growth years ago has become a major growth area,” said Jim van Ravensway, East Lansing director of planning and community development.

The new developments have changed the picture of student life, especially socially, students say.

“My friends and I went to a football game, and when it ended we walked from Spartan Stadium to Capstone instead of waiting in the huge line for a bus,” Guzman said. “The bus pulled up just as we got home. We wouldn’t have gained anything if we’d waited.”

Although Guzman likes her apartment complex she said the area lacks student entertainment, and the ride into downtown puts a damper on night life.

“We usually have to toss a coin to determine who has to drive for the night,” she said. “We don’t go to many bars living out here.”

The first part of the Northern Tier was formed in 1982 when the city annexed land from Lansing Township. Van Ravensway said East Lansing’s taxes were 90 percent residential and 10 percent commercial at the time.

“They wanted to change that makeup by inspiring economic growth,” he said. “We were blocked in with our land, so annexing was the way to go.”

The area is now occupied by a Meijer, Kroger, office buildings and other establishments.

Bob Owen, the city’s planning and zoning administrator, said both parties in the 425 agreements benefit.

“It’s a tax- and service-sharing agreement,” he said.

Businesses and residents in the shared area are charged East Lansing taxes, which are higher than the participating townships, Owen said. The townships collect their share and East Lansing receives the balance. The city also provides services to the shared land.

The DeWitt Township agreements involved about 1,200 acres and were reached in 1998 and 2001. The deals were combined and are set for 33 years, after which all the land goes to East Lansing.

In June, the Bath Township deal was formed. The agreement concerned 1,056 acres, and after 100 years the land will go to East Lansing.

A deal with Meridian Township involving 101 acres was reached in July. It will go into effect if township residents vote to approve it Nov. 5. If approved, in 100 years Meridian residents will determine where the land goes.

“We weren’t thinking beyond the first annex,” van Ravensway said. “We thought we were dealing with limited growth. Then the 425 agreements changed the whole picture.”

The Northern Tier apartments offer English sophomore Nate Fridson a quiet alternative to life on campus.

“It’s a really calm place to get your thoughts together for the week,” the Capstone resident said.

Fridson said he often returns to the downtown East Lansing because his friends near campus don’t want to visit. But he said his friends sometimes frequent another downtown - Bath Township. Fridson said Bath’s business district is just as convenient as East Lansing.

He spends almost three hours a week on the bus to get to and from campus, often listening to music or reading to pass the time.

“I’d want to have a car, but it’s a hassle to find a place to park on campus,” he said. “But I’m happy here.”

Kendra Snyder can be reached at snyderk6@msu.edu.