The East Lansing City Council will discuss the development of wetlands at tonight's meeting.

Developer Mark Rysberg of Rysberg Holdings, LLC, is asking the council for a Wetland Use Permit to build on the 21 acres of wetlands he owns on both Abbott and Lake Lansing Roads.

To the city, the wetland permit is an unfamiliar issue.

"City Council has never addressed one of these," planning and zoning administrator Bob Owen said.

"This is something we don't normally do in East Lansing."

The properties were annexed to East Lansing a year ago from Meridian Township, Owen said.

Any changes made to the property will have to meet requirements stated in the agreement between the two cities.

If he is granted a permit, Rysberg hopes to build the Gaslight Village, which would consist of condominium apartments and townhouses, along with retail space. Those site plans need to be approved by the East Lansing Planning Commission before they reach council.

The permit was already reviewed by the city's commission on environment, which recommended approval and sent it on to the council.

Because such a permit has never been dealt with before, Owen said the council will have to look carefully at all aspects of the application before voting.

"There's no precedent here," he said. "We're all learning."

Also on the agenda are parking issues throughout the city. The council could vote to add time to the no-parking ordinance at metered spaces. Deputy City Manager Jean Golden said the extra time is needed to allow thorough street cleaning.

Residents can park at meters until 2 a.m., but council members could change it to midnight at their meeting.

The exception is at Valley Court, where residents will be allowed to stay at the meters until 2 a.m.

City officials said more time is needed at Valley Court because there aren't parking ramps nearby that would give residents a place to which to move their car.

That area also could undergo changes to its parking situation in the future.