When MSU was first established about 150 years ago, the surrounding areas were nothing but forests and swamps. That didn't last long.
Massive wetlands were destroyed to make room for housing and farms as the population grew.
Today, in the region north of Lake Lansing Road, student complexes and traffic jams crowd the landscape where Chandler Marsh, a 1,200-acre wetland, once rested.
As East Lansing faces more and more development, the city has introduced a series of ordinances that will better protect the vital wetlands that remain.
"There is development pressure on wetlands all over southern Michigan," said Tom Eitniear, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "These wetlands are important for water treatment and filtration."
Under the proposed ordinances, the city would play a more active role in examining wetlands and would be able to prevent state-approved construction. The city will hire independent wetland contractors to issue second opinions about certain developments near wetlands.
"Our intent is to take a hard look at wetlands of any or all sizes and try to encourage that these features are implanted into the site plans," said Planning and Zoning Administrator Bob Owen. "If you adopt your own local ordinances, then, in effect, the local one takes precedence."
The ordinances also would ensure that existing vegetation within and near wetlands is preserved.
Currently, East Lansing operates under state wetland regulations in which local officials serve almost no purpose in investigating wetlands on potential development sites.
Developers hire their own wetland consultants who submit assessments to the city. Once the consultant says there are no wetlands, the city has no further means to investigate if the claim is true or not.
At a meeting held Tuesday night, the city council voted to approve a Northern Tier housing complex on a site that might contain wetlands. As part of the agreement to approve The Beaumont on Coleman Road, the council passed a condition that will allow an independent wetland contractor to investigate the property.
Developer Pat Gillespie said he hired his own wetland expert who assessed the land and submitted a report to the council. He said he wasn't worried that the city was bringing in another expert to issue a second opinion.
"We hired a highly qualified guy, and we did our homework up front," Gillespie said. "I just see it as another formality."
The strong push for an East Lansing wetland ordinance began about two years ago when student housing developments were being established in the Northern Tier.
"This issue was heavily debated," Owen said. "When we expanded the city to the north, we assimilated more wetlands."
In August 2003, the city council decided to go forward with an effort to regulate wetlands through the zoning code. The council established a four-person subcommittee, which included Sandra Diorka, chairwoman for the Commission on the Environment.
The committee worked for three months, and, using city recommendations, created the ordinances, a project Diorka considered to be very worthwhile.
"The ecosystem and habitat that wetlands provide are homes to frogs and ducks," she said. "It allows for rain to drain. It's kind of nature's water filter, like your Brita."
