The East Lansing City Council introduced a new zoning law for the Cedar Village area Tuesday night, taking the first step to "get this thing moving through the process," as Mayor Sam Singh said.
Councilmember Bev Baten snapped her fingers in agreement, and without another word of discussion, council sent the proposed law — which will outline what can and cannot be built in the area — to the East Lansing Planning Commission. The commission will now perform an intensive review of the law's language, before the law returns to City Council for final approval.
Councilmembers had a much more lively discussion Tuesday night about the possible addition of a "Splashpad" at the city's aquatic center. The project is being sponsored by the local Rotary Club, and would create a water park of free-standing structures that spray, dump and shower water.
The Splashpad would be built on the site of an existing sand area.
Mayor Pro Tem Vic Loomis raised concerns about maintenance problems associated with sand being tracked into the pool and showers.
Baten questioned whether the rotary club would bring this plan back to City Council in the future asking for monetary support — Councilmember Mark Meadows joked he'd sponsor the palm tree and Deputy City Manager Jean Golden joked that the police have already reserved the doughnut-shaped structure.
Public hearings were set on several issues, including March 21 hearings to add a stop sign at MacDonald Middle School and to change the city's concealed weapon's policy.
The weapons policy includes dangerous weapons other than guns, and some of the language needs to be changed to address discrepancies between the city and state laws, assistant City Attorney Tom Yeadon said. The changes would not affect people who have permits to carry a concealed gun.
Council also set an April 4 public hearing to consider increasing the tax incentives being given to the developer of the West Village project. The developer has encountered significant costs in relocating public utilities, such as sewers, electricity and water lines.
Community Development Administrator Tim Dempsey recommended the council give the developer additional tax help to offset some of the costs of the utility work.
