A San Diego-based developer has proposed to bring an island, canal and 11-acre riverfront park to East Lansing.
But city residents and MSU community members offered mixed reactions to the latest design concept for the East Village, unveiled Tuesday.
During a community workshop with the San Diego-based Pierce Company Inc., students and residents appeared pleased with the basic look of a redeveloped East Village, but voiced concerns on the feasibility of the project, specifically its impact on off-campus student residents.
"These are great ideas, but are they going to succeed?" Residence Halls Association President Mark Dobson said of the proposal. "It seems like we're shooting for the moon, and we're not sure the city can support it."
Dobson's comments echoed several others who said they are worried the project might be too good to be true.
The estimated $500 million-dollar project — under the working title of "Red Cedar Island at East Village" — aims to revamp the area bounded by East Grand River Avenue, Hagadorn Road, Bogue Street and the Red Cedar River with a mix of retail, residential and entertainment properties by 2011.
The revised design focuses on an 11-acre riverfront park, showcasing the Red Cedar River. The concept also includes a man-made canal and island to help draw residents and tourists to the center of the village.
The East Village is home to about 2,000 primarily student residents. Several students said they find the area appealing because of its low-cost housing options.
"I don't think it'll be the same cost as Cedar Village is now," international relations junior Katie Hughes said. "I just wonder if this is going to be affordable to students."
The latest design by Hollywood-based architecture firm 5+Design incorporates feedback received from East Lansing residents during a March workshop. At that visit, Pierce Company representatives revealed five design concepts and said they intended to bring back at least two, instead of the single design they displayed Tuesday. "Everything you see here is still very moldable and flexible, but it shows the big idea," architect Dave Moreno said during Tuesday's East Lansing City Council meeting.
Moreno and Pierce Company representatives are meeting with numerous stakeholders — including MSU deans, community members, students and property owners — during their weeklong visit to show their newest design and receive feedback.
Besides the issue of affordable off-campus housing, students also voiced concerns about where students living in East Village would live during and after the construction process, which would significantly reduce students' options.
Fred Pierce, the company's CEO and president, said a plan still needs to be formulated, but students can find housing options in northern East Lansing in the Chandler Crossings apartment communities.
The Pierce Company purchased Chandler Crossings in January.
There is a possibility that the project could be constructed within two phases depending on the area's housing market and The Pierce Company's ability to acquire land from property owners, Pierce said.
If the project were to be built in two phases, the first would be constructed in the area west of Stoddard Avenue, including the canal and island features. The fruition of the second phase hinges on the cooperation of property owners in the project's outcome, Pierce said.
