Downtown passersby might have something more to look at.
Some vacant buildings along Grand River Avenue are being prepped to house new businesses.
East Lansing is going through a typical business cycle, which means new businesses tend to appear in late summer and early fall, said Jim van Ravensway, the city's director of Planning and Community Development.
"Most of our businesses are small, independent and locally owned, and there tends to be a high amount of turnover, more turnover than the corporate chains," van Ravensway said.
The downtown can be viewed as East Lansing's shopping center. Within the 800,000 square feet of commercial space, 350,000 square feet is retail space, van Ravensway said.
About 25,000 square feet is empty, he said.
East Lansing's vacancy rate is 7 percent, which puts the city within the national average range of 5-10 percent.
"You get that level of turnover because businesses come and go, markets change," van Ravensway said. "It's the nature of the retail business trade."
He said he expects the vacancy rate to drop to 2 or 3 percent after the turnover phase ends in late fall.
But down the road, other shopping centers experience lower vacancy rates.
Frandor Shopping Center, 300 Frandor Ave., is 95 percent occupied, said Patrick Corr, president of Corr Commercial Real Estate, which works to attract new businesses. When a business leaves, it takes about four to six months for a new one to come, he said.
At Eastwood Towne Center, 3003 Preyde Blvd., the occupancy rate is more than 97 percent, with empty spaces filling up within a year, said Darryl Cater, spokesman for Inland US Management LLC, the company that manages properties for the center.
Filling vacancies
Although some windows show empty spaces or brown paper, there is new life coming to the downtown.
• Building complications have stalled the opening of Legend's Gyro, 565 E. Grand River Ave., which was slated to open in December. Taco Bell used to occupy the location, but relocated to 601 E. Grand River Ave.
"We had a few minor things to fix at the buildings, roof leaking and different things there," said Pete Procopi, owner of Legend's Gyro. "We're ready to open, it's just that we have minor problems with the landlord. We're trying our best to open our business around East Lansing."
• Ria Malaysian, formerly located at 2800 E. Grand River Ave., closed last winter and reopened as Suria Malaysian Restaurant, 5025 S. Cedar Street in Lansing.
Its former home is empty, but David Hicks, owner of All Star Realty Co., said he's optimistic a new business will be ready when students return.
"There are two that we're working closely with and hopefully we'll have a new venture in there before school gets started," Hicks said, adding that he's unable to disclose the names of potential companies because the decision is not finalized.
• Similarly, the vacant spot next to American Apparel, 115 E. Grand River Ave., may be filled soon. Brian Gordan, a broker at Gordan Realty, which leases the property, said a national restaurant chain could occupy the space, but couldn't comment on which restaurant until the lease is completed.
• Cron Management, which owns the block from Blockbuster, 693 E. Grand River Ave., to Taco Bell, 601 E. Grand River Ave., plans to fill a vacant storefront in the building next to Taco Bell.
That building houses Cottage Inn Pizza, 615 E. Grand River Ave., and Peking Express, 611 E. Grand River Ave., among others.
"There has been reasonably good interest in the space such as an advertising agency, a retail store and a couple of others," said Doug Cron, owner of Cron Management.
Officials want a business that will compliment the others in the area.
The development company plans to turn the empty space next to Campus Barbers Inc., 621 E. Grand River Ave., into an office and model condominium for the new ones in the Stonehouse III development, which will be built behind Taco Bell.
Finding potential businesses
East Lansing has a Downtown Development Authority that recruits new businesses and assists existing companies, van Ravensway said.
Commercial property owners also perform new business recruitment, said Kurtis Pozsgay, coordinator for the East Lansing Downtown Management Board. He emphasized the importance of attracting businesses that will fare well with students and permanent residents.
"New businesses might want to start with the students and then reach out to the permanent residents because you really need to, to make it through the summer," Pozsgay said.
