East Lansing City Council member Kevin Beard discussed the potential benefits of granting a special use permit for an ordinance to rezone approximately 2.1 acres of land at Abbot and Lake Lansing roads. The ordinance concerns the rezoning of an office business district to a retail business district, and will be on the council’s business agenda for March 3. Beard also talked about an ordinance that would clarify riot conduct. The council set public hearings for the ordinance for March 3 and March 17 at its meeting Tuesday.
To better define what types of conduct during a riot will result in prosecution, the East Lansing City Council set public hearing dates for March 3 and March 17 for the creation of a new ordinance.
The ordinance specifies that citizens must clear the streets and not re-enter when police deem an event an unlawful assembly.
East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert, who helped draft the ordinance, said last April’s Cedar Fest riot escalated in part because of students who failed to clear the streets after police ordered them to.
“Even after several announcements, people didn’t leave the streets,” Wibert said. “We tried smoke before tear gas, but that didn’t work, either.”
Wibert said the ordinance isn’t being considered in anticipation of any upcoming disturbance, but said Cedar Fest-related trials brought to light the need to clarify city law.
“It’s all the stuff that has been unwritten and unsaid that contributes to this ordinance,” he said. “It’s taking an ambiguous law and clarifying it.”
In other business, the council deferred an ordinance to rezone approximately 2.1 acres of land at Abbot and Lake Lansing roads from an office business district to a retail business district to its March 3 meeting.
The council has discussed the ordinance several times during the past two months, but action has been delayed due to concerns regarding traffic on Abbot Road.
Retail is already located at the other three corners of the intersection, but the current property owner approached the city regarding the rezoning.
Tim Schmitt, a community development analyst for East Lansing, said the city considers all applicant requests, and recommendations are given by the Planning Commission to Council.
With the local economy struggling, Schmitt said the city doesn’t want to “cannibalize” the market, but will hear out developers seeking long-term business locations.
“If I’m someone looking for a market, there’s short-term space available, but not long-term,” Schmitt said.
At last week’s meeting, the council discussed whether or not the area of land should be granted a special use permit if the ordinance is approved.
A special use permit would allow the council to review the kinds of structures that would be built in the area of land, Councilman Kevin Beard said.
“There’s a very good chance Council would be open to it because it gives Council more control of what will be there,” Beard said.
Council talks riot, rezoning
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