The BP gas station, 504 Michigan Ave., pictured Feb. 11, 2013. Developers are proposing to tear down the gas station to make room for a new apartment complex.
Editor’s note: The headline for this article has been changed to accurately reflect the date of the East Lansing Planning Commission meeting.
Students and community members will have their chance to speak out regarding a proposed apartment complex on Michigan Avenue and a new restaurant that will be located in The Residences, 300 Grove St., during Wednesday’s upcoming East Lansing Planning Commission meeting.
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 410 Abbot Road.
The apartment complex would be located at 504 Michigan Ave., which currently is a BP gas station.
The new complex was proposed in mid-January to demolish the gas station and build a 21-room apartment complex that would fit four tenants per room. The first floor of the complex would be commercial and retail space.
A major concern with recent housing and apartment proposals in the past has been with the issues of parking and accessibility for potential residents. Proposed renovations to 341 and 345 Evergreen Ave. were turned down by council last Tuesday, mostly because of concerns with parking space.
Community Development Analyst Tim Schmitt said the applicants are proposing 34 on-site parking spaces.
The minimum amount of spaces needed for the complex is 57, according to a city staff report. Three are needed for commercial space, and 54 are required for residential parking.
Schmitt said the applicants are seeking off-site parking at Valley Court Park, 300 Valley Court, about a two-minute drive from the proposed apartments.
Coming to MSU as a sophomore, interdisciplinary studies in social science senior Kaley Moore said her off-campus housing options were limited.
“My only option was Chandler Crossings because everything was either completely booked or was … expensive,” she said.
“I think it would be nice for students to have just an additional option to look to because I feel like it’s kind of already limited if you’re looking at apartments.”
After discussing the housing, the public will have a chance to comment on a new restaurant located on the first floor of The Residences.
Grand Rapids based HopCat, owned by MSU alumnus Mark Sellers, announced last October his intentions to open a location in East Lansing.
Sellers signed the lease with The Residences last month and hopes to build the new HopCat in late March and open in August.
Planning commissioner and political theory and constitutional democracy senior Stephen Wooden said at the meeting he will bring up the proposed fencing for the patio of the restaurant, which wasn’t in the original agreement with The Residences.
“The planning department wants to make sure the fencing doesn’t encroach on the sidewalk,” he said.
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