After a lengthy two-month process, the Park District Planning Area Review Team voted yesterday to recommend the East Lansing City Council to review two proposals for consideration to be developed in the Park District Area.
The two proposals come from Lurvey White Ventures and DTN Management Co.
The recommendation is a big step, not only for the Park District Area, but for a city looking to revitalize the downtown and create a spark.
East Lansing has been looking to develop this region for the past decade, with nothing to show for it except for bad feelings with the residents and lost time.
While the city came close last year to developing something with Scott Chappelle’s Strathmore Development Co., the city overlooked the company’s financials before entering the development agreement.
Moving forward, the city council needs to take its time when it reviews these proposals. The worst thing it can do is to make a mistake and rush into anything with these developers. Like the beginning of any new relationship, it’s smart to take things slow.
But the city also needs to realize just how long it has been since it said it was actually going to develop something. It wasted the past decade with City Center II and disappointed residents with the lack of progress downtown.
The right course of action for the city is to take the necessary time to choose a developer while also taking into consideration that something should be done soon.
A couple months is fine, but not a couple years. The last thing the city wants is a lengthy, drawn-out process like City Center II.
What might be even more important is what exactly should be built in the Park District Area.
While apartments are almost a given to be built, the type of housing should be more diverse and not centered solely on students. Some plans call for hotels, which would offer more options than just the East Lansing Marriott or the Kellogg Center for visitors.
What is most needed is some type of business that would anchor people to come to the downtown, something the city has been lacking for a long time.
The idea for a grocery store or a yearlong farmers market is an appealing idea, but might not be the big attraction the city really needs.
What the city should not do is build something that would take away from the downtown’s traditional “college town” appeal.
It’s what separates itself from other college towns, and without it, East Lansing is no different than every college town in the U.S.
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