East Lansing City Manager George Lahanas  said the property at Albert Avenue and Abbot Road will most likely be replaced with an office building, the area east of Valley Court Park will be replaced with a residential building and parking ramp and the location between Abbot Road and Evergreen Avenue will possibly be replaced by a residential building for senior citizens.

A number of East Lansing residents shared their concerns at the city council meeting Wednesday evening.

Some residents think it's premature to move forward with this project because in their opinion, the overall plan isn't set in stone or has not been completely thought through yet.

During public comment, East Lansing residents asked the council to wait until they have a clear picture of what is to happen with these properties before placing this item on the ballot.

East Lansing resident Bill Weckesser said the city's budget isn't stable enough to be making this big of a decision without a better plan.

Other concerns were related to parking. Some residents think parking is already an issue in the areas and selling the parking lots will make the issue worse.

The council assured the public that East Lansing residents will not be voting on the guaranteed sale of these properties, but they will simply be authorizing the city to sell the areas by voting in favor of this project.

East Lansing Mayor Pro Tem Diane Goddeeris  asked the public to trust the council. Goddeeris said she would not be willing to have a developer sell this property unless she knew what was to come from it.

After the discussion between the council and the public, Goddeeris moved to approve this proposal.

East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett  voiced his opinion and support of the proposal.

"I think that what we're talking about here is a procedural step," he said.

The council voted four to one to place this item on the November ballot.  

"We have tried our best to make the right decision," Goddeeris said.

Councilwoman Ruth Beier voted against this proposal because she is concerned about the consequences that would follow if the public's overall vote in November is against the project. She said if this were to happen, the council would be worse off than they are now during the planning stages.

"Think about what happens if this goes down," Beier said.

Beier said she felt more comfortable gaining more trust from East Lansing residents before placing this item on the ballot.

In an effort to gain more trust, Goddeeris stressed the significance of keeping the public aware of what is to happen with this project.

"I think it's important to explain what this means...and how this will be developed," she said.