The new Abbot apartment complex is seen under construction on Abbot Road and Grand River Avenue on Oct. 6. They are currently accepting applications for fall 2020-21 residents.
—Construction for what will be East Lansing’s tallest building is running on schedule for a fall 2020 move-in and is accepting applications for 2020-21 residents.
The Abbot apartments, and the Graduate hotel alongside it, is part of the Park District project the East Lansing City Council approved in August 2018. The Council unanimously approved this $105 million project, which will be reimbursed over the following nine years.
The Park District project on the corner of Abbot Road and East Grand River Avenue will add 213 market rate apartments and 194 hotel rooms. When finished, The Abbot will be the tallest building in the city with 11 floors and a rooftop terrace featuring amenities for its residents.
“Move-in is set right now for Aug. 24 of 2020, we opened the office here July 29 so we’re obviously really getting into the full swing of everything here with the housing fair coming up,” said Ashley Lanagan, director of student housing at The Abbot. “Leasing is going well so far and I think we are offering ... something really good with the location and pricing.”
Lanagan said construction is progressing nicely.
“We do have many years experience with large-scale developments so timing is a big part of that. That experience has guided our approach in East Lansing, the goal is always to provide the best experience for our residents ... and part of that is delivering a timely move-in and we plan on meeting that goal.”
So far, construction has gone as planned with minimal problems, but because of struggles The Hub on Campus had this past fall with delayed inspection and move-in, the city has kept close eyes on The Abbot to ensure a smooth move-in for fall residents.
“When we are looking at Park District specifically, I don’t think we need to reevaluate a timeline, but definitely further communication with developers beforehand,” City Council Member Aaron Stephens said. “On the Hub’s part, it was foolish of them to not say that they needed more time … I can assure you that the timeline so far has been working out great for Park District. In fact, that building is going to be started a little bit sooner than expected at this point, which is really, really good, but if issues do come up, I am always on the side of students and their rights and the tenants.”
Aug. 24, 2020 is the tentative move-in date, Lanagan said.
“Construction is underway and there aren’t really any issues right now, so things should be going according to plan,” Stephens said.
The Abbot complex will include 105 studio units, 18 one-bedroom units, 45 two-bedroom units and 50 three-bedroom units.
“The costs per unit vary depending on floor location and the view that you have in the building, so it can range,” Lanagan said.
“Right now, you can do a studio between $1,220 and $1,280, you can do a one bedroom from $1,500 to $1,570 ... you can get into a two bedroom for as little as $2,250 and our 3 bedrooms right now go for $2,570 to $2,780, and again, that’s by the unit.”
The Abbot is accepting applications from tenants until the availability is gone. Information about leasing is available on their website.
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