The Planning Commission held a public hearing for this proposal Feb. 10, approving the request unanimously and recommending City Council’s approval. Construction is predicted to begin in spring 2021. 

The property, Falcon Pointe, is located near the intersection of Chandler and State Roads. The rent of two-bedrooms, two-bathroom apartments at The Reserve costs approximately $1,555 per month. 

The Staff Report's Zoning Analysis categorizes the property as "clustered development." This means the proposal will group residential properties in an area closer together to use the rest of the land for open space, recreation or agriculture. 

"This process also permits limited office uses, golf courses and country clubs and a variety of other open space and recreational elements to complement the development and benefit the residents of the planned community," according to the report. 

The development project is possible because DeWitt Township can conditionally transfer property by written agreement to the City of East Lansing. Originally, this plan was approved for 280 housing units before any exchange occurred. That failed, and instead, it was converted to condominium development in 2016. The plan was then approved to reduce the housing units from 280 to 253 to construct 120 ranch rental units on and 102 single-family units.

The current proposal advocates for additional units in the same location. 

According to the report, "The proposed additional units will fill additional housing needs that have been proven to be valuable in this location of the City and are demonstrated by the occupancy of the existing units of the same design."

You can see the aerial shot of the property below, from the East Lansing Planning Commission.

This article is part of our Spring Housing Guide issue. Read the full issue here.