Tuesday night at City Hall, 410 Abbot Road, East Lansing City Council discussed the potential risks and rewards to moving forward with City Center II redevelopment project.
The future of the unauthorized construction of a fifth floor on the St. Anne Luxury Lofts development will be determined at East Lansing City Council’s biweekly meeting at City Hall, 410 Abbot Road. The living complex originally was approved as a four-story project, but construction has been underway for a fifth, yet-to-be-approved floor.
In accordance with the city charter, East Lansing City Council approved an emergency succession plan for City Manager George Lahanas during its May 21 work session. Lahanas was asked to choose five potential replacements in the event of an act of war on the city, or if he becomes incapacitated, goes on vacation or is otherwise unable to perform his duties as city manager. He submitted his plan before the meeting, and it was approved unanimously as written. “We have a pretty deep bench of people who could run the operation, certainly during a short period,” he said.
The East Lansing City Council will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 410 Abbot Road, to approve the proposed budget for the 2012-13 financial year and to decide on the future of the East Lansing Public Library. However, before the scheduled weekly meeting, the council first will hold a work session to meet with Strathmore Development Co. President Scott Chappelle, who is orchestrating the $105 million City Center II redevelopment project. Strathmore was granted a predevelopment agreement with the city to allow demolition of the current building located at 303 Abbot Road, but could not move forward with construction until Chappelle completed a due-diligence report.
In a move that took a step toward ending a debate that goes back over a year, the East Lansing City Council voted to amend a zoning ordinance that would allow for FarmHouse Fraternity, 151 Bogue St., to make expansions to its current building location under a special use permit.
The East Lansing City Council discussed an amendment to an ordinance at its Tuesday night work session that has stood in the way of a local fraternity’s expansion application, possibly clearing the way for the application to be approved at a later date after months of uncertainty. Members of FarmHouse Fraternity, 151 Bogue St., previously submitted an expansion application that was brought before council last week with plans to add space for 16 more bedrooms. The application ran into conflict with zoning regulations for the East Village redevelopment project, a vision that officials hoped would eventually stimulate the city’s economic growth through retail. The project was put on hold in the fall of 2009 because of economic struggles. Project zoning requirements mandate that buildings set aside 50 percent retail space on the first floor, but the fraternity’s application only set aside 25 percent of first-floor retail space, meaning it did not meet standards for approval, Planning and Zoning Administrator Darcy Schmitt said.
East Lansing officials spent more than $26,000 in their search for a new city manager before hiring an internal candidate for the vacant position, records show. Pennsylvania-based executive search firm Affion Public was paid $18,000 as part of its contract with the city for the search, while other expenses totaled $8,077 as part of the search process.
On Tuesday night the East Lansing City Council deferred consideration of a request from a local fraternity to expand its building, extending a dispute regarding zoning regulations on the east end of campus that stretches back to last year.
This Tuesday, the East Lansing City Council is set to consider an application from a fraternity to expand its current building location, an issue dating back to last year that continually has clashed with current zoning regulations in the area.
East Lansing’s total budget for the upcoming fiscal year is expected to be about $9.5 million less than the current fiscal year as the city tightens its belt and looks for ways to cut costs. Top city leaders got their first look at the city’s preliminary budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year during a work session prior to the city council’s regular work session Tuesday night at City Hall, 410 Abbot Road.
After years of sitting silent, a low buzz has been building in recent weeks around a multimillion-dollar redevelopment effort that has been hampered by various city government considerations and financial difficulties.
A small crew of construction workers converged on the site of a vacant building at the City Center II project this morning, starting initial preparations for what officials hope will be demolition of a city-owned property related to the proposed $105 million redevelopment effort.
The East Lansing City Council approved a predevelopment agreement Tuesday night for the City Center II project, a hotly contested move that will allow demolition to start at a city-owned building related to the project.
The East Lansing City Council once again put off making a decision on the future of the controversial City Center II project during a special meeting Tuesday night.
The East Lansing City Council looked toward the future at its Tuesday night work session, staring down budget struggles and continuing its discussion on the city’s strategic priorities.
The fate of the City Center II project will hang in the air for another week, after the East Lansing City Council decided last night to hold an additional session next week to discuss the project.
Lansing — Forging ahead even as state leaders have vowed to kill the project, Lansing City Council members moved forward with plans to build a casino downtown, seeking to fund schools and boost the city’s economy.
The East Lansing City Council is again discussing potential budget issues that could cut police and fire services, which might hurt the departments’ ability to deal with large events, such as future March Madness celebrations. During their Tuesday night work session at City Hall, 410 Abbot Road, council members discussed removing eight full-time police positions, including five patrol officers, two detectives and one school officer to maintain a lower budget in the 2013-14 fiscal year.
East Lansing residents might see cuts in public safety services if suggested changes to the city’s budget during the East Lansing City Council’s Tuesday work session are put in place.
City officials have moved forward with refinancing for a portion of the long-running City Center II project, extending its financial commitment to the project as the expiration deadline for its site plan approaches.