NEWS
Commission votes for new hotel, fitness center
With approval from the East Lansing Planning Commission, the city is one step closer to seeing a new hotel and a fitness center.
MICHIGAN
E.L. City Council to focus on nightclub
The redevelopment of The Dollar Nightclub and the city’s ethics policy are among the items to be discussed at Tuesday’s East Lansing City Council meeting. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. today in Conference Room A of City Hall, 410 Abbot Road.
NEWS
City Center II redevelopment moves forward to city council
After months of consideration, the East Lansing Planning Commission voted 7-2 Wednesday to forward a site plan proposal for the City Center II project to the East Lansing City Council.
NEWS
City Council Q&A
Their thoughts About 100 students and community members piled into the Union Tuesday night to question the candidates running for the Nov. 6 East Lansing City Council election.
MICHIGAN
Narrowing of Hagadorn Road, Trowbridge Road sound wall topics of upcoming City Council meeting
The potential conversion of Hagadorn Road and the proposed construction of a sound wall near a local neighborhood will be among the topics discussed at Tuesday’s City Council work session.
NEWS
Advocates speak out against ordinance
One MSU student and six residents spoke out during Tuesday's City Council meeting about a plan to ban homeless people from taking shelter in parking facilities. "This ordinance is not going to stop the homeless," said Jenny Wilson, an interdisciplinary studies in social science and health studies senior.
NEWS
Local legislators play musical chairs
The United States is a country founded on the principle of representative government. What happens then, when for whatever reason, an elected official leaves their seat vacant? This is precisely the situation residents of Ingham County found themselves in when former state Sen.
NEWS
MSU student, grad might run for E.L. council seats
Right now John Fournier is a political theory and constitutional democracy junior at MSU. He goes to class, works at WDBM (88.9-FM), also known as the Impact, and is the president of the MSU College Democrats.
NEWS
WEB ONLY: E.L. council discusses '06 budget, funding
Discussion of the 2006 fiscal budget consumed the majority of Tuesday's East Lansing City Council meeting.
MICHIGAN
Loomis' life experiences lend to his work on E.L. council
Editor's note: This is the fourth in a five-part series to reintroduce the people who run East Lansing.
MICHIGAN
Meadows reflects on tenure as mayor
Editor's note: This is the third in a five-part series to reintroduce the people who run East Lansing.
NEWS
Students: Report timing unfair
At Tuesday's East Lansing City Council meeting held on campus, about 30 students brought forward concerns about a report by police intended to investigate the April 2-3 disturbances. And on the same day, Mayor Mark Meadows told The State News he will not seek re-election and instead is considering a run for state representative for the East Lansing district.
MICHIGAN
E.L. officials discuss budget cuts, removing $1M deficit
Replacing a $1 million deficit in the city budget was the topic of the East Lansing City Council meeting Tuesday. The 2006 budget, which was released last week, is about $55 million, roughly 2.3 percent less than last year.
NEWS
E.L. study looks at growing cost of rentals
East Lansing rental property values increased during the past several years, a study compiled by the city revealed. The study also said student housing is often worth more than its owner-occupied counterpart because of city restrictions that limit the number of rental properties in East Lansing and, therefore, raise prices.
NEWS
Council approves 58-unit housing complex
Construction of a 58-unit, senior citizen apartment building on Haslett Road was approved by the East Lansing City Council on Tuesday.
MICHIGAN
Circuit court reverses E.L. speed limit change
The city of East Lansing was successful last week in pressuring state officials to return speed limits along Grand River Avenue and Saginaw Highway to their original speeds. The Michigan Department of Transportation, or MDOT, along with the Michigan State Police and State Transportation Commission raised area speed limits by 10 mph nearly a month ago after conducting traffic studies for about a year. East Lansing officials, angered by the state's decision, took the three agencies to court.
MICHIGAN
DTN to prepare rebuttal against council decision
DTN Management Co., frustrated by the East Lansing City Council's rejection of a plan to construct five apartment buildings, might take the city to court in an attempt to overturn its ruling. The proposed plan included the development of five apartment buildings, along the 700 block of Burcham Drive, that would house 90 occupants. Representatives from DTN discussed the possibility of challenging the city during Tuesday's council meeting. "We feel entitled to an approving vote," DTN representative Allen Russell said.
MICHIGAN
Council to debate Burcham construction plans today
Education senior Joseph Becker likes the idea of building new rentals - as a renter on the 700 block of Burcham Drive, he supports the development of new housing targeted at students in the area. If a plan to construct five new apartment buildings on his block is approved by the East Lansing City Council tonight, Becker's wish might become a reality. But before plans to redevelop the area can move forward, the home where Becker resides, along with another rental home and a parking lot, would have to be demolished to make room for the new structures. "Everyone has the choice to live in the dorms, but most students after their freshman or sophomore years don't want to do that," Becker said.
NEWS
Council to decide on development, rentals
The East Lansing City Council passed a motion to oppose the 10 mph speed limit increase on parts of Grand River Avenue and Saginaw Highway at its meeting Tuesday evening. The Michigan Department of Transportation increased speed limits last week along Saginaw Highway from Coolidge Road to Hagadorn Road and along Grand River Avenue from Coolidge Road to Michigan Avenue and Bogue Street to Maplewood Drive. "To us, it is a safety concern," Councilmember Vic Loomis said.
NEWS
The changing face of a college town
East Lansing is a changing city. Through the use of an ordinance restricting rentals and several redevelopment projects, community leaders hope to find a balance between permanent residents and renters. In a place where rental housing outnumbers its owner-occupied counterpart by more than 5,000 units, some have begun to worry that the city is turning from a mixed community into a haven for renters. "The owner-occupied housing is critical in the sense of community," said Tim Dempsey, an East Lansing community and economic development administrator.