LANSING, Mich — Lansing Mayor Andy Schor announced a new potential location for 50 transitional housing pods after facing significant community resistance to earlier proposals that included city-owned parks.
• New location proposed: Lansing Mayor Andy Schor announced the Human Services building parking lot on Jolly and Cedar roads as a sixth potential site for 50 transitional housing pods after community opposition to using city parks.
• Community pushback heard: Residents criticized earlier proposals that included four city-owned parks, arguing parks help attract people to the city and shouldn't be used for housing pods.
• Funding concerns remain: The project faces an estimated $750,000 annual operating cost, with some residents calling for county assistance since homeless individuals come from across the region.
The mayor posted on Facebook that a portion of the southeast parking lot at the Human Services building on Jolly and Cedar roads could serve as a sixth potential location for the modular housing units, known as "mod pods," expected to arrive next year.
"Let's figure out how to make these mod pods work for all of us," said neigbor Brad Clark.
WATCH: Lansing considers new location for transitional housing pods after community pushback
The county has agreed to the Human Services building location, which Schor noted is near bus lines, job resources and health resources.
Community opposition peaked last month when the city narrowed down five potential locations for the transitional housing community, with four of those being city-owned parks.
"It was strange to me that the parks were even considered at all. Because we know Lansing has had de-population, and the parks are a way to bring people to the city. So why would you put the mod pods there," Clark said.
The mayor says he heard those concerns and took them into consideration when proposing the new location.
"The site at Jolly and Cedar looks like the best site based on what they've shown us so far," a community member said.
However, some residents believe the location would be more viable if the county helped cover the estimated $750,000 annual cost to operate the pods.
"We cannot pretend that we are not getting homeless people from across the county, and across mid Michigan, so we should not be running and funding this thing on our own," said neighbor Jody Washington.
As the project moves forward, some neighbors say they feel their voices and concerns were finally heard.
"I would commend Mayor Schor, clearly he has heard the voice of the people and he's making a decision in the right direction, so good job," Clark said.
The controversy highlights ongoing tensions as the city works to address homelessness while balancing community concerns about location and funding.
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