EAST LANSING, Mich — A surface parking lot at the corner of Albert Avenue and Bailey Street could soon become the site of a 10-story apartment building geared toward students.
WATCH: EAST LANSING BUSINESSES PUSH BACK ON PARKING LOSS AS PROJECT TAKES NEXT STEP
The East Lansing Planning Commission voted Wednesday night to recommend that City Council approve the project.
The proposed complex would create more than 200 apartment units in a 10-story high-rise on top of the Bailey Street lot, the city’s last large surface parking lot.
Some business owners raised concerns about losing parking behind their businesses.
“We're not against the growth of East Lansing. We just want to make sure that our small business can survive too,” said Leah Martin of the Wild Goose Inn.
Earlier this year, Tareen Development Partners pitched a 13-story building that included 83 public parking space. Developer Cody Dietrich said those spaces were later removed because parking is prohibited to be built on site.
“We previously tried this. Unfortunately it didn't work out, but trying to put that onus back on us is unfair and is trying to take our property,” Dietrich said.
Elizabeth Petit, who lives near the parking lot, said she does not believe losing the lot will mean less business.
“People overestimate the number of people that arrive to businesses by car. There's plenty of people that walk or bike, or roll to their errands and other shopping,” Petit said.
A letter sent to the commission by the city's Public Works and Environmental Services Department cited a recent study that found dry cleaning chemicals in groundwater beneath the parking lot, with some at 13 times the state’s safe drinking water limit.
The letter raised concerns the project could create a path for groundwater to reach the Saginaw Aquifer, which supplies water to residents in East Lansing and southeast Michigan.
City Council will decide whether the project moves forward. A public hearing on a potential parking plan is set for July 22.
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