Developments changing Lansing’s downtown

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — From mixed-use housing to a new event venue, hundreds of millions of dollars in developments are expected to transform Downtown Lansing as some developers and city leaders say the city is evolving.

New Vision Lansing

One of the most recent major projects comes from Gentilozzi Real Estate Inc. in the form of New Vision Lansing LLC. The $215 million project announced in 2023 will redevelop three properties in the heart of the city.  The project brought some hesitancy from Lansing City Council members earlier this year.

Developer Paul Gentilozzi says his team is waiting for construction reimbursements in the form of a brownfield agreement with the city. One of the locations is Capital View at 201 North Walnut Street. Right now, boarded-up homes sit on the lot.

“If we were to demolish, spend $1,000,000, demolishing buildings that are existing on the site, we couldn’t use that as a legitimate brownfield expense,” he says.

Gentilozzi says crews will have to wait until 90 days from the expected approval day to begin any reimbursable work at the lot. However, other locations are ready to go, like Washington Square at 100 South Washington.

“Department of Community Health was there. They moved out early so that we could do this adaptive reuse. The building is ready to become a 66-unit apartment building,” says Gentilozzi.

Tower on Grand

The Tower on Grand, a 25-story building is expected to bring 300 housing units. Gentilozzi says soil tests have been completed.

“We’re having to bore 48 holes in the ground, six feet in diameter, 50 feet deep for what we call a ‘caisson’, and that’s a great big column of concrete that goes in the ground with a lot of steel in it to keep the building from tipping over,” he says.

While new housing is moving from concept to structure — the Ovation Center for Music & Arts is still in the works.

Right now, a city spokesperson says renovations are underway for a new public media center in a building next to the future venue.

“In the meantime, the architect, Albert Kahn, has been working on the final plans and schematics. We plan to do a public release on that and the branding in the coming weeks,” says Scott Bean, director of communications for the city.

He says construction is expected by late fall.

Mayor Andy Schor says attractions like this will not only bring people in from out of town, it will also give the beat to the growing district.

“It’s going to be an evolution. We still want all of the people to come in from out of town and work in person and eat at our eateries and shop at our retail,” says Schor. “But, at the same time, we’re going to do housing and we’re going to grow our city and we’ve already got plans on the table,” he says.

The Macotta Club

Just blocks from The Ovation is The Macotta Club. While signs promote a 2024 opening, Cathleen Edgerly, the executive director of Downtown Lansing Inc. says final designs are in the works that can meet requirements for the kitchen incubator and food hall.

“The community will see a lot of work happening here in the coming months as more of that visual construction begins to take place and we’re really excited to open the space up to the public in the second quarter of 2025,” says Edgerly.

She says the downtown district has grown since the 2020 pandemic but has yet to get back to pre-pandemic levels of traffic. With multiple developments on the table, Edgerly says there’s a revitizing opportunity on the horizon.

“I think the future is really bright. You know, today you can feel the energy, the excitement, that “glow up” or build up if you will,” says Edgerly.

Gentilozzi credits Lansing area lawmakers for approving state funding to go for the capital city.

Mayor Schor says while Lansing has always had the desire to grow, recent state budgets have provided the resources to do it.

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