5 developments to watch in Greater Lansing

DELTA TWP. — The Ultium battery plant could be one of the biggest economic boons in the Lansing area in decades, bringing a full factory's worth of new jobs to the region that has struggled for years with stagnant population growth.

It is one of several major developments to watch in the area: From a battery factory in Delta Township to housing in Haslett and downtown entertainment, here's a bit of what to expect to see in the Greater Lansing area in the near future.

Ultium Cells

The $2.6 billion battery plant in Delta Township, roughly the size of 48 football fields, is on pace to open for production next year.

"Construction is progressing to plan," said Katie Burdette, a spokesperson for Ultium Cells, in an email. Burdette declined to provide additional details.

The company is actively hiring for a wide variety of positions.

Officials have said people will have "rapid advancement opportunities" as the company grows from a core launch team to operating at full capacity with about 1,700 employees by the end of 2025.

The company announced in March that the Delta Township site had passed 2 million construction build hours on the plant and was on track for the 2025 production start.

Delta Township also has an Amazon distribution center that is on track to open by the end of the year, township Supervisor Ken Fletcher said.

Walter French

The former middle school is on track to finish its first phase of redevelopment — 76 units of one-, two- or three-bedroom apartments at "affordable" rates — by the end of the year, said Curtis Audette, a spokesperson for the Capital Area Housing Partnership.

Audette said the Cedar Street building had its 300-plus windows replaced. Original architectural plans and old photos were used to recreate the original designs, and those custom windows replaced the non-original and often broken, aluminum-framed windows that were there for years.

The entire building will be reworked with an eye to preserving or restoring its history, including terrazzo floors and glazed brick tiling, with the supervision of the federal National Park Service as well as state historical officials, Audette said.

The historic building also has a second phase: Adding a nonprofit headquarters and child care center in the back part of the building, where the gym was, Audette said. The second of two phases is expected to be finished around spring 2025, in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the building, he said.

"You're going to see historic lighting preserved, it will be a unique living and working experience," Audette said.

Construction on the $35 million project, funded with two-thirds private investment and a $5 million state grant, started in the summer of 2023, Audette said.

New Vision Lansing projects

To include a tower that could complete the tallest building in Lansing in nearly a century, the sweeping New Vision Lansing projects will be the biggest physical makeover to the city's downtown in decades and will collectively add hundreds of new housing units.

A March vote by Lansing City Council members approved $40 million in state money that will seed the $228 million project through reimbursements: $20 million for the skyscraper, most recently set for 26 stories, and $20 million for the other buildings.

The New Vision Lansing project, led by Paul, John and Tony Gentilozzi and Bloomfield Hills-based JFK Investment Company, consists of three buildings: The first would be a reworking of an historic existing office building at 100 S. Washington Square, followed by new construction of the skyscraper on Grand Avenue and a parking facility that spans Grand Avenue and connects both buildings. Additionally, another building would be built at Ottawa and Walnut streets.

Gentilozzi Real Estate did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

Haslett Village

A large development at a notable corner in Haslett is bringing senior housing to a community that has seen tremendous growth but little new housing in recent years.

American House Meridian is a senior housing development with 10,000 square feet of commercial space that has been leased with a cafe, meeting rooms, a salon and other services coming in the first floor, said Amber Clark, neighborhood and economic development director for Meridian Township, in an email.

She said the building has temporary occupancy status for the residential parts and is expected to get final occupancy status at a celebration ceremony from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Adjacent to the senior development, The Haslett Village Square project is a proposed mixed-use development with 290 residential units and 21,750 square feet of commercial, restaurant and community center space. Work is expected to continue on other phases through 2028.

The $65 million, mixed-use development has been in the works for nearly a year and a half at what was an underutilized property near the corner of Marsh and Haslett roads. Built in 1980, the now-bulldozed shopping center, Haslett Village Square, lost businesses in waves over the years, including its anchor, L&L Food Center, in 2011.

Along with the Copper Creek housing development, Haslett Village is one of the first big new housing developments in the area.

MSUFCU Ovation

The entertainment venue is under construction with the smaller part of the project, office space and a public media center renovation at an existing building, expected to be finished this year.

The venue itself, with space for about 2,000 standing guests plus approximately 1,800 seats for concerts, is aimed at keeping entertainment dollars in Lansing, bringing people from Grand Rapids and Detroit to the capital city instead of the other way around, said Dominic Cochran, one of the two city employees working on the Ovation project.

Cochran said the city has extended $20 million in bond capacity. There is a $5 million state grant and lots of private investment, including the $1 million naming rights from MSUFCU.

He said a recent approval by city council will allow the project to use future brownfield tax credits, paid by the developer, to help fund the venue which will allow them to buy better sound and visual equipment.

"Without that, we'd still have a mezzanine but it'd be more like a catwalk," Cochran said. "We’re going to build something exciting now. We want it to be as memorable and buzzworthy as possible."

REO Gateway

The housing development now serves as an entry point into the REO Town neighborhood, taking the site of the abandoned inn that was forfeited and sold in a tax auction.

The development opened last year with three buildings, each with about 24 studio to two-bedroom units ranging from $1,000 to $1,400 per month.

A fourth building has started construction, earlier than expected due to the warmer temperatures.

The fourth building, which will include only single bedrooms and will have an elevator, was funded in part by a Michigan State Housing Development Authority, which gave $1.7 million toward the construction.

Developer Brent Frosberg said he expects the project to finish in the fall.

Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415.