Economic Growth

The plans for the new City Market will relocate it to an ideal setting along the Riverfront, one of Lansing’s greatest assets.

The new market will also be the catalyst for future growth along the Riverfront and Downtown creating a new sense of community in the area. The proposed development will re-energize Downtown with more residents and businesses, contributing to Lansing’s ongoing economic rebirth.

In an effort to continue the positive momentum the City of Lansing has experienced over the past couple of years, Gillespie Group is pleased to present the following detail as it pertains to the proposed revitalization of one of our city’s most underutilized and yet greatest potential sites. Located on the Grand River, the site will encompass several acres and be constructed in two phases.

These two phases would total about $30 to $35 million in new downtown investment. These mixed-use developments would bring new business, residents and additional life into the downtown community.

Marketplace

The Marketplace site contains the existing Lansing City Market which is in poor condition and underutilized.  We feel this is a perfect location if you’re going to be on the river in downtown Lansing, Michigan.  We believe this development will help change the river scape and set the tone for additional downtown development. All of this will entice people to the water’s edge to enjoy the new diverse market place.

In addition to this activity, we envision semi-motorized and non-motorized boats that will be docked at this site when “in season” and available for rent.  A few boat slips will be available for people to utilize so they may enjoy the downtown area.  The green, grassy knoll to the east of this building can serve as overflow for seasonal flats of flowers and festive tents for various events the market plans to hold.

We also propose to house a restaurant (with large patio facing the river) 14,000 square foot day spa and 25 (+/-) condominiums in a building just to the northeast of the new market that shares a high-end, eclectic main lobby area. 

Ball Park North

On the half block directly to the north of Oldsmobile Park, we would like to construct a building looking down into the stadium, with the outdoor patio seating to provide a view into the ballpark.  We propose two levels of parking under this structure and three to four levels above.

We believe this will be a massive structure and need to consist of two or three different structures that are either attached or look as though they are attached.  Two different hotel (brand) products may play off each other well in this format (one in left field and one in right field).  There may be a few floors of hotel rooms and a floor or two of condominiums and/or apartments.

This building could also be a very unique use for a corporate headquarters or office, using just a portion of the building.  The balance of this phase can be a multitude of things such as office, residential, retail, entertainment or a mix of all.

We prefer an urban-edge elevation with a flat roof look but are not opposed to a pitched roof with the right parapet walls and pitch.  We envision a roof top that allows 5,000 square feet of roof top dining, entertainment and the like.

We feel that as the developments within the City of Lansing continue to unfold, demand for hotel space will grow immensely.  In early 2009, we would hope to have a hotel operation or two on board and ready to proceed with Phase II – Ball Park North and its mixed uses.