December 20-26, 2017 GHOULTIDE GREETINGS FROM TV HORROR HOST SVENGOOLIE See Page 10 SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS AND DAVINA & THE VAGABONDS JANUARY 18, 7:30PM Cobb Great Hall whartoncenter.com • 1-800-WHARTON The Jazz Series is sponsored by MSU Federal Credit Union. Media sponsor WKAR. 2 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • December 20, 2017 City Pulse • December 20, 2017 www.lansingcitypulse.com 3 What is Christmas? Christmas = Love Join us on Christmas Eve to welcome in the love and the magic of Christmas Day. Sunday, December 24, 2017 9:30 AM—A service of Christmas Carols 4:00 PM—Lessons in Carols and Candles A Celebration for all ages Pilgrim Congregational 125 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Sunday - 9:30 AM United Church of Christ (517) 484-7434 Lansing, MI PilgrimUCC.com 4 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • December 20, 2017 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING EAST LANSING PLANNING COMMISSION VOL. 17 Notice is hereby given of the following public hearing to be held by the East Lansing Planning ISSUE 19 Commission on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 7:00 p.m., in the 54-B District Court, Courtroom 2, 101 Linden Street, East Lansing. (517) 371-5600 • Fax: (517) 999-6061 • 1905 E. Michigan Ave. • Lansing, MI 48912 • www.lansingcitypulse.com A public hearing will be held to consider an application from Speedway, LLC dba Speedway 221 for Special Use Permit approval for the property at 111 West Lake Lansing ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: (517) 999-5061 Road. The applicant is requesting approval to allow the sale of packaged beer and wine. or email [email protected] PAGE CLASSIFIEDS: (517) 999-5066 Call (517) 319-6930, the Department of Planning, Building and Development, East Lansing City Hall, 410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, for additional information. All interested persons will be given EDITOR AND PUBLISHER • Berl Schwartz an opportunity to be heard. These matters will be on the agenda for the next Planning Commission 9 meeting after the public hearing is held, at which time the Commission may vote on them. The [email protected] • (517) 999-5061 ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER • Mickey Hirten Planning Commission's recommendations are then placed on the agenda of the next City Council Meridian farmers market moves indoors for winter meeting. The City Council will make the final decision on these applications. [email protected] ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR • Rich Tupica • arts@lansing- The City of East Lansing will provide reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as interpreters citypulse.com • (517) 999-5068 for the hearing impaired and audio tapes of printed materials being considered at the meeting, to EVENTS EDITOR • Ella Kramer individuals with disabilities upon request received by the City seven (7) calendar days prior to the PAGE [email protected] • (517) 999-6704 meeting. Individuals with disabilities requiring aids or services should write or call the Planning PRODUCTION MANAGER • Abby Kelly Department, 410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI 48823. Phone: (517) 319-6930. TDD Number: 12 STAFF WRITERS • Lawrence Cosentino 1-800-649-3777. [email protected] Marie E. Wicks Museum installation celebrates Michigan artists of all kinds Todd Heywood City Clerk [email protected] CP#17-325 Skyler Ashley [email protected] • (517) 999-5068 PAGE ASSISTANT SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR Mandy Jackson • [email protected] 21 Contributors: Andy Balaskovitz, Justin Bilicki, Daniel E. Bollman, Capital News Service, Bill Castanier, NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Mary C. Cusack, Tom Helma, Gabrielle Lawrence EAST LANSING HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION New eateries and craft brews around Lansing Johnson, Eve Kucharski, Terry Link, Andy McGlashen, Notice is hereby given of the following public hearing to be held by the East Lansing Historic District Kyle Melinn, Mark Nixon, Shawn Parker, Stefanie Pohl, Commission on Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 7:00 p.m., in the 54-B District Court, Courtroom 2, Dennis Preston, Allan I. Ross, Dylan Tarr, Rich Tupica, 101 Linden Street, East Lansing. Cover Ute Von Der Heyden, David Winkelstern, Paul Wozniak Interns: Kelly Sheridan, Shruti Saripalli, A public hearing will be held for the purpose of considering a request from Mark and Sherry Min-Wang Kathy Oppenhuizen, for the property at 405 University Drive, to replace all windows Art in the home with units to fit within the existing window openings. Distribution manager: Paul Shore • (517) 999-5061 Call (517) 319-6930, the Department of Planning, Building and Development, East Lansing City Hall, Photo credit: Jim Roche/Svengoolie Delivery drivers: Frank Estrada, Dave Fisher, Jack 410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, for additional information. All interested persons will be given an Sova, Richard Simpson, Thomas Scott Jr. opportunity to be heard. The City of East Lansing will provide reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as interpreters for the hearing impaired and audio tapes of printed materials being considered at the meeting, to individuals with disabilities upon request received by the City seven (7) calendar days prior to the meeting. Individuals with disabilities requiring aids or services should write or call the Planning Department, 410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI 48823. Phone: (517) 319-6930. TDD Number: 1-800- 649-3777. Marie E. Wicks City Clerk CP#17-326 City Pulse • December 20, 2017 www.lansingcitypulse.com 5 PULSE NEWS & OPINION Mixed-use complex to replace old downtown YMCA building $25 million, 4-story plan offers 145 apartments, 7,000 sq. feet of commercial and retail space After years of stop and go attempts to develop the old downtown YMCA loca- tion, property owner Julie Lawton-Essa said Monday that she has financing for a four-story, $25 million apartment, com- mercial and retail development. The old Y, opened in 1951 and closed since 2003, will be torn down. Capital Area District Libraries The new project, dubbed Metro Place, A four-story, $25 million complex of apart- would be 122,130 square feet. Ground- ments and commercial and retail space breaking is projected in spring 2018. would replace the old YMCA, closed since It will have 145 apartments (30 studios, 69 Courtesy image 2003, in downtown Lansing on Kalamazoo one-bedroom and bath units, 29 two-bed- Street. room and bath units and 17 two-bedroom and two-bath units). Approximately 6,925 property for parking for the nearby Veterans The apartments will be marketed to young project was moving forward. “It is within a square feet of commercial and retail space Memorial Courthouse. That option was dis- professionals and their families, she said. month of a huge redevelopment announce- will be on the ground level, along with some cussed by city and Ingham County officials With the new city hall proposed just down ment,” he said. “It’s in the very final stage.” apartments. The project also includes 154 as they consider whether to move 54-A Dis- the street at the now vacant Lansing State He said Lawton-Essa will be using a surface parking places for apartment resi- trict Court to the courthouse if the plan to Journal building, and Reutter Park less than Brownfield plan approved by City Council dents. convert City Hall to a hotel goes ahead. a block away, she said she also expects the 10 years ago but never finalized in the de- Lawton-Essa said the current, six-story Under the proposal, Lawton-Essa will vol- new living spaces will trigger a neighbor- velopment. The state has to approve that building configuration would not support untarily pay prevailing wage, which adds an hood revitalization, including food trucks. incentive, which would see the developer get repurposing for apartments. additional $2 million to the project. “That’s Bob Trezise, CEO of Lansing Economic some of its cost back. The project would preclude using the important to us and to the city,” she said. Area Partnership (LEAP), confirmed the — TODD HEYWOOD BWL plans $500 million power plant; scope and timing questioned The BWL’s big announcement Monday “At a time when we have climate change deniers in with stakeholders were also taken into that it plans to build a $500 million natural account. gas plant drew a mixed response. power in Washington, we have our local utility embrac- According to the final report, the citizens’ Depending on whom you ask, it’s either committee recommended one out of seven the utility’s biggest step yet toward a clean ing an environmentally sustainable future for metro options presented by BWL and refined in energy future or a premature, oversized discussions with the group. beast the Lansing Board of Water and Light Lansing.” Jeffrey Pillon, a member of the citizens’ should have proposed to the community — Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero committee, said Monday’s announcement and not imposed upon it. was the “culmination” of that process. BWL plans to start building the plant, plants. Michigan Environmental Council, felt a Pillon is director of energy assurance for the biggest project in its history, on the “At a time when we have climate change sense of déjà vu. “It wouldn’t be the first the National Association of State Energy site its Erickson Power Station in Delta deniers in power in Washington, we have time we’ve seen the utility rush into a deci- Officials. Township in January 2019 and hopes to flip our local utility embracing an environmen- sion that wasn’t well thought out,” he said. “We were encouraging the board to take a the switch in early 2021. tally sustainable future for metro Lansing,” The rollout of a new plant has been wide- look at how they might expand the renew- BWL General Manager Dick Peffley said Bernero said. ly expected for years, but the specifics of the ables and energy efficiency, and they did that with the new plant on line, the utili- BWL also announced Monday that the project were under wraps until now.