Silver Bells in the City & First Ward Happenings

Silver Bells in the City

The City of Lansing had another wonderful Silver Bells in the City event.  If you have never attended this event, you should certainly do so next year.  The Board of Water and Light worked diligently putting up lights and all the things behind the scenes.  Downtown Lansing, Inc. did a great job coordinating the efforts.  It seems this event just gets better and better each year.  The tree is beautiful and classic with the white lights neatly placed on each branch.  For everyone that was involved in this event, you sure made Lansing proud for the 30th annual Silver Bells in the City!

Just a Note

There are so many things happening in the city at this time, that I will not have time to touch on all of them.  The issues that I do address, I will address in greater detail at the 1st Contact, Saturday, December 5, 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Allen Market Center.

What's Coming Up With Council

In the next few weeks, council will be wrapping up the business for this year.  This means that issues that have been completed will be passed to the new committee members after our January 5 organizational meeting.  As chair of the Public Safety Committee, I have been working on the following: 

• Review and revision of the Medical Marijuana ordinance  
• Review and collaboration on the prostitution issue 
• Overnight parking issues
• Code compliance issues
• Signage issues
• Much more  

This has been an extremely busy year for Public Safety.  All other committee chairs will be wrapping up their issues and handing them over to the new committees as well.

Much to my surprise, there has not been much discussion regarding leadership for the 2015 council.  Time will tell who the new president and vice president will be.

1st Ward Goings On

Neogen has purchased the old Estes building at 1700 Shiawassee.  They will be spending $1.6 million in renovations for this building.  They intend to use it as mixed use—laboratories, production, and offices.  This will create 25 new jobs.  They will be seeking a 50% tax abatement over 12 years.  We will discuss further at our 1st Contact meeting.

The Lansing Brewing Company applied for a new micro-brewery, small wine maker and small distiller license.  This will be located at 517 E. Shiawassee Street.  Again, we will discuss this further at our 1st Contact meeting.

The Red Cedar project is finally moving forward!!!  The agreement has been signed and we are ready to roll.  You won’t see shovels in the ground until next year, but progress will be made nonetheless.  What am I going to say?  We will discuss further at 1st Contact!! 

Sparrow Hospital is going to build their Cancer Center on the property of the Old Bingham Elementary School. 

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!!!

How They Voted - City Council Meeting 9/15/14

As always, there are many things occurring in our city. I'd like to begin with the news that we have many new businesses opening up on Michigan Avenue. If you haven't checked them out, please do so. We have an upscale meat shop, new flower shop, expansion of the Soup Spoon Cafe, new eating establishments, and a new craft beer/eating establishment opening up in the Stadium District.

Even though our city is facing some challenges, I refuse to take my eyes off the prize. I will continue to fight for this city that I love until I see it be the amazing place to live that we all envision.

A few things on the City Council forefront are as follows: 

Sale of the Michigan Avenue and Waverly Park – The Development & Planning Committee will be moving the resolution to sell the property out of committee this week.  This would then go before the entire council for a vote. The city has been offered nearly $5.8 million for the park land by Livonia-based Schostak Brothers & Company, a real estate development firm.  The firm stated that they would most likely do a mixed-used project, which is what they have done on most of their other properties.  The mayor wants to use some of the money to invest in other parks and place some of the money in the “rainy day” fund.  When this was first discussed, many of the council members--especially Tina Houghton--were opposed to selling the Michigan Avenue Park portion due to the high usage by residents for sledding.

Municipal Partnership Agreement between East Lansing and Lansing to Form an Authority for the Regulation of Taxicab Companies and Drivers- The joint agreement was set to be voted on at the last council meeting, but most of the council members wanted to have a public hearing regarding the agreement.  I was the lone no vote.  The agreement is being considered due to the fact that many taxicabs cross the city lines on a regular basis, and it is believed that it makes sense to have the joint agreement.  There are many requirements that must be fulfilled for a taxicab company or ride-share companies to be licensed within the two cities.  Holding off on the vote is not a major issue, but it would make sense to have this in place as soon as possible.

Eliminating Traffic Board and Transferring its Functions to the Public Service Board- This ordinance will place the Traffic Board responsibilities under the Public Service Board.  The public hearing regarding this will be held at the council meeting on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.

City Council Retreat – The City Council had a retreat of sorts a few weeks ago regarding strategic planning and vision.  Faculty from MSU facilitated the meeting, and we were joined by members of the Financial Health Team, the mayor, our finance director, and Randy Hannan.  It was encouraging to see all members of council, along with the administration, have a fruitful discussion and planning period.  We have come up with a mission statement and are constructing plans on how to carry out the mission/vision within each of our committees.

Park Board Representative for 1^st Ward  - I am pleased to announce that Rita O’Brien has been appointed the 1^st Ward representative for the Park Board.  Rita will be joining us at our next 1^st Contact meeting.

For now, this is all I have to share.  I will be back on this blog in the very near future!

--Jody

Special Council Meeting

Last night, the Lansing City Council had a special council meeting to vote on whether or not the following four items should be placed on the ballot for November:

1. The sale of Grand Woods Park -  Grand Woods Park is dedicated park land that sits in Delta Township.  Delta Township has been leasing the park for the past 30 years.  The lease is coming to an end.  Delta Township will be having an assessment done, at their expense, of the park.  The goal is to have Delta Township purchase the park and keep it a park.  Any proceeds from the sale of this park to any entity will be used for improvements in the City of Lansing Park and Recreation system.

2. The sale of the Miller Road Community Center-  This center is located at 6025 Curry Lane, Lansing, Michigan.  The park that constitute the property is a dedicated City of Lansing park.  The administration believes that it is in the best interest of the city--because the city will no longer incur the expenses associated with maintaining the property--to sell this property.  Any proceeds made from the sale will be used for improvements in the City of Lansing Parks and Recreation system.  The community center quit being used for such in 2011.  Currently, the Peppermint Creek Theater Company rents the building for their productions.  The theater company has been renting and maintaining the building, but at this time, are not in a position to buy the building.  The City, however, is hopeful that sometime during the next two years Peppermint Creek may possibly be able to make the purchase.  Until that time, the City will continue to lease to the theater company and will not displace them.  The lease runs from February to February.  Therefore, they will have a lease until at least February 2016.

3. City Charter Amendment and Ballot Proposal – Lansing Board of Water and Light Regional Representation – If passed by the voters in November, this will open three advisory, non-voting, representatives of customers and citizens outside the City of Lansing.  These seats would be as follows:

a.       One appointed by East Lansing

b.       One appointed by Delta Township

c.       One at-large seat representing the remaining communities in the BWL service territory, the appointment of which will be rotated between the following municipalities annually:

1.       Meridian Township

2.       Delhi Township

3.       DeWitt Township

4.       Lansing Township

5.       City of East Lansing

4. City Charter Amendment and Proposal – Mayor Emergency Powers – If passed by the voters in November, this will give the mayor executive powers over the Board of Water & Light in the event of and during emergencies and disasters.  This would give the mayor executive power to use personnel, supplies, equipment, etc., in whatever manner he/she deems necessary for the duration of the emergency or disaster.  The mayor can declare an emergency for up to seven days without going before city council.  After seven days, council must weigh in.

 All four ballot initiatives were approved unanimously by council. 

Committee of the Whole & City Council Meeting 7/14/14

I was not able to attend Common Ground this year, but I heard it was wonderful.  I saw the mayor in the elevator the other morning, and he was very impressed with Earth, Wind and Fire.  I hope to attend some of the events next year, as this is certainly a great event for Lansing.

I wanted to take a minute to report on Monday’s discussion at the Committee of the Whole and the Council meeting.

Committee of the Whole

The major discussion revolved around the RACER Trust meeting held last week.  First, RACER stands for Revitalization Auto Community Environmental Response.  The RACER Trust was established in March 2011 by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to clean up and position for redevelopment properties and other facilities owned by the former General Motors Corp. before its 2009 bankruptcy.  There is more information regarding this Trust at www.racertrust.org, if you are interested in learning more about them.  Through the bankruptcy, $780 million was placed into the trust for cleanup of the old GM properties.  Of that, $16 million has been dedicated to the Lansing area.  RACER is working with the GM site on the west side of town, which is where plants 2, 3, and 6 had been.  The property by the Grand River plant was not placed into the trust.

RACER is working with top environmentalists to put together a remediation plan.  Following those efforts, redevelopment can then be brought to the table.

There have been three public meetings regarding the land and RACER Trust.  Much of the discussion has been regarding the environmental issues.  There are pockets of contaminants underground that have created a plume.  The plume is contained within the property and has not spread to the neighborhoods.  It has taken 40 years for it to spread to where it is, and there is a system in place to clean it, which takes eight years.

Other discussion has involved how to parcel the land.  It can be sold in chunks.  The land will only be used for industrial sites and not for residential.  There could be multiple industrial entities on the site.  One discussion is regarding a solar power installation.  The BWL currently has an RFP out, and perhaps RACER could bid on it. 

There will be a full discussion at the Council meeting on July 28. Representatives from the RACER Trust will be on board to give a presentation that evening.  This property has exciting potential, and I hope if you are able that you will either attend that meeting or watch it to get the full report.

Council Meeting

Lansing’s largest park, Crego Park, will have its grand re-opening on Thursday, July 31, 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  Join Mayor Bernero for canoes, kayaks, River Trail walks, and more.  The park is actually open now, but this will be the official re-opening.

This Saturday we will have the Taste of Downtown from 3-8 p.m.  There will be a lot of food, music, and fun.  The tickets are $15 in advance, and $20 at the door.  You can find out more at tasteofdowntown.org.

Special Ceremonies

We were fortunate to celebrate Chris Swope obtaining the Certified Michigan Municipal Clerk designation.  There is no denying that our City Clerk, Chris Swope, is incredibly hardworking and does an amazing job.  We are fortunate to have him right here in Lansing.

We recognized Willard Walker’s 80^th birthday and all of his contributions to our city.  It is during times like this that you really understand that we are standing on the shoulders of giants. 

A check presentation was given to the Greater Lansing Food Bank from the 2013 Mayors’ Ramadan Unity Dinner.  This annual event has grown from 75 people to almost 500 at the last dinner.  The administration was able to give the Food Bank a check in excess of $9,000.

Resolutions for Action

A resolution was presented for action to accept a grant for Domestic Violence Swift and Sanctions Pilot Program Grant Acceptance.  This grant would be used to provide programs and services for three-time offenders of domestic violence.  The third domestic violence is a felony.  What this grant would do is allow the courts to have the third offense dropped down to being a second offense, thus making it a misdemeanor.  The offender would then attend programs and services such as anger management in an attempt to rehabilitate them.  The offender would be monitored by the courts for 12 months.  If they don’t offend again within the 12 months, they are considered a success.

I voted no on the acceptance of this grant.  I would have been more apt to support this grant if it provided services at the first offence, not the third.   

For this grant to have been accepted, it needed six votes.  Since there was an absence, and because Council President A’Lynne Boles and I voted no, the resolution for did not pass.

Jody

Committee of the Whole: About the Abigail Project

I think this council meeting must have been one of the shortest on record. There wasn’t much on the agenda, and Jessica and Tina had excused absences. 

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE (COW)

Dorothy Boone and a representative for the developer came to COW to answer any questions regarding the payment in lieu of taxes for the proposed Abigail project (former School for the Blind). They would like to pay 4% for the PILOT rather than the typical 10%, because they feel that this would give the project a greater chance of success. 

Several councilmembers had many questions regarding the clientele of the proposed housing project, which would consist of 33 units for low income and affordable housing, and 11 units for support system individuals. These individuals would be homeless, potentially homeless, people with mental disabilities, etc. Also, they are not requesting historical credits which would ensure the façade would remain historically correct. 

I voiced my opposition to this project. I believe this is the wrong project for this property. The property is a huge piece of land with this building sitting in the middle. I do not think this is the place for a large low income, affordable housing project. Willow Vista is directly across the street from this building. The neighborhood is fragile and could decline easily. And most of all, I am vehemently opposed to segregating the poor in large housing projects, where other low income housing projects already exist, in fragile or challenged neighborhoods. I was told by the developer’s representative that the people that would live in this project are "probably already living in some slum" down the street.  This made my point about it already being a fragile neighborhood.

My opposition does not stem from the fact that I think these folks are not good enough for affordable housing—quite the contrary. I care deeply about the housing opportunities for the lower income population.  I believe in inclusion zoning, which mixes affordable housing in conjunction with market rate housing. Further, I believe it is time that we take a regional approach to low income and affordable housing. Lansing has many, many units of low income and affordable housing.  This housing should be dispersed throughout the region to give these folks different opportunities. To segregate our low income population in struggling neighborhoods with struggling schools only exacerbates and perpetuates the situation in which they find themselves. 

I would prefer to see dollars spent to upgrade existing homes in neighborhoods scattered throughout the city and the region. Also, if we have substandard housing, it is high time we get serious about going after the landlords that allow people to live in homes that they would not live in themselves.

I cannot in good conscience ever approve of segregating or warehousing an entire portion of our population, especially under these circumstances.

As this is a topic that we have had some folks come down and support, I believe it is necessary that I state my opinion on the matter. I respect and understand the other side of this issue, and I believe folks came at it with a pure heart. As I respect their position, I hope others can respect mine.

Jody

How They Voted - City Council Meeting 6/9/14

City Council Meeting of 6/9/14

Monday night we had a special City Council meeting due to the time line for the Ball Park Stadium and Outfield Project (the apartments on the outfield).

How They Voted:

Special Land Use
Parking Lot at 312 N. Cedar Street, Ballpark North.  This is 1.7 acres on Cedar Street from the Central parking Garage to Michigan Avenue.  This needed to be approved for financing purposes.

Approval for the SLU passed 6 – 1.  

Yes - Boles, Brown-Clarke, Houghton, Quinney, Washington, Yorko

No - Wood 

Not Present - Dunbar
_____________________________________________
Amendment to the Brownfield Redevelopment Plan #55, Ballpark North 

The amendment was needed to include the parking lot into the brownfield.

Approval for the amendment passed 6 – 1.  

Yes - Boles, Brown-Clarke, Houghton, Quinney, Washington, Yorko

No - Wood

Not Present- Dunbar 
______________________________________________ 
Conveyance of Interest in Certan Property Adjacent to Cooley Law School Stadium and Stadium License 

Lease and Service Agreement -   Private funding for the Outfield Project (apartments) is $23.5 million.  The city will put in $10.5 million.  The city owns the ball park.  We lease it to TMO, LLC.  We are responsible for the upkeep of the stadium.

Approval passed 7-1.  

Yes - Boles, Brown-Clarke, Dunbar (arrived to meeting to vote on this), Houghton, Quinney, Washington, Yorko

No - Wood

_______________________________________________
Act 99 Installment Purchase Agreement 

This agreement is for the financing of the Stadium Renovations.  This will be for 15 years at 4.5% interest rate.

Approval for the Agreement passed 6 – 1.  

Yes - Boles, Brown-Clarke, Houghton, Quinney, Washington, Yorko

No - Wood

Not Present - Dunbar

________________________________________________
Wet Weather Control Program Limited Tax Obligation Bond  -
Approval for the bond passed 7 – 0.

Yes - Boles, Brown-Clark, Houghton, Quinney, Washington, Wood, Yorko

Dunbar - Not Present
_______________________________________________
Ordinance for passage
Z-8-2013, 505 E. Michigan & South 1.17 acres of 312 N. Cedar; “H” Light Industrial to “G-1” Business District for the Cooley Law School Stadium Redevelopment Project.   This ordinance brings the property in alignment with the rest of the property in that area.  This will also allow for the development of mixed use.

Ordinance Passed 7 – 1.  

Yes - Boles, Brown-Clarke, Dunbar, Houghton, Washington, Wood, Yorko

No - Wood

________________________________________________

Other Items (Events)

Concert Series

This Wednesday, the Concert Series begins at Ranney Park by Frandor.  Soul Town will be playing from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.  If it rains, the concert will be held same place, same time on Thursday.

Fish Rodeo 
This will be held at Riverfront Park, Thursday through Saturday.  There will be fish derbies, rubber duck races, fishing competitions, and all things water related.  This should be a great time for all!

--Jody