LANSING, Michigan (WILX) – Downtown Lansing has many vacant buildings and fewer workers commuting to work, resulting in even fewer companies locating there.
After a decline in pedestrian traffic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, business leaders and officials are now looking to restore a thriving city center.
The challenge for downtown Lansing is to move beyond the normal work-life cycle. Government employees commute downtown to work, but that’s just not enough. Repurposing underused space is one way to transform the heart of the city.
A study by Downtown Lansing Inc. found that improving retail, housing, walkability and public spaces could improve the city. They estimate that there is about 1 million square feet of vacant commercial space downtown and demand for downtown housing is large enough to fill 1,100 housing units annually for the next five years.
Jen Estill of Downtown Lansing Inc. says work is underway to bring new offerings downtown, but it takes time to figure out what works in an older building or on a main street.
“It just takes a little bit of time and planning, there’s a lot of work involved in figuring out who the right tenant is for each individual space because each one is unique. So part of downtown’s job is to find the perfect location and the perfect offer in that location. Some office buildings translate very easily and there’s a lot of technical information behind them. Some of them become residential, some of them require a lot of thought,” Estill said.
Downtown Lansing Inc. has several redevelopment projects in the pipeline for Downtown Lansing. Estill also owns the Nelson Gallery, which hosts live music on Thursdays to attract more people to the area. She says if every business does its part to bring more customers downtown, it helps everyone.
There are also plans for a new residential project, a performing arts venue and a new hotel to replace the current Lansing City Hall. Officials and business leaders hope these moves will benefit businesses currently located downtown and attract more.
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