Planning Commission recommends against rezoning vacant Tarane/West Grand River parcel

The East Lansing Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend that City Council deny Ordinance 15-48, a request to rezone a 0.41-acre vacant parcel at the northwest corner of Tarane and West Grand River from R1 (low-density single-family residential) to B2 (retail sales business).

Neighbors who addressed the commission urged denial, arguing the rezoning would expand retail uses closer to an established residential neighborhood. Diane Wing of the Chesterfield Hills Historic District told commissioners she remained opposed and characterized the proposal as "scope creep" and "commercial creep," saying the parcel is better suited for residential uses such as townhomes or small-scale housing to address local affordable-housing needs. "I remain opposed to this rezoning," Wing said, adding that the lot is currently unkempt and that residents had expected earlier owner outreach.

The applicant, represented in the meeting by representatives for Saginaw Street Investments LLC, said the owner’s intent is to combine the parcel with adjacent property and build a parking lot to support nearby office space and retail tenants. The applicant emphasized that the intent is to provide employee parking that would improve office-leasing prospects. "That's all we want," the applicant representative said, describing the parking-lot concept shown in a conceptual plan displayed to the commission.

Planning staff reminded commissioners that a rezoning to B2 would permit a range of commercial uses in the future and that a site-plan review — and public hearing — would be required before construction of a parking lot or other improvements. Staff also noted the property’s future-land-use designation as mixed use on the 2018 comprehensive plan map, while cautioning that the future-land-use map is a guide rather than a zoning entitlement.

Commissioners heard arguments on both sides and several said they were sympathetic to the owner's leasing concerns but ultimately sided with neighborhood preservation. Commissioner Overby said the proposed change would be permanent and could affect the neighborhood's character, and other commissioners expressed regret that applicant representatives had not yet met the nearby Glencairn Neighborhood Association.

Motion: Commissioner Chapin moved to recommend approval; Commissioner Overby seconded. The commission then conducted a roll-call vote: every commissioner voted "no," and the motion failed. Planning staff will forward the commission's recommendation against approval to City Council for further consideration.