East Lansing planning commission denies Meijer Express special-use for Lake Lansing and Abbott site

On June 16, 2025, the East Lansing Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit request from Meijer Inc. to build a 5,751-square-foot Meijer Express convenience store with six pump islands (12 fueling positions) at 100 Westlake Lansing Road (the northwest corner of Lake Lansing Road and Abbott Road). The motion to recommend approval failed on a roll-call vote after commissioners voiced concerns about traffic safety, the site’s place in the city’s future land-use guidance and the provenance of a last-minute packet of support materials.

The vote matters because the site sits at a busy, signalized intersection that commissioners, neighbors and business owners said is already a high-crash location and a key pedestrian/bicycle route to nearby recreational facilities. Planning Commission recommendations go to City Council, which will consider the project at a future meeting; the commission’s vote was to recommend approval with conditions, and its failure leaves the applicant’s request without the commission’s endorsement.

Meijer’s real estate manager, Matt Levitt, described the proposal as a new-generation, freestanding “Meijer Express” store intended to provide a larger convenience offering than a typical gas-station shop. "It will offer items that are typically not available in convenience stores at gas stations, including fresh food, staple items that you would normally get at a grocery store, bread, milk,…