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, eggs," Levitt said. Levitt and project consultants said the applicant had modified the building elevations and site design since the plan’s earlier review: they added corner tower elements with wood-look steel panels, taller spandrel glass, painted brick wraps on canopy supports, and acquired 5 additional feet to the north of the property to align a sidewalk.

Engineers and the landowner addressed technical and site questions. Jim Rosema of Colliers Engineering and Design said the traffic study found the intersection’s existing signalized operation would not see a material increase in delay from the project — "the report says about 1 second at the intersection" — and described driveway movements the team designed to limit left-turn conflicts. Pat Gillespie of the Gillespie Group, the landowner, said Meyer/Meijer will develop the site, pay for stormwater and infrastructure work, and that Lot 14 (a neighboring parcel) will remain in natural vegetation although it is covered by a long-term lease to Meijer.

Public commenters were split. Opponents included Jessica Maxson of Maxson Dental, who cited the project’s location across from another gas station and a traffic-impact study item she read as showing a crash frequency of 16 per year at the intersection and calling 21 crashes per year “critical.” Maxson said, “Voting yes this evening to a high volume business is anything but thoughtful planning for the city.” Greg Maxon, whose practice sits adjacent to the west, said he was not opposed to development but preferred a lower-profile, lower-volume use for the parcel. Supporters included resident Rob Elhinicki, who said he collected roughly 100 letters of support that he planned to forward to City Council.

Commissioners debated several recurring points: the site’s current B-2 (Retail Sales Business) zoning versus the city’s future land-use map (which commissioners said shows C-1, a designation the commission’s discussion characterized as not intended for gas stations); pedestrian and bicycle safety given proximity to the Northern Tier trail and nearby athletic facilities; and what several commissioners described as an uncomfortable or insufficiently transparent process for collecting and presenting last-minute signed support letters. Commissioners also discussed the CATA bus stop near the site; staff and the applicant said a bus sign on Westlake Lansing will be relocated to the west of the proposed driveway and that the primary shelter remains on Abbott.

A motion to recommend approval was made by Commissioner Chapin and seconded by Commissioner Cebolevski; the motion included reference to conditions of approval (listed in the packet as conditions 1 through 14). After discussion, the commission held a roll-call vote. The vote recorded by the secretary was: Commissioner Chapin — No; Commissioner Denault — No; Commissioner Lapine — No; Commissioner Overby — No; Commissioner Cebolevski — Yes; Vice Chair Ed Wagner — No. The motion failed.

Commissioners and staff noted that an earlier Planning Commission action on April 9, 2025 — and the council hearing scheduled afterward — had been invalidated because some property owners were not correctly noticed, which required the rehearing before the present commission. Several commissioners emphasized that their role is advisory and that City Council will make the final determination; others said they hoped council would weigh the traffic and land-use concerns raised in discussion.

If the applicant pursues the project further, the record shows points likely to recur: the parcel’s relationship to the comprehensive plan, traffic and pedestrian safety at the Lake Lansing/Abbott intersection, the proposed site circulation limitations on left turns, and the materials and buffering proposed along the west property line (including a 6-foot vinyl screen fence and a landscaped gap with deciduous trees). The applicant and landowner stated that stormwater and infrastructure improvements are part of the development and that Meijer will fund those on the leased site.

The commission closed the public hearing and moved to other business. The City Council agenda will list the project next; applicants and residents indicated materials (including the support letters collected by neighborhood volunteers) would be submitted to the council packet.