Planning commission hears proposal for 32 one‑bedroom condominiums at 601 Abbott Road

A public hearing at the April 23 East Lansing Planning Commission meeting drew testimony and detailed staff review of a site plan application to demolish an existing office building at 601 Abbott Road and construct a three‑story condominium building with 32 one‑bedroom units.

City planning staff summarized the proposal, saying the building would include three stories of residential space with parking beneath and behind the structure. "Each of the proposed units are one bedroom units that range in size from about 570 square feet to, just under 860 square feet," staff said. The project is zoned RM‑32, City Center multiple‑family residential district, which includes a code provision that normally limits on‑site parking to 50 percent of required spaces unless the commission grants a waiver.

That 50 percent rule means the site would be allowed to provide 16 on‑site spaces while the code requires 32 spaces for the development; the applicant requests 35 spaces. "We asked the applicant if they could provide a letter from a traffic engineer just confirming that this will be below that threshold and a study won't…