Latest news with #NewVisionLansing
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Vision Lansing project, including 28-story skyscraper, breaks ground in Lansing
LANSING — The dirt was carefully prepared, hidden from the fledgling snowfall by a giant white tent as officials picked up ceremonial shovels and marked the start of work on the city's largest construction project in a generation. The New Vision Lansing projects, roughly $315 million in investments, will start with a 28-story skyscraper, the Tower on Grand, that will take about two years to fully build. The centerpiece of the New Vision Lansing projects, it is expected to become the city's tallest building, a title that has been held for a century by a building now known as the Boji Tower. The 300,000-square-foot Tower on Grand is planned for a lot between the Grand Tower at 235 S. Grand Ave., where West Washtenaw Street dead-ends into Grand Avenue, and a parking garage to the north. The project will also include more than 560 apartments along with commercial, retail or office space in every building. Additionally, an existing building in the 100 block of S. Washington Square will be repurposed into mixed use, the Capitol Tower at 201 N. Walnut will be a new building with 105 residential units with mixed-use and office space, as will an existing five-story building at 116 W. Ottawa, the Ingham Building. And in Old Town, the project will include a new building with about 90 residential units and mixed-use space The project has already gone through the ringer and there's plenty of other challenges to come, said John Gentilozzi, vice president of Gentilozzi Real Estate and a project leader. There were times when the financing was in question, including skepticism by city council members, and the designs have changed from three to four to five buildings while the price tag of the projects has grown by around $100 million. One small hiccup was avoided Monday. The giant tent? The mayor's office called on Monday morning to say there was no permit for the tent. So New Vision employees paid the tent permit fee quickly and $300 later the official ceremony was legit, said Paul Gentilozzi, head of the family firm. The New Vision Lansing project is financed in significant part by public dollars including around $200 million in various tax and other incentives. The state Legislature committed $40 million in tax dollars for it. The Gentilozzis are putting up millions of their own money in the project, said Pat Gillespie, founder and CEO of Gillespie Group, a competing development firm in Lansing. Gillespie spoke on behalf of the project, acknowledging the upcoming competition for his own rental units, but said he was one of the first people to be excited for the Gentilozzi projects. "With 600 to 700 new units, that will help our bars and restaurants. We're going to see more bars and restaurants and entertainment coming," he said. "We feel bullish about Lansing." The public funds were key to the projects, said Karl Dorshimer, president and CEO of the Lansing Economic Development Corporation. "Without the public sector, there's no way for this to be done," he said. Brownfield and other funding mechanisms are necessary for large projects today, given the high cost of housing and Lansing's need for significantly more units, Dorshimer said. "There was a time years ago when the private sector went and did it on their own," Dorshimer said. "But for too long developers have said 'I don't want to clean that up, I'll go elsewhere.'" He said the groundbreaking helps to mark a transformation in Lansing, a city that he expects will be transformed in the next five years. Joseph Kosik Jr., an investor and partner with JFK Investments, is a key financier of the project. Kosik said Gentilozzi's passion for Lansing helped make him a believer. "He made us want to be part of this with his passion and love for the city, it's a city that is ready to take off," Kosik said. Lansing was showing great promise before COVID, Kosik said, and he believes these projects will help bring more people and momentum to the city. Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@ or 517-267-0415. This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: $315M, 5-building New Vision Lansing project breaks ground
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mike Duggan at MSU: Lansing's New Vision project is as serious as his independent run for governor
EAST LANSING — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan praised some of Lansing's development projects as he sketched out his independent gubernatorial campaign at a Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce luncheon Thursday. Duggan said his campaign as an independent candidate is widely seen as a longshot, not much different than his first Detroit mayoral election when, as a white man, he sought to lead a city with 83% Black residents. He said people can test out his theory themselves: Ask their friends if they are happy with the two parties' options. "Two-thirds of the people in every room I'm in say: 'We've been looking for change,'" Duggan said, speaking at the Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University campus. "If I listened to people tell me what couldn't be done, I wouldn't have run." He said his trick during his first mayoral run was simple: Let people invite him into their homes and he'd talk to a small number of people, and he did that hundreds of times. Duggan spoke to a crowded room of chamber members as part of the chamber's Lansing Economic Club 2025 Kickoff event. The longtime Democrat said revitalizing Detroit required stepping out of Democrat-Republican fights and political battles and that's what he aimed to bring to Michigan as governor. Duggan praised the more than $300 million New Vision Lansing project in Lansing, saying Lansing Mayor Andy Schor and his team have been doing the kind of development work that the rest of Michigan should model. Duggan paused a moment and said he was unsure if people in the room supported the New Vision project, but he did. People in the room gave a round of applause at that point. Schor, a Democrat seeking his third term this year, said he is focused on his own race and not on whether Duggan would affect Democrats in the governor's race. "Mike is a fellow mayor," Schor said, noting the two have worked together through the United States Conference of Mayors. "We get a lot of things done as mayors." Duggan was asked after his speech about work from home policies and whether he would have closed schools during the pandemic. He largely avoided answering, saying he was focused on the future and hadn't looked into individual state departments. "People work better when they're on site and can collaborate," he said. "But there are IT talent and creative talent that can do their job from home. I gotta believe, and I haven't asked Mayor Andy Schor about this, but I gotta believe the mayor of Lansing would be happy if they got back in the office." He said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has appropriately raised the auto industry struggles to the administration of President Donald Trump. "We're trying to handle it in a calm and thoughtful way and so far, at least, Detroit has not been affected," Duggan said about threatened tariffs. Whitmer is term-limited and the state will elect a new governor in 2026. Duggan was the first major candidate to announce. He's since been joined state Senate Majority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat. And Genessee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, a Democrat who Duggan said is a friend, is likely to enter the race. "He's a serious candidate," Duggan said. "He's not a slouch, he's going make this race a lot more interesting than you think." Several other potential candidates have yet to announce intentions. The Chamber wanted to bring Duggan because he's an energetic speaker and so members can hear first hand from a governor's candidate, said Steve Jupinga, senior vice president for public affairs for the Chamber. He said Duggan also spoke to the chamber about a decade ago. Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@ or 517-267-0415 This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Mike Duggan visits Lansing to raise support for his independent run for governor
USA Today
06-02-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Mike Duggan at MSU: Lansing's New Vision project is as serious as his independent run for governor
Hear this story AI-assisted summary Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, running as an independent, outlined his gubernatorial campaign at a Lansing Chamber of Commerce event. Duggan praised Lansing's development projects and called for a collaborative approach to governance, moving beyond partisan divides. EAST LANSING — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan praised some of Lansing's development projects as he sketched out his independent gubernatorial campaign at a Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce luncheon Thursday. Duggan said his campaign as an independent candidate is widely seen as a longshot, not much different than his first Detroit mayoral election when, as a white man, he sought to lead a city with 83% Black residents. He said people can test out his theory themselves: Ask their friends if they are happy with the two parties' options. "Two-thirds of the people in every room I'm in say: 'We've been looking for change,'" Duggan said, speaking at the Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University campus. "If I listened to people tell me what couldn't be done, I wouldn't have run." He said his trick during his first mayoral run was simple: Let people invite him into their homes and he'd talk to a small number of people, and he did that hundreds of times. Duggan spoke to a crowded room of chamber members as part of the chamber's Lansing Economic Club 2025 Kickoff event. The longtime Democrat said revitalizing Detroit required stepping out of Democrat-Republican fights and political battles and that's what he aimed to bring to Michigan as governor. Duggan praised the more than $300 million New Vision Lansing project in Lansing, saying Lansing Mayor Andy Schor and his team have been doing the kind of development work that the rest of Michigan should model. Duggan paused a moment and said he was unsure if people in the room supported the New Vision project, but he did. People in the room gave a round of applause at that point. Schor, a Democrat seeking his third term this year, said he is focused on his own race and not on whether Duggan would affect Democrats in the governor's race. "Mike is a fellow mayor," Schor said, noting the two have worked together through the United States Conference of Mayors. "We get a lot of things done as mayors." Duggan was asked after his speech about work from home policies and whether he would have closed schools during the pandemic. He largely avoided answering, saying he was focused on the future and hadn't looked into individual state departments. "People work better when they're on site and can collaborate," he said. "But there are IT talent and creative talent that can do their job from home. I gotta believe, and I haven't asked Mayor Andy Schor about this, but I gotta believe the mayor of Lansing would be happy if they got back in the office." He said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has appropriately raised the auto industry struggles to the administration of President Donald Trump. "We're trying to handle it in a calm and thoughtful way and so far, at least, Detroit has not been affected," Duggan said about threatened tariffs. Whitmer is term-limited and the state will elect a new governor in 2026. Duggan was the first major candidate to announce. He's since been joined state Senate Majority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat. And Genessee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, a Democrat who Duggan said is a friend, is likely to enter the race. "He's a serious candidate," Duggan said. "He's not a slouch, he's going make this race a lot more interesting than you think." Several other potential candidates have yet to announce intentions. The Chamber wanted to bring Duggan because he's an energetic speaker and so members can hear first hand from a governor's candidate, said Steve Jupinga, senior vice president for public affairs for the Chamber. He said Duggan also spoke to the chamber about a decade ago. Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@ or 517-267-0415
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Andy Schor will run for third term as Lansing mayor
LANSING — Mayor Andy Schor is seeking a third term. The 49-year-old mayor of Michigan's capital city, the sixth-largest in the state by population, made the announcement Tuesday evening at Gregory's Soul Food in north Lansing, surrounded by friends, family and supporters. No one else has entered their name in the mayoral race, according to the city's online records. Contenders have until April 22 to turn their paperwork into the city. If there are enough candidates, a primary will be held Aug. 5. Whoever wins the mayor's race could have new council members to work with. Several seats are on the ballot this fall. Schor made his announcement standing beside restaurant owner Gregory Eaton, one of four living people to have attended all of the Super Bowls, Schor said he still sees more to do after seven years in office. 'We have continued to grow Lansing, it is one of the most affordable cities in the nation,' Schor said. He pointed to reduced crime rates, billions of dollars in investments and more housing as some of his administration's accomplishments. Schor won election in 2017 and again in 2021, when he won against longtime council member Kathie Dunbar in a landslide. He was previously an Ingham County commissioner and state representative. Schor has led the city while several large development projects have been announced or completed, including the city's Ovation entertainment center and public safety complex, both under construction, and a private five-building development proposal called New Vision Lansing that is expected to include the city's first new skyscraper in generations. He's faced some challenges as well. A push by his administration to move city hall into the historic Masonic Temple building was rejected by city council and the plan is now to build a new city hall off Grand Avenue and sell the current city hall and its state Capitol views to a hotel developer. The city of Lansing has been stable in population since Schor's first term, in 2017, when the city had 111,269 people, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. In 2023 figures, the city had added 846 people, less than a 1% growth. Schor also led the city during the pandemic. Schor's predecessor, Virg Bernero, was mayor for 12 years and did not run in 2017. He ran in 2021 but withdrew prior to the primary. More: 2021 Election: Andy Schor wins second term as Lansing mayor; full city council results Lansing mayors may have an incumbency advantage: The city has had only seven mayors since 1969, when "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies was the most popular song. Neighboring East Lansing has had eight mayors since 2015. If Schor win reelection and fulfills his full four-year term, he would join former mayors Gerald Graves (1969-1981) and Bernero (2006-18) as mayor who have served 12 years. Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@ or 517-267-0415 This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Andy Schor will run for third term as Lansing mayor
