Michigan Development News is a weekly series that features affordable housing and economic development-related news stories from across the state. Feel free to submit a story suggestion by leaving a note in the comments section.
WLNS: Stadium District Development Moving Forward
After almost three years of planning and construction a local multi-use development is almost complete.
It's the Stadium District, right across from oldsmobile park in Downtown Lansing.
Just a few months away from people moving in.
The building might look pretty bare right now, but very soon it will have all the ammentities.
Pat Gillespie, Developer: "The counter tops, the carpet is all going to happen, in the next 30 days majority of the project will be done."
The building is taking shape in the heart of Downtown Lansing.
When it's all finished it will have about 50 condos and apartments and office and retail space.
Pat Gillespie: "This seems to be a unique project that really doesn't seem to be offered anywhere else in the region so if they're looking for a urban flat or condo this is where they're at."
For folks who aren't familiar with downtown Lansing, this particular area was generally considered one of the seediest places in town fifteen years ago. The baseball stadium went up in the mid-90s, and now the "Stadium District" will be one of the hottest spots in Lansing. Downtown re-development doesn't happen overnight, but it's definitely worth the effort.
Lansing-based high tech firm Spartan Internet is putting just under $2 million into the old Holmes Street School on Lansing's Eastside, turning the once shuttered building into a new Information Technology Empowerment Center (ITEC).
Spartan Internet will move from its Downtown Lansing location to the third floor of the building once building updates are complete. ITEC will be on the first floor and the second floor will host other firms.
“This is one people will be talking about,” says Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero about the new development. “This is one people will emulate.”
Empty buildings are sad enough, but few things are more depressing than empty schools. The fact that Spartan is turning this into a center where Lansing children and adults can learn high-tech skills is a big step forward for a city that's worked so hard to diversify its economy in recent years.
Crain's: ‘D’ brand increases tourism for area
The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau’s regional branding campaign, the “D” Brand, is contributing to increased tourism and a better image for the region, according to a new research report.
Chris Baum, senior vice president for sales and marketing for the DMCVB, said a report conducted by Indiana-based Strategic Marketing & Research shows Detroit received 100,000 additional visits worth $68.3 million to the local economy in 2007 as a result of the “D” Brand campaign. Baum presented the report Tuesday at the bureau’s membership meeting at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
These numbers represent trips that would not have occurred without advertising, based on surveys of the campaign’s target markets. Cleveland received the most advertising attention and represented more than half the travel, the bureau said.