Sam Singh, Mayor of East Lansing: "You are going to see a number of old rundown rental properties turned into owner-occupied properties. There are a number of them that are going to be set aside for down payment assistance for those people that are low to moderate income categories."
In all, 30 new homes will go up on Virginia Avenue, 16 single family homes and 14 townhouses that will be called Avondale square. Builder Karen Schroeder says people are already excited about moving here.
Theresa Patnoude, Eastminster Child Development Center: "We offer child care services in East Lansing. We're just around the corner, two blocks away and we're really hoping we will be able to service some of the new families."
But for those instrumental in getting this project off the ground, Avondale square isn't about building houses, but building a community. The builder says they have already applied for the first building permit and hopes to start constructing the first model soon. The thirty homes will be phased in over the next two years.
Can you guess which line caught our eye?
"Avondale square isn't about building houses, but building a community."
It's nice to see a City like East Lansing taking economic development and community revitalization projects so seriously. Granted, E.L. is luckier than some other communities in the state, in that they already have a fairly stable tax base to support such forward-thinking projects. However, it's always great to see elected officials like Mayor Sam Singh who have decided to make community revitalization a priority for their city.
Projects like this rarely get off the ground without community leaders being involved, so we tip our hat to Singh for continuing to move East Lansing in the right direction.