'We could be cool, too': Why south Lansing demands a second look

LANSING — Is south Lansing home to the city's overlooked majority?

The south side encompasses about 60% of the city's population, but residents describe it as an area fighting for recognition.

They're tired of seeing derelict buildings along major commercial corridors.

They notice Realtors touting property in Old Town, East Michigan Avenue and REO Town.

And some wonder if any south Lansing neighborhood could ever attain the same cachet.

Others don't see the need for additional clout. They have a DIY-type of spirit and see the already eclectic mix of races, cultures, ages and income levels as strengths to build on.

Housing ranges from trailer parks and senior apartment complexes to post-war bungalows and upscale Moores River Drive riverfront mansions.

Where is south Lansing? The boundary is up for debate.

For some, the term is a catch-all for anything south of Interstate 496.

As residents, business owners and investors seek an identity for this community, they refuse to be limited by barriers.

These are their stories.

"For me, the U.S. is a dream country."

When south side resident Gopal Magar tells his daughter, 6, and son, 8, about his childhood in a Nepali refugee camp, they assume he must be making it up.

The children can't imagine living in a hut without electricity. They especially can't imagine life without iPads or iPhones.

Gopal was born in Bhutan, but has no memories of his life there. His family escaped ethnic cleansing by relocating to Nepal when he was 3 years old.

He refers to his time in Nepal as "exile years" and prefers to think about his future in Lansing, where's he lived since he was 21.

The 29-year-old takes pride in his spotless St. Mary's Court home, which he has been renovating since purchasing it four years ago for just under $75,000.

He's saved enough for a Prius with a vanity license plate that says "Gopal."

Gopal and his wife, Maya, keep their neighborhood clean by picking up debris around their cul-de-sac. A neighbor thanks the Magars by mowing their lawn.

The family settled in Lansing with the help of St. Vincent Catholic Charities. The non-profit is the area's only refugee resettlement agency, but new arrivals have declined.

Historically, an average of 600 refugees have resettled each year in the Lansing-area. Last fiscal year, St. Vincent resettled 441 refugees.

So far in 2018, only 100-some refugees have arrived here, said Judi Harris, director of refugee services.

President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order, which temporarily suspended refugee resettlement and reduced the nation's annual cap on refugee admissions has made resettlement uncertain.

The political rhetoric surrounding refugees frustrates Harris. She says the reasons for welcoming refugees are not only humanitarian. New residents benefit the local economy, fill jobs and buy vacant homes, Harris said.

After moving to the U.S, Gopal started work cutting pineapples at a Meijer warehouse. He has been promoted to inventory supervisor. Gopal works nights while his wife works the day shift. He earned a GED certificate from the Global Institute of Lansing and an associate's degree in computer science from Lansing Community College.

"For me, the U.S. is a dream country," Gopal said. "There's a lot of opportunity for me, so I can expose my talents."

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"It's an area of opportunity. The question is whether it will stay that way or become gentrified."

This part-time pastor at Mt. Hope Presbyterian Church sees the south side as a community of kindness that should grow.

Still, Patrick is concerned about what may lie ahead.

"It's an area of opportunity," Patrick said. "The question is whether it will stay that way or become gentrified."

Mt. Hope Presbyterian, 301 W. Jolly Road, is not only a place of worship, but also hosts neighborhood groups, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and a Cub Scout troop.

On Wednesdays and Fridays, the church has a food pantry.

Patrick, 63, said the versatility of his church is a sign of the times, especially in south Lansing where he said building owners appear to constantly seek new uses.

As a grandparent and great-grandparent, Patrick said he's noticed the south side's abundance of affordable housing, especially family housing, as a strength.

But there are still plenty of basic needs, including more full-scale grocery stores, Patrick said.

Patrick notices "south Lansing" often mentioned in the news when crimes occur in the area. He sees a family atmosphere that fights the stigma.

Pushing back against criticism with positivity is crucial, he said.

“It’s always easy to pick on people who don’t necessarily represent themselves in the news," Patrick said.

"Our neighbors are all characters, but all good people. I feel very secure here, and I think that comes from knowing our neighbors."

When Walter Neuenschwander was growing up in the farming town of Reading, Michigan (population 1,050) the worst thing you could say about someone was that they were from the city.

But Walter, 32, has grown to appreciate higher-density living. He's settled into the Everett neighborhood of Lansing's south side with his wife, Jamie, 33, and their three kids, ages 2, 4 and 6.

The school-age children attend Lansing Public Schools. The Neuenschwanders discussed looking outside the district through schools of choice, but Walter felt strongly about being connected to the local system.

Jamie, a mental health therapist, likes walking her kids to the park or library.

The neighborhood also has the advantage of being close to the South Lansing Christian Church, where Walter works as a youth minister.

Although, the Neuschwanders admit they'd like to see fewer pot shops and more restaurants, they've come to appreciate the area's gems, like the Naing Myanmar Family Restaurant on Cedar Street.

"People kind of rag on south Lansing, but you can't beat the property value," Walter said. "Our neighbors are all characters, but all good people. I feel very secure here, and I think that comes from knowing our neighbors."

City Council President Carol Wood, who chairs council's public safety committee, says the perception of crime in south Lansing exceeds the reality.

Unofficial data tracked by Lansing's crimemapping.com software this year suggests south Lansing may not be more or less violent than the city as whole.

For about 800 violent crimes reported in the city since January, the website said 450 were reported south of the Grand and Red Cedar rivers, putting 56% of reported crimes in an area with 60% of residents.

"It's perception issue, when it comes to south Lansing" Wood said. "It's a story-telling problem."

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"The south side has been up and down, and then down."

Paul Titov doesn’t like discussing religion or politics in his store.

“We try not to pick sides,” Titov said. “The tragedies that people bring — everybody has a story.”

Titov, an Armenian Christian, opened American International Bulk Foods on Pennsylvania Avenue in 1997 after fleeing the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan as a refugee. Because the store specializes in foreign foods, many of his customers are also refugees.

Titov, who speaks Russian and English, has learned to communicate through hand gestures. Sometimes customers request products, like green almonds from the Mediterranean, by showing him a picture.

Titov, 40, kept busy this month as he unloaded shipments of frozen halal meat, which arrived in advance of the Muslim holiday Ramadan. The store is packed to the rafters with specialty products, including more than 20 varieties of beans and lentils.

Although Titov stocks milk and some produce, like tomatoes, he focuses on dry and packaged food. He’d like to see the area sustain more full-service grocery stores. The loss of Sam's Club on the southeast side was devastating, he said.

“The south side has been up and down, and then down, it seemed like, for a long time,” Titov said. “It’s not exactly known as the most desirable part of town.”

He himself lived near McLaren Hospital on Lansing’s south side for 10 years, before relocating to East Lansing with his wife and daughter, who is now 8 years old. That’s a path shared by other immigrants and refugees, Titov said.

“People start on the south side. Then, they want to move to a better school district, better neighborhood," he said. "When people move from overseas, this store is one of the first places they go. They see a certain product and it reminds them of back home.”

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"I feel like we've been a real hidden treasure."

Mullin is general manager of Hope Sports Complex, a facility with grass fields, artificial turf fields and a full-service restaurant with catering.

It's a hub for youth sports like baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse and ultimate Frisbee. The venue also hosts special events ranging from weddings to hot air balloons.

Not bad for a former landfill that was decommissioned over 30 years ago.

"I feel like we've been a real hidden treasure," said Mullin, 56.

The complex is expected to draw a record 300,000 visitors this year and plans to open a domed playing surface.

Mullin sees the complex as an example of south Lansing constantly trying to reinvent itself.

"We have to keep developing and growing and improving things as a community," Mullin said of south Lansing. "I guess I’m just trying to do my part."

"It's coming back. But it's coming back slow."

For nearly 30 years, 86-year-old Donald Ryckman has lived in Riverfront Estates.

It's a mobile home community that's seen its share of hard times and several ownership changes.

Ryckman's trailer sits just two streets south of Moores River Drive, where homes can sell for nearly $1 million.

"It's coming back," Ryckman said of the park's conditions. "But it's coming back slow."

Ryckman lives with Carole Rohrer, his 82-year-old ex-wife. They've been living together for 26 years.

The trailer was purchased in 1964 for $3,500 and has received about $13,000 in improvements.

They're grateful for a relatively quiet life within walking distance of the Grand River and several CATA bus stops.

And they're in it for the long haul, until at least one of them has to move into an assisted living facility. "We've lost several of our longtime residents who just gave up," Ryckman said.

"They're all ready for something extremely positive to happen."

Scott Dane is determined to turn an area at West Holmes and Simkin Drive into an urban soccer and fitness oasis.

The game is growing, and south Lansing's residents and business owners are ready to embrace it, said Dane, the Capital Area Soccer League's executive director.

"They're all ready for something extremely positive to happen," said Dane, 36.

The project is called Beacon Southwest and would use vacant land where apartments once stood for a soccer field and 10-foot wide limestone walking path.

This plan calls for a soccer field that's 60 by 120 yards, an enclosed kick board and lighting. At some point, permanent outdoor exercise equipment may be installed, Dane said.

It's modeled after Beacon Field, a $200,000 facility in the southeast corner of Ferris Park that's near the State Capitol.

Dane estimates the downtown soccer field draws in the summer at least 70 children a night.

Dane plans to launch an online fundraising campaign for Beacon Southwest in mid-June. The project has a $450,000 budget, will rely on crowdsourcing, grants and corporate donations, and could be complete by September.

"Everybody says 'We want this, we want this,'" Dane said. "And so now, the big part of this is 'We have to do this.' We need a big project."

“If you target the youth, if you start young and give them a sense of community, then they are the ones that will keep it going."

Ryan Holmes sees a blank canvas in south Lansing that needs some creative TLC.

The 34-year-old lives in a home at West Holmes Road and Maloney Street, near plenty of strip malls and other buildings that he said look pretty drab.

He's a special education paraprofessional for Waverly schools, but also an artist and hopes to see creativity influencing south Lansing's future.

“It’s really about the community stepping up," said Holmes, when asked how south Lansing can create an arts scene. "But it's also about the community feeling comfortable to step up knowing those ideas will be supported.”

Holmes tries to do his part.

Last August, Holmes got the OK to paint soap suds and clothes on the windows of All Washed Up, a laundromat at 3222 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

He's now often found a few nights a week drawing chalk pictures on boards at the Tin Can Bar in downtown Lansing.

Holmes likes to see business owners welcome creativity. He grew up in Delta Township and believes it's crucial to empower younger generations to be a part of the process.

“If you target the youth, if you start young and give them a sense of community, then they are the ones that will keep it going," Holmes said. "They are the ones who build the Twitter accounts, they are the ones who make the cool T-shirts.”

"It's surprising how much open land is down here."

Lauren Ross is part of a group that envisions a new way of life for south Lansing and surrounding areas.

She's trail ambassador for the Friends of the Lansing Regional Trails, a group of about 300 volunteers.

Ross, 30, serves in a part-time. paid role and sees a day when the Lansing River Trail will go from Michigan State University's campus to Creyts Road in Delta Township.

"It’s going to be a big hurdle, and we’re going to need everyone on board," Ross said.

A nearly 6-mile, $1.8 million trail addition from Aurelius Road to Waverly was completed in 2014, but it's still not a well-known project, Ross said.

It runs along a Consumers Energy power-line corridor mostly south of Jolly Road.

A lack a familiarity with the trail addition may be because it's in south Lansing. She believes now is the time to tell this part of the city's story.

It's much more than just north/south corridors like Cedar, MLK and Pennsylvania, Ross said.

"It's surprising how much open land is down here," Ross said.

"The south side is like the hidden gem of Lansing. We could be cool, too."

The exterior the south Lansing Capital Area District Libraries branch is deceptive.

The storefront sits in a Cedar Street strip mall, flanked by offices and medical marijuana dispensaries. From the outside, the library looks much smaller than it is.

On the inside, the spacious library is bustling. By many measures, south Lansing operates the most popular CADL branch. It has the highest rate of computer, fax and printer usage in the system.

Patrons rely on the library for its free internet and video streaming, said Melissa Cole, head south Lansing librarian. She wants to attract more families to the library through the expansion of programs, like baby story-time and drop-in genealogy classes.

"I want to build more of a community around this branch," Cole said. "We have a more fluid community that moves around a lot. I want people to think of the library not just as a place to get books, but a destination."

Although Cole now resides in DeWitt, she lived in Lansing for more than a decade. The 35-year-old says Old Town is barely recognizable as the gritty neighborhood she lived in during the early 2000s.

"They've worked on Old Town," Cole said. "Old Town is pretty fantastic now. REO Town is happening now. The south side is like the hidden gem of Lansing. We could be cool, too."

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Contact Eric Lacy at (517) 377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy. Contact Sarah Lehr at (517) 377-1056 or slehr@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahGLehr.