Ken Glickman

for the Lansing State Journal

LANSING — The stars may be aligning for an arts renaissance in downtown Lansing, one that includes a new performing arts center.

Although such a project has been talked about for years, there’s new momentum among city and community planners. Three developers are looking at parcels and proposals for downtown projects that could include a performing arts center.

A new performing arts center, or PAC, would be in addition to a multi-use performance stage proposed at Adado Park and the Capital Area Community Foundation’s plans for a performance space under the Shiawassee Bridge called the HUB (Happening under the Bridge).

Proposed plans for the Adado Park outdoor performance stage already have been released, but Lansing Mayor Andy Schor believes the PAC, although a larger project, is closer to being built.

“The Adado stage is part of a total redo of the park and will be done in stages,” Schor said. “I don’t know if we have city money to put into it.

“For the PAC, it can be part of a larger development with retail and maybe a hotel. People are very interested,” Schor said. “We already have three developers working on land parcels and development packages. We’ve identified a few locations that would work.”

Schor declined to name the developers, but Jeff Deehan, a partner at Urban Systems, identified himself as one of the developers who wants to build a PAC in Lansing.

Although location and funding are not finalized, Schor and Deehan are optimistic.

“If everything works out smoothly, we could break ground within the year,” Schor said. “I hope a major announcement will happen before the first of the year.”

People interviewed about the arts center estimate such a project could cost between $40 million and $50 million.

Deehan said that won’t be a problem. “If you look at the PAC as part of a larger development in downtown, it would not cost the city very much money at all. My company already owns several city blocks downtown.“

The developer believes that using the arts as the centerpiece for a downtown renaissance is the way to go.

“We have high expectations,” he said. “The time is now. We just need to get all the people at the table to agree on everything. I have spoken to many of Lansing’s theater groups and other stakeholders.”

A boost to the region

Deehan wants the center to be visible in the middle of downtown, where it can create excitement. “I’ve watched my friends leave the city to attend concerts elsewhere,” he said. “Placemaking should center around arts and culture. Lansing is lacking in that.”

Bob Trezise, president of Lansing Economic Area Partnership Inc., noted the city has tried twice before to build a PAC.

“Maybe the third time is a charm,” he said. “It’s a major missing piece in downtown Lansing and would be a magnificent resource.”

Trezise said young people like his daughter go to Detroit or Grand Rapids for rock concerts. “Why not here? The bands want to be here, but there’s no place to play.”

Developer Pat Gillespie, who has completed numerous downtown projects, agreed the prospect of an arts center is exciting. “It’s badly needed downtown.”

Schor has worked toward rallying attention for the arts in the community, recently creating the Mayor’s Arts and Culture Commission. The group will play a major role in pursuing the arts venues. Its 28 members include arts supporters, performers and community leaders.

“In Mayor Schor’s State of the City address, he talked about the importance of a Lansing performing arts center and he seems to be dedicated for that to happen,” Deehan said.

Jeff Smith, who used to work at LEAP and now is the director of the University Research Park through the MSU Foundation, is among the supporters of a new PAC.

“Lansing is growing up and we need to have venues to meet the needs of our population,“ Smith said. “For the first time in years, our population is expanding. Local companies are growing and new ones are moving into town.”

More:Lansing's doing a good job at placemaking, but needs more to boost region's prosperity

Developing a PAC

Dominic Cochran, director of community media for the city of Lansing, is one of the key planners for the PAC.

“We need a greater cultural presence downtown,” he said. “Lansing is growing with young talented professionals moving in. We need more venues to help in talent retention.”

Cochran grew up in Grand Rapids and enjoyed that city’s vibrant music scene. “It’s frustrating here. There is no concert venue for a rock-and-roll show.”

Designs in the works include a modular-style auditorium that can be configured for several seating arrangements. “The main hall can be set up for 1,500 seats and changes can be made to accommodate many different size groups,” he said.

The Wharton Center on Michigan State University’s campus has two halls – the Pasant Theater with about 550 seats and the Cobb Great Hall, which seats 2,500.

“There’s a big gap between 2,500 and 550,” Cochran said. “It sure would be nice to have a 1,000- to 1,500-seat hall for many other types of concerts.”

He said there was a severe need for more performance space years ago and that need has only grown. Building a PAC is more tangible now because more people are involved, he said.

“When I took over this project, I was given a box full of feasibility studies that have been done over the years,” he said. “For one reason or another, they all died.”

Some of those studies went into detail, including elevations and building plans. A full market study done in 2000 during former Lansing Mayor David Hollister’s tenure concluded the region could support a performing arts center, Cochran said.

“Now the demand has only increased,” Cochran said. “Also, we’re in a different economic world now. It’s much more feasible.”

Hollister remembers that time clearly. “We got a $500,000 grant from Governor (John) Engler to do a study and make preliminary plans. At the time, we were approached to bring in a minor league basketball team and a hockey team in town, but we just got the Lugnuts a few years before, so we felt that a cultural center would be more important to drive economic development than more sports.

“But the wheels came off the buggy in the economy and it all died. We ended up spending only $56,000 on the study and the rest of the $500,000 was returned to the state. There was a general consensus that a performing arts center was the right way to go. It was sad to see it come undone. It’s still valid today.”

The combination of the HUB, the Adado Park stage and a new PAC could be transformative, supporters believe.

“Can you imagine how exciting it will be downtown with performances going on all at the same time?” Cochran asked.

Smith, the University Research Park director, listed several venues the city has lost in the past — the Michigan Theater, The Strand, The Temple in Old Town.

“A new facility will not impact Wharton,” Smith said. “It isn’t either/or – it’s both/and.”

Hollister agreed now is the time to pursue these efforts. “I’m convinced the economics are there,” he said. “There’s a greater understanding now that the arts are important to the city.”

Wharton and the Lansing Symphony

The major tenant for a new performing arts center likely could be the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra is Lansing’s largest arts organization, with an annual budget of $1 million. It currently plays in the 2,500-seat Great Hall of at Wharton Center and fills about half the seats at most concerts.

“The Lansing Symphony needs to be in downtown Lansing, with restaurants and coffee shops nearby their concert hall,” Trezise said.

Schor also supports having the symphony back in the city, but adds, “We don’t want to compete with Wharton Center.”

Still, supporters think a new PAC could be developed that would enhance the city’s venue choices without harming existing venues.

“It’s important to size it so it is not in competition with anyone else,” Hollister said.

Mike Brand, executive director of Wharton Center, agreed there’s a need for another venue.

“A 1,000-seat hall is what’s missing in Lansing. The LSO would probably be out there if a PAC would be built,” he said. “Wharton is currently at total capacity for nine months of the year. Something has to give. A new hall is probably an inevitable eventuality.”

The symphony is impacted by the Wharton Center’s very busy schedule. For Wharton, the priority for booking its space is clear: Wharton presentations come first, MSU events (like College of Music concerts) come second, and the community – including the symphony – is third.

Although the orchestra loves playing at Wharton, Courtney Millbrook, LSO’s executive director, said “scheduling at Wharton can be challenging.” For the upcoming season the orchestra will have its preferred concert day, Saturday, for just one of the six concerts in its masterworks series.

Millbrook is aware that there have been discussions through the years for a new Lansing concert hall. “We’ve always talked, but now there’s a momentum.”

Although Wharton’s Brand sees the need, he is also realistic about the economic challenges facing a new PAC in Lansing. “I don’t know what their plan is. We have a huge permanent staff here at Wharton and lots of expenses. The operations plan for the new hall is very important to its success.”

Asked whether both the Adado Park stage and a new performance center would be too much for downtown, Schor said a city the size of Lansing should be able to accommodate multiple venues.

“When I met people throughout the city during my campaign, many talked to me about the need for an arts facility downtown,” he said.

Adado Park stage goes forward

Even as new excitement develops around a performing arts center, work continues on efforts to improve Adado Park with a performance stage.

Deborah Mikula, the executive director of the Arts Council of Greater Lansing, is the head of the Adado Park stage project and also is a member of the mayor’s arts commission.

The plan is to build the stage on the south end of the 28-acre park, where the Common Ground stage usually resides. “We designed it for the largest presentation we could have there. The stage will be able to hold 300 performers.”

“This will not be a band shell,” Schor said. “It’ll be a major outdoor stage like the DTE space in Detroit.”

The stage will be used by Common Ground, the Lansing Symphony, The Lansing Concert Band, touring shows and more.

“We’ll have the large stage, plus a small concrete pod for smaller performances,” Mikula said.

“We’ve been working on the Adado park project for about six years – it was one of the very first calls I made when I first took this job,” she said.

Mikula meets monthly with representatives from Lansing Community College, Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority, LEAP, the city and Downtown Lansing Inc. to keep things going.

“This is not about a stage, but a re-visioning of the entire park,” Mikula said. “How do we activate the park? It’s a wonderful resource for the city.”

The total project will include the stage and a reworking of the landscaping and will cost about $20 million. Mikula said. “It will be done in about seven or eight phases – trails, the stage, landscaping, gardens, among others. We’ll be moving a lot of dirt around.

Mikula is busy writing grant requests to several organizations to get the ball rolling on financing the project.

“We have to reinvent our public space,” she said. “We should have the amenities that other similar communities have.”

Ken Glickman is a freelance arts critic and columnist for the Lansing State Journal.