EAST LANSING, MI -- The proposal submitted by CADA Investments, LLC, for two four-story buildings on the site of what was to be a massive public-private redevelopment don't meet all zoning requirements yet, but will soon, the developer said.

The city of East Lansing's Planning Commission Wednesday began its review of the new proposal for two four-story buildings on West Grand River Avenue.

One issue is the size of each building's footprint relative to the size of the parcel it will sit upon.

The zoning of the site requires that buildings cover no more than 80 percent of the lot; that can be increased by offsetting the loss of green space with "bonus" amenities like green roofs, the city's Planning-Zoning Administrator Darcy Schmitt said.

In this case, the developer's proposal calls for the buildings to cover more than 95 percent of their respective lots, but doesn't include details as to what additional amenities will be included to comply with zoning requirements.

The plans call for two four-story buildings on West Grand River Avenue, with mostly retail space on the ground floors of both structures and apartments above.

There will be 92 apartments between the two buildings.

The site plan does not include parking for residents or customers of the planned development's retail components, which is consistent with the zoning requirements.

"A lot of that parking will have to be accommodated somewhere, we just don't know where at this point," Schmitt said.

The city is wrapping up a parking utilization study, which will help the commission and planning officials determine whether the city's ramps can absorb the demand generated by the new development.

By code, the developers are required to provide parking for bicycles, though, and so far, none are included in project plans.

Tom Reder, a Bergmann representative, said issues noted by city staff in the initial review would be remedied.

"We're going to address everything and knock 'em off, one by one," he said.

MLive.com first reported Wednesday on the new plans for the privately-held parcels, owned by two Strathmore Development Co. holding companies, CADA Investment Group, LLC and City Center Two Project, LLC.

The biggest challenge for the commission and the public may well be separating the current proposal from the parcels' former life, as part of the proposed $105 million public-private development, City Center II.

For starters, the commission won't review the developer's finances, Schmitt said.

"There's no partnership with the city on this project," Schmitt said, unlike the previous project, which included tax incentives for the development and city-backed bonding for public portions of the project.

The commission is reviewing the application for a special use permit by the developer and making sure the project meets zoning requirements. It's on that basis the commission will make its recommendation to the East Lansing City Council, she said.

The lack of a viable financing plan for the City Center II project led to the East Lansing City Council's unanimous vote in June to end its talks with Strathmore Development Co. on the deal.

Commissioner Julie Jones-Fisk asked how the commission could avoid what happened with St. Anne's Lofts, where what the city approved was more aesthetically interesting than the end result.

"Who's to say that we won't get something like that on this major corner of our community?" she asked.

Community Development Analyst Tim Schmitt said there were no tools available to the city to guarantee specific architectural elements were retained.

Jones was also concerned that the proposed retail and commercial space on the first floor of both buildings would add to the vacant retail space downtown, most notably the former site of Barnes and Noble.

The commission will continue its review of the project at its next meeting, scheduled for Nov. 14 at 7 p.m..

E-mail Angela Wittrock: awittroc at mlive dot com and follow her on Twitter attwitter.com/AngelaWittrock and Facebook, or reach her by phone at 517.219.7073.