Park District demolition could start in August

Alexander Alusheff | Lansing State Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption $154M Park District project to start this summer An overview of the amenities in the Park District project.

EAST LANSING - The blighted buildings between the People's Church and Abbot Road in downtown East Lansing could face the wrecking ball in early August, nearly a decade after they were first vacated.

The development agreement for the $154-million Park District project, which could be approved by City Council on Tuesday, calls for Convexity Properties to apply for demolition permits by the end of June.

Demolition would begin within 10 days of those permits being issued or upon approval of the $10-million Michigan Business Tax credit from the state, whichever comes later.

David Pierson, Convexity's lawyer, said demolition would likely start in early August, 10 days after a Michigan Strategic Fund meeting. The fund's board could consider approving the credit as early as July 25.

To get on the agenda for that meeting, Pierson needs to submit the project's site plan, brownfield plan and approved development agreement by June 13.

If council approves the agreement, it will still need approval from the East Lansing Downtown Development Authority and the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority later in June.

The project, which includes building a 13-story hotel and apartment complex on the blighted site, is dependent on that state tax credit.

"If we don't get the MBT credit, the project won't start," Pierson said. "We walk."

The city had imposed a demolition deadline of Dec. 31, 2016 on those blighted buildings, but it has been pushed back during the planning process.

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Contact Alexander Alusheff at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.