Alexander Alusheff

Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING - Target plans to open a small store inside the Center City District project proposed in downtown East Lansing.

The store would occupy 22,000 square feet on the first floor of a 12-story building proposed on the 100 block of East Grand River Avenue, according to a news release from a consulting firm working with Chicago-based Harbor Bay Real Estate Advisors, which is developing the project.

Slated to open in 2019, it would be smaller than Target's big-box stores and would sell groceries, beauty products, home decor and apparel.

"Growth on college campuses and in urban markets is a priority for Target," Mark Schindele, the company's senior vice president of properties, said in the release. "We’re able to serve more guests by adding small-format stores near top universities across the country, including the quick-trip shopping experience we’ll bring to East Lansing and the Michigan State University campus in 2019. We’re thrilled to open our first small-format store in East Lansing and to join the Spartan community.”

If approved, the Center City District would be a $125 million project. It also would include a second 12-story building with a six-level parking deck and six floors of housing for people 55 and older on City Lot 1 off of Albert Avenue. The building on Grand River Avenue would have 271 units while the Albert Avenue building would have 93 units.

"Target is the anchor that is the heartbeat of this development," said Mark Bell, CEO of Harbor Bay Real Estate Advisors, during the East Lansing Planning Commission meeting Wednesday night. "It's a springboard that will catapult the retail on the north side of the project."

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The building proposed in City Lot 1 would have roughly 20,000 square-feet of retail space on the first floor for small businesses.

The East Lansing Brownfield Redevelopment Authority approved Harbor Bay's $52-million brownfield plan last month. The plan still needs approval from the East Lansing City Council, which has set a public hearing for 7 p.m. on May 9. The site plan also needs approval from the planning commission and council.

During Wednesday's meeting, the commission deferred a vote on the site plan until April 26 in order to get more information on the project.

Alexander Alusheff is a reporter with the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.