College of Agriculture & Natural Resources

By: SPDC Communications

Changes are underway in the Greater Lansing Area. The Lansing-based property management and development company, Gillespie Group, began constructing its Midtown development where the Silver Dollar Saloon once stood on Michigan Avenue. The creative and colorful design includes the Chinese symbol for “home” (?) with the hope of attracting MSU international students and young professionals to reside there. Gillespie Group hopes to bring something completely different to Lansing, encouraging a community of residents who want to engage with others from around the world.  

Pat Gillespie, the founder and president of Gillespie Group, is leading the change in the City of Lansing and the surrounding areas. He is also a 1992 alumnus of MSU’s Construction Management program, which is a part of the School of Planning, Design and Construction (SPDC).

The new Midtown building will include 1,800 square feet of commercial space on the first floor, which will become the new home of the PNC Bank currently residing next to the property. The second floor will feature 66 one- and two-bedroom units with an urban flair available to rent. It is planned to officially be open for business in August 2014.

Jason Kildea, director of real estate at Gillespie Group, said there is still demand for rental apartments, given the success similar developments of theirs have enjoyed in the past. 

“We’ve had very good success with our apartment rentals and this is just a continuation of that effort to bring more residents into the City of Lansing,” he said.

This development came about from recommendations from an SPDC study of the Michigan Avenue/Grand River Avenue Corridor stretching from the State Capitol east to Webberville. The faculty and staff of the SPDC collaborated with the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission on a Corridor-related Charrette that took place in October 2013. 

The Charette was an input, participation and exchange activity between the developers, governments and citizens in the Corridor area. Citizens came together with the private and public sector stakeholders to come up with ideas for what they would like to take place along the Corridor.

The development of the Corridor includes a plan to reinvent the housing, transportation and job opportunities in the area, and this development fits well with that plan. Gillespie’s work, along with the SPDC’s dedication to research and innovative ideas, make a great team. They have been working together to make a “World-Class” area by initiating a process to develop sustainable, yet attractive assets in the community.

Recent placemaking surveys have indicated that current graduates and young professionals want to live in urban areas, contrary to previous generations, close to the places where they work and play. The SPDC said that it is necessary to bring different age groups to the Corridor by developing new townhomes, condos and single family homes in order to change the dynamic of Lansing, and the Midtown development fits well within this framework. Connecting residential neighborhoods with downtown East Lansing and MSU by adding different housing options is necessary to the development of these areas.

According to Pat Gillespie, “Over the course of the last several years, we have experienced great success at our communities in both East and Downtown Lansing. The demand for creative rental housing continues to build and we feel Midtown will offer that option to many in the area.”

Another Gillespie Group project featured in Capital Gains refers to the riverfront development called the “Marketplace.” The upscale, urban lofts to be constructed where the Ottawa Power Plant once stood will be available fall 2014. The Marketplace features Gillespie’s signature colorful exterior, and will be a bit larger than Midtown, holding 80 units total. Gillespie Group also built the Stadium District complex across from the Cooley Law School Stadium.