New apartment construction booms in East Lansing

By Michael Kransz | Published 07/09/14 1:26pm | Updated 1 hour ago

Ithaca, Mich., resident Mike Hardman does construction work July 9, 2014, on the Midtown Apartments, 3433 E. Michigan Ave. The project, that broke ground October 2013, is set to be completed in early August. Danyelle Morrow/The State News

Although the overall student population has remained stable in recent years, increasing numbers of international students plus the hope of attracting young professionals to the area have driven nearby-campus housing developments.

By fall 2014, at least two apartment buildings already leasing out spaces are slated to open. By fall 2015, potentially five more apartment buildings might be completed and join the new housing ranks.

Aside from the tentative housing plans of the Red Cedar Renaissance and Park District projects, all the apartment buildings feature either studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom or some combination at higher-end prices.

Although nearby-downtown locations and intimate room setups come at a pricier cost, DTN Vice President Colin Cronin said graduate students and young professionals are more apt to lease them.

Cronin, whose company is currently manning the Gateway Project and a portion of the Park District project, said the hope with nearby-downtown, upscale apartments is that businesses will tailor themselves to the increased population of young professionals.

If you can get a slightly different group living down there, then the rest change their offerings, Cronin said. The more diversity you can get downtown, the more it will change the downtown over time.

These apartments, and the businesses that assumedly will tailor to the demographic shift, could drive post-graduation student retention in East Lansing, he said.

Planning, Building and Development Director Tim Dempsey said fostering a young professional population in East Lansing has, for some time, been one of the citys priorities.

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New apartment construction booms in East Lansing