City Market sold

[n_wasmiller]

Lansing State Journal:

The council voted unanimously Monday to approve the sale of the Lansing City Market to local developer Pat Gillespie and moved forward a plan to bring Market Place - a $24 million to $30 million mix of retail, office and residential space - to the downtown riverfront.

Gillespie will demolish the 70-year-old market building, which has a termite problem and requires an annual city subsidy of about $50,000 for utility bills, by early 2010.

[url="http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080819/NEWS01/808190331"

Seems like a good project; although the timeline for completion could extend until 2016.

[coolbrezze]

2016, wow.

[RustTown]

Barring our local economy getting any worse than it already is (which seems near impossible), I doubt there will be any significant delays. Gillespie is using this project to make his other projects (City Center Studios and Ballpark North) possible. He's not going to want to waste any time getting this thing started.

[n_wasmiller]

I hope it happens as soon as possible. I know that he has to wait until the new City Market is build, so he won't get started for a year or so.

[RustTown]

Yeah, the new market will be completed no earlier than the end of 2009, so we won't be seeing any construction on the private part of the development until at leaast 2010, that is, unless some of the buildings can start construction around the current market. That doesn't seem likely, though.

[statedude3]

Gillespie Group is composed of some very smart people who really care about the community. This can only be a good thing, if you ask me...not that anyone has.

[Joe.Manzella.II]

I would have to agree... Seldom does the private sector try to guide the public sector in such a positive, young, urban-oriented direction. That Gillespie guy - not everywhere in Lansing, just everywhere cool.

I do look forward to using the new city market... too bad they can't build new hours of operation into the building. Tuesday, thursday, Sunday? WTF? and closing at 6:00? Us Yuppy DT dwellers work, hence the name young urban professional. I know the hippies need to head home at some point, but at least stay open so I can buy some food and work too!!!

[RustTown]

It's rare for a market like the Lansing City Market to be open any days but the weekened. In fact, many people over the years called for it to only be a weekend, seasonal market. So, in that respect, it's open far and beyond what most farmers markets operate at.