Lansing's "Seven Block" Neighborhood used to be one of the scariest in the city. The entire downtown area was hit hard by the demographic trend of people moving out of the city into the new sprawling suburbs, but this area was hit the hardest. Mere blocks from state government buildings, but lacking historical value, it became both a refuge for the poor looking for affordable housing, and drug dealers. In the 1980's, a large plot was taken over by the state to build the state library and museum. The rest of the area was incorporated into a community area, and given a Renaissance Zone designation by the state.
Now, as you might imagine, a newly zoned area with cheap land, where no state and local taxes are levied for seven years, and within the sight line of the state Capitol Complex is enough to make a developer salivate. A local developer bought a parcel of property in 1999, planning on a mixed office and commercial building. In 2001, not having developed anything on the property, he applied for an extention of his agreement with the city, which was granted. He is currently trying to negotiate another extention. In the meantime, he built the Constitutional Hall, which is being rented by the state, and some of the Block residents believe that he is trying to negotiate another deal to lease new buildings to the state. Block residents, who already see that the surrounding area is chock-full of half empty office buildings, question the logic of a new office building at that location. What they really need in their neighborhood, they say, is a grocery store.
(Source: City Pulse, issues: July 9 and September 17.)
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