Lane on Grand River Avenue to be Closed this Week Ahead of Student Book Store Demolition
The East Lansing skyline is set to change again as another high-rise building will be constructed along Grand River Avenue.
As building plans are being finalized, the city is alerting residents that the approaching demolition of the Student Book Store and other nearby units will mean one westbound lane of traffic on Grand River Avenue in front of the construction area will be closed Thursday morning.
Additionally, Charles Street from Grand River Avenue to the alley behind the building will be closed beginning Thursday morning, leaving the entrance to the Charles Street Parking Garage still accessible. East Lansing Communications Director Carrie Sampson said the city expects the demolition to commence soon, but the exact start day is still being sorted out with the developer.
The Ballein family, which has owned and operated the Student Book Store since the 1960s, proposed the new construction, a 12-story high-rise apartment which is set to house more than 700 residents. The building will be called “The Howard” in honor of the bookstore’s late co-founder Howard Ballein.
Developers estimate construction of The Howard will take about two years, with the goal being that demolition would begin in September.
Once demolition begins, the process of deconstruction and debris removal is estimated to take one to two months, which will mean road closures that locals and visitors should be aware of, Sampson said.
Students recently returned for the fall semester at Michigan State University’s East Lansing campus across Grand River Avenue and the school’s football regular season began this month so precautions have been taken to ensure pedestrians in the downtown remain safe, Sampson said. The developer has hired security for the weekends and the city is assembling a page on its website to share updates with the community on how construction may impact roads and sidewalks.
There is signage already posted where sidewalks are closed around the building and Sampson said the city encourages the public to utilize detours, especially for pedestrians, in order for construction to proceed safely.
The city plans to send out an alert when the westbound lane on Grand River Avenue is closed, Sampson said, encouraging the public to sign up for alerts at www.cityofeastlansing.com/emergencyalerts.
In addition to providing nearly 300 new one-, two- and three-bedroom units, with rents estimated to range between $1,200 and $2,200 per bed, The Howard will host businesses on the ground floor.
In recent years, there have been a handful of large-scale construction projects along Grand River including The Landmark, a 12-story apartment building which opened in 2019, and the 10-story Graduate Hotel, which opened in 2021.