Albert El Fresco Tweaks, Illegal Parking Discussed by DDA

The downtown Albert EL Fresco space is scheduled to return this month with a slightly shortened season and reduced size from past years.

At the Thursday, March 28 Downtown Development Authority (DDA) meeting, DDA members discussed the space, which includes outdoor seating, games and more. 

The space will be set up Monday, April 29 and run through Aug. 12. The end date is being moved up to accommodate the large number of Michigan State University (MSU) students who are moving in to complexes in the area. In past years, Albert El Fresco has stayed open until the end of August, Community and Economic Development Administrator Heather Pope said. 

This year, the blockade on the western end of Albert Avenue is being pushed past the Grove Street intersection to allow for delivery trucks to stock the 7-11 and adjacent businesses. The site ends near Pinball Pete’s, according to the agenda report. 

Pushing the blockade east also allows Newman Lofts to keep its same drop-off/pickup location, Pope said. 

This year, there will be seating added to Fountain Square and the elevated plaza near the Marriott Hotel. Pope said this is being done in response to business owners asking that spaces be “activated” near their venues.

Additionally, the site will now include “porta-potty” restrooms for public use. 

At the Tuesday, April 9 City Council meeting, council will vote on whether or not to approve the road closures necessary for Albert El Fresco. The DDA voted unanimously to write a letter in support of the road closures. 

Albert El Fresco was started in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic when outdoor seating was essential. City staff has since been working with business owners to tweak the space to best serve downtown businesses and residents. 

DDA purchases netting to keep shaded areas stable during high winds… or possibly protect Mayor George Brookover’s bird feeders. 

In past years, when there are high winds city staff has had to take down the sail shades that are attached to planter boxes in the El Fresco area to prevent them from tipping over.

To fix the problem, the DDA approved spending just under $750 to buy “snow camo netting,” which provides shade and allows air to travel through – making it more stable during storms.

For the DDA, this was a low risk investment. 

After City Manager Robert Belleman asked if the DDA should just purchase one net, instead of six, to test out the new infrastructure’s appearance, Mayor George Brookover jumped in to make the decision easier. 

“If it turns out we don’t use them, I’ll buy them [the nets] from the DDA and I’ll use them to cover my bird feeders,” Brookover said, triggering laughter throughout the room. “The squirrels are just decimating me.”

With that, the DDA voted unanimously to purchase the nets. 

Parking concerns, delivery drivers discussed by DDA. 

Members of the DDA discussed concerns about people illegally parking downtown.

“I don’t think I would have defended PACE (Parking and Code Enforcement) in my 20s,” DDA Vice Chair Luke Hackney said. “Now, it’s very much so a problem to, like, park in the spot that I pay for.”

Hackney said the food delivery drivers for companies like Uber Eats, GrubHub or DoorDash are the main culprits. The delivery drivers will leave their car while they pick up an order. This means the drivers are only illegally parked for a short time and are likely not ticketed. 

Drivers will sometimes even block an alley to pick up an order, despite being close to free parking spaces, Hackney said. 

Members of the DDA stressed that this is a daily problem.

DDA Chair Mike Krueger also said delivery drivers traveling too fast through alleys is an issue. 

Brookover asked about the prevalence of cameras in problem areas, and if they could be used to help enforce parking laws. Pope responded by giving several locations where cameras are located, however the cameras do not show license plates. 

City Attorney Anthony Chubb said there have been discussions about having cameras hooked up to one system that can be monitored live. That way, drivers illegally parked can be quickly identified and issued tickets. 

After a brief discussion about who would monitor the cameras and issue tickets – if city employees outside of PACE or other volunteers could fill the role – Brookover made his thoughts clear. 

“They’ve got to be authorized in state and local law to issue citations,” he said, suggesting the best strategy would be zeroing in on the times when offenses are most prevalent and upping enforcement then. 

One DDA member said PACE officers used to often be stationed around Grand River Avenue and Albert Avenue, which reduced the number of people illegally parking. But within a month of officers not regularly stationing themselves in the area, it was “like it never happened.”

The discussion was open-ended. The DDA and city officials will continue to explore options to enforce parking laws. 

MSU students present on food waste.

Four students from the MSU Bailey Scholars program presented on food waste at the meeting. 

Rishi Pammi, Trinitti Hadley, Alison Swanson and Emma Irion are taking on a class project that aims to reduce food waste in the Greater Lansing Area and educate local businesses on the importance of reducing food waste through available resources. 

Presenters shared that about one in eight people in Lansing experience food insecurity, but of the local restaurants they contacted only 27% used food waste reduction strategies. 

To reduce waste, they recommended that local businesses utilize the Food Rescue U.S. app, which connects restaurants with social services to bring extra food to people in need. Businesses can be incentivized to use the app by tax deductions that accompany food donations, and positive publicity generated. 

Presenters finished by sharing the contact information of the local Food Rescue representative with the DDA.