Brookover Negotiates EV Charger at Car Wash; Gas Station and B&B Proposals Rejected

City Council made decisions on a trio of projects at its Tuesday (Jan. 23) meeting. Council approved the construction of a new car wash on Merritt Road, but denied a rezoning request that would allow for a bed-and-breakfast on Grove Street and declined to approve a new gas station on the corner of Abbot Road and Saginaw Street. 

The three projects were discussed during public hearings at the Jan. 9 Council meeting. 

Perceived racial bias continued to be a topic of discussion, as several members of the Ingham County Racial Equity Task Force attended the meeting. A representative for the task force read a letter condemning Council’s decision to vote for Kerry Ebersole Singh as mayor pro tem over Dana Watson. 

Council also approved a pair of road-related projects, which ELi will cover in a separate report. 

Ingham County Racial Equity Task Force is the latest group to condemn Council’s decision to not elect Dana Watson mayor pro tem. 

At last week’s discussion-only Council meeting, the Lansing NAACP branch sent a representative to read a letter expressing concern about perceived bias from some members of Council. This week, it was the Ingham County Racial Equity Task Force raising concerns about Council’s decision to make Singh mayor pro tem instead of Watson. 

Task Force Chair Versey Williams read a letter on behalf of the group, requesting Singh step down from her post and Watson be elected to the position. Several members of the task force stood in the audience while Williams read that letter. 

“In 2020, East Lansing declared racism as a public health crisis,” Williams said. “We strongly urge the current Council members to read, review and recommit to uphold the resolution that continues to be as true today as when voted in.

“The overt nature of bigotry and privilege is evident by the Council improperly elevating a newly elected person over a person of color with governance experience,” she continued. 

Nichole Biber also weighed in on the topic during public comment, saying she is not speaking negatively about Singh and voted for her, but that it could be helpful for Council to explain why it opted to vote the way it did. Councilmembers Mark Meadows and Erik Altmann joined SIngh when casting their votes on Nov. 14. Mayor George Brookover backed Watson in the 3-2 vote.

Since that vote, several speakers in public comment have suggested racial bias influenced the decision, with city commission members and other residents objecting to the vote in meetings after that first meeting of the newly-seated Council. 

Many of those who have spoken about the vote point to the discrepancy in experience in East Lansing government between Watson and Singh. Watson has served more than three years on City Council and, before that, completed the city’s Emerging Leaders Program and served on the city’s Planning and Human Rights Commissions. Singh had not served on any of the city’s boards or commissions prior to being elected last November. 

At the Tuesday meeting, Singh defended her credentials. 

“My qualifications, my experience has been repeatedly drawn [from] in terms of whether I should be here,” Singh said. “I want to talk a little bit about that… There’s a lot of things I could say, it’s going to be picked apart no matter what I say.”

Singh went on to share that in her current role as chief talent solutions and engagement officer with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation she works with talent and training programs to reach out to underserved communities to increase STEM skills and employment opportunities. 

Singh also outlined her history in statewide politics, including helping Jennifer Granholm become Michigan’s first female governor, working against anti-affirmative action efforts and advocating for protections for people in the LGBTQ+ community.

“I can go through tangible examples [of] how I’ve continued to lead throughout my 25-year career,” Singh said. “I am here to lead. I want our community to be the best it can be.”

Singh said she is happy to have “whatever dialogue” the community wants to have. She also said she wants to look at ways to increase representation on city boards and commissions. 

Watson did not directly address the situation, but did encourage those in attendance to practice anti-racism. 

“I want to encourage Council, myself, the community and surrounding community to think about what it means to be an anti-racist,” Watson said. “Being an anti-racist is in action, in our thought processes, the decisions that we make, the work that we do and what we put our energy towards. 

“I just, again, want to put out there and encourage people to explore what it means to be anti-racist and identify where you stand in that,” Watson said. “There are people out here, clearly, that value anti-racism, and the work and what it means to identify as one.”

Car wash on Merritt Road approved, Brookover negotiates for electric vehicle charger to be added to the site. 

A Mister Car Wash establishment was approved to be built on Merritt Road after Brookover took the unusual step of negotiating with a company representative mid-meeting. Mister Car Wash is a subscription-based company that also allows customers to pay for single use services. 

At the Jan. 9 Council meeting, Brookover expressed concerns about traffic generated by the car wash and its location across from the Costco gas station. Principal Planner Landon Bartley stepped in at Tuesday’s meeting to clarify a traffic study indicated a traffic light is not necessary at the location, a finding that was supported by the Ingham County Roads Commission. (There is already a traffic light at the intersection of Merritt Road and Park Lake Road and entrance into Costco.)

Brookover stated his desire that the site have electric vehicle chargers. The proposal did not include a charger and was not required to.

However, Brookover asked a representative for Mister Car Wash, Nicole Kastern, if the company would be willing to install a charger, proposing the company pay for three charging stations. 

Kastern said in states like California, where electric vehicle charging requirements are more heavily regulated, the requirement is that “EV charger ready” spaces are designated. This means there are spaces with the infrastructure for a charger to be installed, but that there is not an actual charger present. She proposed creating one EV ready station.

Bartley clarified with Brookover that there wouldn’t actually be a charger at the space, but that it would be EV ready. Brookover said he understood. He then asked Kastern if the company would go one step further and install the charger.

“We will do that,” Kastern said. “We’ll negotiate one EV stall that you can plug in when you pull up and charge your car.”

The Council then amended the resolution to add the condition of a charger being installed. Council approved the project unanimously. 

Council votes against rezoning that would allow for a Grove Street bed-and-breakfast. 

The second project Council voted on was a rezoning request at 730 Grove Street. Michael Zawacki requested rezoning for the R-2, medium density single-family property, to RM-32, city center multiple family residential. Zawacki intended to convert his property into a bed-and-breakfast. The project has received pushback from some of the residents who live near the property. 

One issue that arose during the request process was that the city code does not clearly define how a bed-and-breakfast should be zoned. Brookover and Meadows each raised concerns about the property being used in a way other than a bed-and-breakfast under the expansive RM-32 zoning. 

“I think this is premature, plus by moving it to an RM-32 without any restriction with regard to it, it doesn’t stop it from being redeveloped in an entirely different way than the bed-and-breakfast that is being proposed,” Meadows said. “I will note that I think that it’s a good idea for us to address the bed-and-breakfast issue going forward, and I’d like to get that on the Planning Commission agenda.”

Notably, Brookover said he believes the area will eventually be rezoned. However, he said, the city needs to figure out the proper zoning for the area when it reexamines its master plan. 

The vote against the rezoning was 4-1, with Watson voting in favor. Watson said she believes the developer was “caught” by the city not having a proper zoning classification for a bed-and-breakfast. She also said she likes that the proposal does not significantly change the exterior of the property. 

Plan to replace the gas station on the corner of Abbot Road and Saginaw Street was rejected. 

A proposal from American Gas & Oil to replace the Marathon gas station on the corner of Abbot Road and Saginaw Street hit a roadblock after Council rejected the proposal in a 3-2 vote. 

The plan to replace the Marathon gas station with a new convenience store and pump station was first presented by American Gas & Oil to the Planning Commission on Sept. 27. 

At the Sept. 27 meeting, the commission requested the company make changes to easements and plantings and to return to the Oct. 11 meeting. 

The Planning Commission voted 5-1 to recommend the project to Council.

As has been the case at past meetings where the proposal was discussed, Council members were not satisfied with the aesthetics of the new plan, particularly with the elimination of the berm facing Saginaw Street. The layout of the gas station would also move the gas station closer to the roadway and some Council members have stated they don’t think watching people pump gas is attractive.

Steve Witte from Nederveld, Inc, the engineering firm that designed the project, defended the proposal by speaking about what he saw as landscaping improvements. 

“In the plan, more landscaping is proposed than is required by the ordinance,” Witte said. “Six trees and 27 shrubs.” 

It wasn’t long before Brookover fell into a familiar line of questioning. 

“How do you feel about [electric vehicle] charging stations?” he asked Jason Berris of American Gas & Oil. 

Berris initially said it was a “conflict of interest” to install charging stations. 

“Not in East Lansing,” Brookover shot back. 

Berris went on to say the spaces at the gas pumps would be “EV ready,” but the technology to make chargers compatible with gas stations was not there yet. He said it takes too long to charge an electric vehicle, but indicated an openness to adding chargers once faster technology was developed. 

Altmann, Brookover and Meadows all voted against the proposal, with each expressing displeasure about the design. 

“I just think this is a really unique site,” Brookover said. “I think the removal of the wall and berm, to the extent they are on your property, is not – I think those have become, in my view, a desirable natural quality and they enhance its overall appearance… Your plan, which all due respect to you guys, is the stereotypical canopied gas station, convenience store that we see all over America.”

Watson and Singh voted in favor of the proposal. Watson said it was eye opening to hear Council members unhappy with the layout being more visible. 

“Sometimes, it’s just like ‘Where’s the gas station at, so I can get some gas,’” Watson said. “I think this gas station is one of the most convenient, as in driving in and driving out gas stations, and I think it’s pretty cool you guys were going to offer more gas [pumps].”

Council quickly adjourned after coming out of closed session. 

The night ended close to midnight with Council leaving for a closed session. The session lasted a little more than an hour and Council did not take action on anything discussed in closed session once they returned. 

There is no Council meeting scheduled for next week. The group will next convene at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Hannah Community Center. 

Mya Gregory contributed to this reporting.