BWL Project Tabled, New Gas Station Moves to Council

Pitches for a couple of major projects dominated the East Lansing Planning Commission meeting on Oct. 11. 

The Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL) is looking to repurpose its building in a residential area on Stoddard Avenue at Burcham Drive into a training facility. However, after hearing resident feedback, BWL representatives will look to meet with local homeowners and groups to carve out a path for the project that works for everyone. 

Additionally, commissioners discussed a plan from American Gas & Oil to demolish a gas station that includes a convenience store and car wash at the intersection of Saginaw Street and Abbot Road, to build their own gas station and convenience store. 

Two items related to proposed BWL training facility tabled to allow for further community engagement. 

After a public hearing and lengthy discussion that included input from area residents, commissioners and a BWL representative, both items related to a potential training facility were tabled. BWL was requesting a zoning change so its building in a residential area can be used as a training facility. Additionally, there was a public hearing on the project. 

Residents were concerned about numerous aspects of BWL’s plan, including the installation of a security fence, new lighting, adding a commercial facility to a residential area, increased noise and a higher risk of flooding if a gravel area is paved over for a parking lot.

BWL Cable Splicer Leader Dan Laverty attended the meeting and spoke directly to concerns raised during the meeting and in written communications prior to the Oct. 11 meeting.

Laverty explained the training facility is needed because safety is crucial for BWL employees working with high voltage equipment. He said he understands residents’ concerns, but that many of the issues raised are created by zoning requirements and that BWL is committed to working with residents to find a way to build the facility in a pleasing way. 

“We want to be good neighbors with the adjoining properties and all the surrounding residents,” Laverty said.

When addressing concerns about noise, Laverty said the facility would only be used weekdays from 8-4 p.m. There will also be months-long periods where training isn’t needed and the facility won’t be used. Even when in use, Laverty said noise should not be an issue. 

“It’s actually pretty quiet,” he said. “It will all be conducted in the building or in the manhole. So, the odds of anybody hearing it from outside is pretty slim.”

Laverty also said the addition of the light, the privacy fence and paved parking lot are all included in the plan because they are required for the community rezoning that BWL is requesting. He said he doesn’t think the fence or lighting are necessary and that the gravel parking would work fine. 

Planning and Zoning Administrator Landon Bartley explained the community rezoning designation would require four to six paved parking spaces. The BWL plan calls for six. He also said there may be creative fixes for other aspects, like using hedges for a privacy fence and looking into different kinds of lighting because the space will not be used at the darkest times in the day. 

Laverty said BWL will look into flood mitigation options if the parking lot is paved over. One meeting attendee said stormwater had recently gotten into her basement. 

After the public hearing for BWL’s project, one East Lansing resident who is an architect and retired Michigan State University (MSU) faculty,  Tim Mrozowski, said he would prefer the building be sold for residential use. However, if BWL is not open to that, he said a compromise could be that the adjacent green space is turned into a “pocket park” that is open to the public. The site plan does not call for a reduction in green space around the building.  

Laverty said he thought creating a park was a good idea. 

Ultimately, commissioners opted to table both agenda items related to the BWL project. Commissioners said they thought a meeting should be set up where members of the public can interact with BWL team members to come to a mutually agreeable plan. Commissioners also said BWL should meet with the Bailey Community Association, which covers the area west of the Avondale neighborhood. 

Laverty noted the project “means a lot” to him and said he was open to working with stakeholders. He also said if BWL is not able to use its Stoddard location, the company will have to do training elsewhere and the additional costs could be passed to ratepayers. 

If a compromise is reached and the project is approved, Laverty said the training site will also be useful for East Lansing emergency responders. He said BWL currently does manhole rescue training with the Lansing Fire Department and that the East Lansing Fire and Police departments would be welcome to join them for training at the Stoddard location. 

“We’re faster than Lansing fire, I can tell you that,” Laverty said with a laugh. “We raced them.”

If approved, the building would require substantial redesigns on the interior. But the exterior would remain similar, outside a new roof that will be put over the courtyard. Laverty estimated the project will take 18 to 24 months to complete if it is approved. 

Residents ask for more “Wow” built into proposed gas station design.

A plan from American Oil & Gas would replace the old University Marathon gas station, convenience store and car wash at the corner of Abbot Road and Saginaw Street with new pump stations and new convenience store. 

American Oil & Gas first presented its design to the Planning Commission on Sept. 27, which recommended the company make changes to easements and plantings. The company returned to the Oct. 11 meeting with updated plans to accommodate those requests. 

Steve Witte is a project manager with Nederveld, the engineering company working with American Oil & Gas to develop the project. Witte presented to the commission on the project and opened by saying he believes removing the car wash improves the use of the site. 

Witte also said there are currently two driveways into the site, one off Abbot and one off Saginaw. The entrance on Abbot will be removed to reduce the number of potential conflict points for drivers entering and exiting the gas station. Witte said removing the entrance near the intersection will help make the site safer. 

The proposal also calls for 10 trees and 45 shrubs on the site, which Witte called a “substantial” increase in landscaping. 

Prior to Witte’s presentation, some residents spoke during public comment and asked for a more appealing architectural design to the site because the station sits at a prominent entryway to East Lansing. 

“Can’t we get a bit of a ‘wow’ project?” Mrozowski asked, who also called the design “ordinary.”

Witte addressed these concerns during his presentation. 

“In my opinion, beauty is in the eye of the beholder architectural wise,” he said. “Our own opinion is, what is proposed, it’s a very attractive building, it does have the stone veneer, the storefront windows. It does have board and batten siding, there’s dormers on it, there’s a standing seam metal roof. In our opinion, that is a bit of a ‘wow’ factor, it’s not a traditional gas station that you see.”

Witte also addressed one resident’s comment that the project should have electric vehicle charging stations by saying that “is a thing for the future.” He said currently it takes around 45 minutes to charge an electric vehicle, which is not practical for a gas station. However, if the technology evolves to where it can be done in 10 or 15 minutes, the site plan is flexible enough to “easily” add a charging station. 

Commissioner Chelsea Denault said she was opposed to the project because it would mean the loss of another mid-century building in the city, which she said has been a trend lately.

“We’re losing our commercial mid-century architecture,” she said. “I think that is a bigger loss for the overall aesthetics of the city… We lose that story.”

Ultimately, the Planning Commission voted 5-1 in favor of the project, with Denault serving as the lone vote against. This means it will go before Council for approval.