Developer Pitching 12-Story Apartment Downtown Describes Proposal, Projects Optimism

In 2023, a proposal to add an apartment complex at 530 Albert Ave., where the Bailey Street parking lot sits, was rejected after droves of business owners and residents spoke at city meetings to convince City Council to turn down the proposal.

Now, there is a new proposal to add a 12-story apartment complex at that site and Minnesota-based Tureen Development Partners thinks it has learned from the last developer’s mistakes and will make its proposed apartment building a reality.

East Lansing Info spoke with Tureen’s Vice President of Development Cody Diedrich about his company’s plans and how it is approaching the project.

Diedrich said the apartment will be student housing, as opposed to the affordable workforce housing proposed in 2023. Diedrich said the location is better suited for student or market-rate housing because of its location downtown, near Michigan State University.

The downfall of previous plans, Diedrich said, was the developer’s failure to work with community members and hear their concerns. Diedrich highlighted Tureen’s different approach.

“We started engaging neighboring business owners back in the spring,” he said. “We were fully under contract in the summer with the current property owners. We’ve had multiple meetings with neighboring business owners, some DDA members and the Bailey neighborhood. We’ve met with all the council members who were willing before the election, and also all the potential council candidates who were willing. We’ve had countless meetings with staff.

“We really tried to do this right, knowing what went wrong last time. We pride ourselves on making a development that listens to opinions. Not all feedback can be implemented, but we do our best.”

Diedrich said the two largest concerns the team heard were parking and activation of the alley. In the initial plans, there were 30 parking stalls, but feedback pushed them to add a second level of parking, increasing the final number to 86. All spots will be public, with none reserved for residents of the apartment building, though Diedrich said that could change if the spaces are underutilized.

Another priority stakeholders emphasized was the safety and openness of the alley.

“For activation,” Diedrich said, “we’re proposing four murals along the alley and wrapping around, plus a blade sign that says ‘500 Arts District,’ [but] the name can change. As you wrap toward Albert, we have an art piece there. We’ve also talked with Arts Commission staff about possibly putting a focal piece on the Albert corner.”

Tureen is planning to pull back on the perimeters facing Albert and the alley, allowing for more landscaping, seating and benches. Diedrich specifically named the desire to provide relief to the Wild Goose Inn, one of the businesses that had concerns about the 2023 proposal at the site. 

Diedrich said Tureen hopes to “plant our flag” with this project, opening the door to do more in Michigan. The company has other properties under contract, including a home on Abbot Road. He said they are exploring condominiums at that site and are working with a local realtor to gauge interest.

“If the condos don’t work out, we’ll go back to the drawing board and consider other uses, including affordable housing,” he said.

Diedrich told ELi he will appear before the Planning Commission next week to introduce the plans, taking an initial step in the city’s often-lengthy approval process. When asked how he would respond to residents who are opposed to adding a large apartment complex at the site, he nodded in understanding.

“We’re happy with the progress we’ve made and the effort to engage stakeholders,” he said. “We’ve listened to everything we can. Not everyone will be happy, but there is a clear shortage of housing — student, market-rate and affordable — in the downtown area, and it’s only getting worse.”

He said there are few developable sites left and there has not been downtown construction in several years. With enrollment at Michigan State University continuing to grow, Diedrich said demand will only increase.

“We hope people understand the amount of effort we’ve put in,” he said, “that we’ve learned from past mistakes, and that we’re trying to bring forward something beneficial. One major public benefit is replacing public parking. We’re a little denser and a little taller, but the public benefit is restoring that parking. As the owner said in the neighborhood meeting, ‘I don’t know how you did it.’

“We’re trying to bring a lot of things together to make a successful development.”