Drive Thru Rejected, Renaming Committee Approved, Judges Present at City Council Meeting

City Council rejected a proposal to build a drive thru restaurant and retail spaces alongside West Lake Lansing Road at the Tuesday, June 4 council meeting. 

The proposal came from Puff Puff Tobacco, which would operate one section of the building. Other sections of the building would include one or two retail spaces, and a fast food restaurant with a drive thru window. The proposal is at 210, 218 and 224 West Lake Lansing Road, just before Arbor Glen Drive. The project was previously recommended unanimously by the Planning Commission. 

Not knowing which businesses would operate in the space was a concern for members of council, particularly not knowing which restaurant would operate the drive thru. Mayor George Brookover asked how a traffic study could be done on the project without knowing which business would operate the drive thru. 

David Christian of DC Engineering, the firm that worked on the proposal, said a traffic study showed the project would not have an impact on safety. He also said the drive thru provides space for 11 cars, which is more than the city requires.

However, the traffic study relied on industry averages. Without a confirmed tenant, some council members worried the project could disrupt busy Lake Lansing Road and pose a safety threat. 

“If there was no drive thru, I’d probably be voting for this,” Councilmember Mark Meadows said. 

Meadows and Brookover each indicated they would be open to considering the project if they knew what businesses would occupy the space, or if the drive thru was eliminated. However, the drive thru is a critical component of the proposal. Shawn O’Brien with consulting firm Collier’s spoke about how important a drive thru is to a fast food restaurant. 

“Covid changed a lot of, basically, the way people utilize food service today,” O’Brien said. “Restaurants like McDonald’s have 70% of their business go through a drive thru or a pick up window.”

O’Brien added that the project would fill a need, as there are few drive thru restaurants in the area. 

Councilmember Erik Altmann questioned plans to remove trees from the property. Christian said an arborist looked at the site and the trees present are short-lived native species, or non-native species. 

Some members of Council also expressed concern about disturbing nearby residents with a new development. Christian said the drive thru was designed to have headlights face away from homes. 

The project was rejected in a 3-2 vote, with Brookover, Meadows and Altmann voting against and Councilmember Dana Watson and Mayor Pro Tem Kerry Ebersole Singh voting in favor. 

Watson said she doesn’t want the city to get a reputation that it is difficult to work with, and she believes a drive thru restaurant would benefit people in the area. 

Group of judges attend meeting to share information on specialty courts. 

Four Ingham County judges attended the meeting to highlight the importance of specialty courts. Specialty courts are a section of the legal system that address people with unique challenges or circumstances, like people with mental illnesses, substance use disorders and veterans. 

Four judges – Lisa McCormick of the 30th Circuit Court, Molly Hennessey Greenwalt of the 54B District Court, Cynthia Ward of the 54A District Court and Shauna Dunnings of the 30th Circuit Court – attended the meeting. There was an item on the consent agenda that recognized the Ingham County Specialty Court Coalition. 

Greenwalt and McCormick spoke at the meeting, looking to spread information about the courts and affirm support from City Council. 

“This resolution highlights the important work that the courts are doing, and the different type of work to reach these participants that we’re serving,” McCormick said.

Brookover asked the judges to explain the difference between a specialty court and a traditional criminal court. McCormick explained that the specialty courts will regularly meet with participants to give them more individualized treatment. 

“We are attempting to avoid jail and give treatment and address people where they’re at,” McCormick said. “I tell my participants every week ‘If you are honest with me and you talk to me about what is going on, I will find a solution. There is a solution to every problem that comes before me, we just have do it together.’”

McCormick said the specialty court judges are often able to form trusting relationships with participants. In a traditional court setting, it is difficult to form these relationships because many people in the criminal justice system have had negative past experiences with judges. 

“Placing people in jail or ordering them to go to jail really doesn’t solve the [problem],” McCormick said. “We want the community to be safe, we want them to have these services in place and be successful.”

Meadows praised the specialty courts. 

“I’ve been an attorney for 50 years,” he said. “I believe the development of the specialty courts is one of the most remarkable and best things that has happened in the justice system. It provides expertise to judges on issues – I think most people may not realize that judges are just sort of generalists – they get every kind of case that is appropriate for their court. They don’t often have the opportunity to develop a specific expertise on a particular thing.”

Meadows continued to say that attorneys, especially those in private practice, are often specialists. This makes it even more important that judges have this specialized knowledge when ruling on cases involving unique segments of the population. 

Council votes to form a committee to rename aquatic center and softball complex. 

In a unanimous vote, City Council voted to allow Brookover to appoint an ad hoc committee that will explore renaming the aquatic center and softball complex the Theodore and Carol Staton Family Aquatic Center and Softball Complex. 

The agenda report for the topic states that Theodore, or Ted as he was more commonly known, was the second longest serving city manager in East Lansing history. Ted served as city manager from 1995-2011, overseeing significant population growth in East Lansing. Ted died in 2019 at 63 years old and is survived by his wife, Carol. 

The application to rename the aquatic center and softball complex after Ted and Carol largely highlights Ted’s service to the city and the developments that occurred under his leadership. There are seven individuals listed as applicants behind the renaming, including City Clerk Marie Wicks and former Planning Commission Chair Dan Bollman. 

Council voted to allow Brookover to appoint an ad hoc committee to explore the potential renaming. According to the agenda report, the committee will consist of a former mayor and four other East Lansing residents. 

During a short discussion, Meadows clarified the committee will make a recommendation that will then come back to council to vote on. The committee could also recommend a different way to honor the Statons. 

“This is a very preliminary activity,” Meadows said, adding there is no timeline for the renaming. 

Potential charter amendment continues to draw passionate debate. 

As was the case at the last council meeting in May, several residents spoke during public comment about a petition that is circulating that aims to change the city charter. The goal of the petition is to change the city charter to state that non-rent paying individuals may stay in a person’s home without a rental license. 

However, two members of council have expressed concern that the charter amendment could have unintended consequences and hamper the city’s ability to enforce rental laws. They have also said that many residents’ concerns about the current laws are driven by misinformation. 

ELi will be providing coverage of this section of the meeting, along with coverage of tonight’s (June 6) Housing Commission meeting where the matter is set to be discussed, in a separate report.