East Lansing Council Discusses Possible City Hall Relocation, Approves Large Solar Project

Last year, city leaders discussed moving East Lansing’s City Hall, saying the current space is expensive to maintain, doesn’t have adequate space for meetings and doesn’t allow for natural sunlight in much of the building. 

In early 2025, the city asked architecture and engineering firms to propose new sites for City Hall or renovations to improve the current space. Additionally, Councilmember Mark Meadows said he and former City Manager Robert Belleman had toured potential new locations. 

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the City Council again discussed the possibility of City Hall being moved, though any planning appears to be paused until the council picks a new city manager. 

The council was considering approving a contract to replace the boiler systems at the Hannah Community Center and City Hall when Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Grigsby asked about the status of City Hall, as the council was considering a six-figure investment in the facility. 

Interim City Manager Annette Irwin said moving City Hall has been discussed for years, but she has not been a part of any discussions about moving from the current building. 

“The past city manager [Belleman], I think, was pretty passionate about either building a new City Hall or finding a building that we could renovate to be a new City Hall,” Irwin said. “But there has not been, to my knowledge, a building that would meet that criteria at this time.”

Irwin said moving City Hall is “nothing [she] could see happening quickly,” and that the possibility will be a topic for the next city manager to explore. Along with moving city offices, the current space houses two courtrooms, the police department and the city’s jail. 

In response to a question about why the city is considering the move as it navigates financial headwinds, Parks, Recreation and Arts Director Justin Drwencke explained there are a couple of factors. 

First, there have been questions about if the building is large enough to house city staff. Second, a number of critical maintenance projects have been delayed, making the space expensive to operate going forward.

“[City Hall] was constructed in 1965, and unfortunately parts of that building date back to 1965 still,” Drwencke said. 

The City Council unanimously approved nearly $600,000 to be spent to replace the boiler systems in City Hall and the Hannah Community Center after Drwencke indicated the City Hall boiler could fail in the near future if it is not replaced. 

Council approves solar array to be built in front of DPW building. 

The East Lansing City Council voted to build a solar array in front of the Department of Public Works, or DPW, building on State Road, moving forward with a longstanding goal. 

At Tuesday’s meeting, East Lansing Environmental Sustainability and Resiliency Manager Cliff Walls said the solar array was first introduced as a goal in the city’s 2012 sustainability plan. 

The project is expected to cost about $677,000 and have a net impact of about $425,000 on the budget, after the city receives a roughly $250,000 federal credit for installing the solar array.  The array will produce more than enough energy to power the DPW building and the city expects it to carry long-term savings. 

By using solar energy, the monthly energy bill for the DPW facility will fall from $3,422 to $580, saving more than $34,000 in the first year. The city expects to break even on the investment in about 10 years, according to the agenda report. 

The agenda report acknowledges that federal funding is currently hard to predict. If the city does not receive the federal credits, it is estimated costs will be recovered in about 16 years. 

“It makes sense even without the [federal] credits,” Walls said at Tuesday’s meeting. “And with our sustainability goals, it just makes sense.”