East Lansing resident Deborah Stewart (top) shares her thoughts on the proposed rezoning of the 700 block of Grove Street during the Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, City Council meeting in the Hannah Community Center in East Lansing. Retired Michigan State University faculty Tim Mrozowski (below), an opponent of the rezoning and resident of the 600 block of Grove Street, listens while others speak about the proposal. (Brian Wells for ELi)
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Grove Street Rezoning Denied by City Council

East Lansing City Council voted against Hagan Realty’s rezoning plan for six properties on the 700 block of Grove Street.  Mayor Pro Tem Jessy Gregg and Councilmember Dana Watson voted in favor of the rezoning, with Mayor Ron Bacon and Councilmembers George Brookover and Noel Garcia voting against.

The rezoning would have allowed Hagan to potentially develop denser housing options at the site. Several residents of the area who had spoken against the rezoning at previous public hearings returned, again expressing their opposition and concerns that increased density could lead to more traffic and college students creating mischief.

When the item came up for consideration, Brookover moved to approve the rezoning plan and Gregg seconded the motion. She also added her observations after walking through the neighborhood.

East Lansing Mayor Pro Tem Jessy Gregg listens during the public comment section of the City Council meeting Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, at the Hannah Community Center. (Brian Wells for ELi)

“There’s already a couple of apartment buildings there,” Gregg said. “There’s mixed-use on Abbot. I think we do have to acknowledge that we live in a college town and that means we have to accommodate the population that comes with that. It always hurts my heart a little bit to hear detached home dwelling residents discounting the contributions of our student residents and also kind of assuming that only students live in apartment buildings. I have been an apartment dweller. I have three people who work for me in my downtown shop in their 30s who are also apartment dwellers.”

“Apartments don’t mean bad neighbors,” she added.

Brookover, in his remarks, addressed the evolving reality of the neighborhood.

“This block is not realistically single family and it hasn’t been for some years,” he said. “The presence of both the fraternity house and sorority house are practical evidence of that.”

He went on to explain his reasons for voting against the measure.

“First, the rezoning is inconsistent with the master plan,” he said. “Second, this rezoning would in effect be trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Third, the rezoning is inconsistent with the current zoning classifications. Further, this rezoning would open up the entire block to haphazard redevelopment in the RM32 category.

“Since my service on the planning commission in the 90s, I have never favored what I call patchwork quilt zoning. I do not favor it here,” Brookover said. “Ultimately, I believe this area is going to have to be rezoned, and it’s going to have to be rezoned with a compatible use that’s going to involve apartments or multifamily houses of some kind. But that’s not right now.”

ELi reached out to Matt Hagan on Wednesday (Sept. 20) morning to get his reaction to the City Council vote.

“I thought that we had made pretty compelling arguments as a whole and we were not expecting that outcome,” Hagan said.

When asked what the longtime family-owned East Lansing realty company’s next steps would be in regards to the Grove Street properties, Hagan and his brothers, who work with him, were quick to answer.

“We’re going over options and not really sure about our next move,” he said before being interrupted, “My brothers are shouting in the next room that we’re not giving up.”