A rendering of the exterior of a proposed Pizzawala's restaurant. The restaurant is planned to be built in the space next to Peanut Barrel on Grand River Avenue (From agenda packet)

New Meijer Gas Station, Indian Pizza Restaurant and Sauna Park Discussed by Planning Commission

A trio of new projects planned for East Lansing were recently discussed by the Planning Commission, as a new Indian-style pizza restaurant, Meijer gas station and seasonal sauna park are all in the works. 

Two projects, the seasonal sauna park and Indian-style pizza restaurant, were recommended for approval by the Planning Commission at its March 26 meeting. Commissioners seemed open to recommending the Lake Lansing Road gas station, however a vote was delayed until the body’s next meeting so that more information can be gathered. 

Commission requests more information about history behind Meijer gas station proposal. 

A proposal to add a Meijer gas station near the intersection of West Lake Lansing Road and Abbot Road was tabled by the commission, after questions about why the gas station isn’t put near the Meijer supermarket on Lake Lansing Road were left unanswered. 

The proposed location for a new Meijer gas station and convenience store. (From meeting agenda)

The project would be about 5,700 square feet and include 12 pumps and a convenience store. Matt Levitt, a real estate agent for Meijer, explained the company thinks gas stations are an important part of its business model. While many Meijer gas stations are near its supermarkets, the company plans to add more stand alone stations, Levitt said. 

The proposed gas station would be across the road from a Speedway gas station and convenience store. 

Commissioner David Chapin asked why this location was selected, instead of adding the gas station in the parking lot next to the Meijer on Lansing Lansing Road. He clarified he wasn’t suggesting Meijer should instead add the station near their store, that would require an entirely different proposal. Rather, he wanted to know if it was possible to add a gas station near the Lake Lansing Meijer, because he anticipates residents would ask the city why the gas station was not put next to the Lake Lansing store.

Levitt said the proposed location was selected due to analytics that showed a positive sales forecast, but said he could not disclose the analytics because they are “trade secrets” that Meijer keeps internal.

Levitt said that Meijer has tried for years to add a gas station near that store. He was unsure about what exactly went wrong, initially saying the request was denied by Lansing Township, before being corrected by Principal Planner Landon Bartley, who said the Meijer is in East Lansing. 

In a Tuesday, April 1 phone call with ELi, Bartley said staff found three different applications from Meijer to open a gas station near its Lake Lansing store. Bartley said two of the requests were from the 1990s, one was denied by City Council and another was withdrawn. The most recent request was from 2007, and was denied by the city. 

Levitt said Meijer has had discussions about opening a gas station near the store more recently, but plans did not materialize because Meijer representatives did not think a project would be approved. It is unclear who these conversations were held with. 

The plan to add the gas station was previously discussed at the Planning Commission’s March 12 meeting. At that meeting, adjustments to the building’s design were suggested. Levitt explained that Meijer adjusted the proposed building’s color. 

“We did incorporate, into the grey color scheme, some softer tones, reds, browns, that hopefully will help assimilate the building more into its surroundings and make it feel more part of the community,” he said. 

Levitt added that Meijer will work with the city to address other concerns, like environmental impacts. He said Meijer will take necessary steps to mitigate the stormwater impacts of paving over the lot, and will try to preserve as many trees in the area as it can. 

With no vote on the development at the March 26 meeting, the gas station will return to the Planning Commission at its April 9 meeting, where the body will likely vote on whether or not to recommend the project. After that, the gas station will go to City Council seeking approval.

Planning Commission recommends Indian-style pizza restaurant. 

There may soon be a unique new restaurant downtown to grab a drink and bite to eat. 

The Planning Commission recommended City Council approve a Special Use Permit to allow Pizzawala’s to alter the interior of a building on Grand River Avenue to set up its restaurant, and allow the sale of alcoholic beverages. 

A rendering of what the interior of Pizzawala’s restaurant may look like. (From agenda packet)

Pizzawala’s is an Indian-style pizza chain that is positioned to soon occupy the space previously held by MSUFCU, next to Peanut Barrel, on Grand River Avenue. According to the application, the developer hopes to open the space in August this year. 

Along with pizza and wings, the restaurant plans to serve beer and wine. Recently, members of City Council were hesitant to approve an expansion to the FieldHouse sports bar downtown, partially because the East Lansing Police Department (ELPD) shared concerns about alcohol-related violence and crime downtown. 

Associate Planner Grace Whitney, who has been working with the developer, said ELPD does not have the same concerns about alcohol being served at Pizzawala’s because it is a sit-down restaurant that will largely attract families. 

The restaurant is planned to have 128 seats indoors, and another 32 on an outdoor patio. With the Planning Commission recommendation, the proposal will next go to City Council for approval. 

Planning Commission recommends seasonal sauna park be granted extension. 

Timber Fire & Ice sauna company was slated to begin operating in the vacant lot next to Crunchy’s downtown in January, after its proposal to open a seasonal sauna park was approved by City Council late last year. 

The proposed park includes two saunas, a check-in yurt, two cold plunges, a restroom trailer and a storage shed. The roughly 2,700 square-foot park would be circled by a four-foot tall cedar fence with an additional two feet of lattice on top.

An example of a sauna that was included in a meeting agenda packet.

When council approved the park in December 2024 in a 3-2 vote, members in favor were excited about a new, unique attraction coming to the downtown, and liked the temporary format that allowed the city to see how the development fits in area.

The members who voted against raised concerns about emissions from a wood burning sauna, traffic in the area and the sauna park not fitting into the city’s comprehensive plan. 

In December, Council approved a trial run for the sauna park that only permitted it to operate through the end of April of this year. However, Timber sauna ran into challenges with the state permitting process, preventing it from opening. At the March 26 meeting, the Planning Commission recommended the company be approved to operate through May 2, 2026. 

Daniel Downes of Timber sauna company spoke at the Planning Commission meeting, explaining that there “is not a lot of precedence” for seasonal sauna parks, which can lead to snags in the permitting process. 

If the extension is eventually approved by council, the park would still be seasonal, operating during the colder months, Downes said. 

With the recommendation of the Planning Commission in hand, Timber sauna company will next head to City Council for approval.