Concept drawing by east arbor architecture of a winter edition of the East Lansing Farmers Market in the M.A.C. parking garage (under the Marriott Hotel downtown).

What’s Coming This Week in East Lansing

As you may be aware, there’s an election this Tuesday – yes, for East Lansing School Board! – so there is no Council this week. The School Board also won’t meet.

On Tuesday, there will be a meeting of the Downtown Management Board (DMB) as that group works to try to support businesses located in the downtown. The DMB agenda shows discussion of a number of promotional concepts, including efforts to try to get more people safely patronizing more businesses.

One concept emerging is a pop-up farmers’ market event downtown on Nov. 22, possibly to happen in the M.A.C. parking garage, where it would be sheltered and relatively warm.

If the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) meets on Thursday, this idea may also be discussed. The DDA has already committed $75,000 to try to boost activities downtown this winter. Currently, one City calendar does not show the DDA meeting, while another shows the scheduled DDA meeting but without an agenda. (Usually all the agendas for the coming week are posted by Friday, late in the afternoon the week before, so this is odd.)

The scheduled Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and DDA Public Policy & Market Development Committee meetings, both on Wednesday, Nov. 4, have been canceled.

But we can tell you that Wednesday evening will see a pretty action-packed meeting of the recently-renamed Human Rights Commission (HRC) of East Lansing. That group plans to discuss use of force by the police and the process for dealing with complaints lodged against ELPD in addition to working more on revision of the City’s disorderly conduct code – all efforts aimed at reducing what is perceived as over-policing.

Earlier in the day on Wednesday, the “Shaping the Avenue Committee” will continue their work on a possible architectural code for a large east-west swath of East Lansing. If that idea is ultimately approved by Council, it will institute a radical new approach to zoning and project approval in that area.

Don’t forget you can vote in person at the Hannah Community Center today (Sunday) and Monday in East Lansing.

And know that, whatever happens this week, ELi will be here for you thanks to support from our readers.