Items Tagged ‘Lansing’
Lansing’s High-Tech Industry Goes To Schools
Synopsis:
While Michigan may be facing the highest unemployment rates in the country, entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the times to jump start the economy. Companies are purchasing abandoned school buildings in Lansing, renovating the vacant properties and setting up new ventures. The adapted schools are seeing new life and bringing new opportunities to a community hit hard by the recession. Due to budget issues and decreased values, the companies are able to obtain the properties all low costs (significantly lower than if they built new) and get their operations up and running very quickly. Many of these businesses specialize in technology, helping the state to transition and diversify its economic base.
Eyesore of the Week
Synopsis:
As part of a continuing series, McNamara looks at an ex-gas station in Lansing which he considers an eyesore. The owner of the property would like to reuse the structure but architecture critic Amanda Harrell-Seyburn disagrees. Most gas stations are built in such a way that they do not lend themselves to easy adaptive reuse. She suggests that gas stations be developed with an eye to the future, making the property and building easier to reuse if the gas company vacates. Gas stations tend to be in prime locations that mark the urban fabric. Left vacant, it can have a big impact on the community.