Residents got a second look at the future of Lansing when they gathered for a presentation by the Town Center Committee Tuesday.  Architects showed plans and pictures of ways the existing undefined town center strip along Route 34B could be transformed into an attractive town center with a central green, farmers market, a new park, walkways, and residential and commercial growth. 

"The (Town of Lansing) comprehensive plan talks about the importance of density and increasing the density and concentrating development as we go forward," said planner Miles Cigolle of Holt Architects.  "Mixed land uses -- commercial uses, recreational uses, housing -- these are things that all need to be brought in so the center becomes vibrant.  You need to be able to shop here, you need to be able to park safely.  All of these things need to reinforce each other, so the mixed use is very important."


Representatives of Holt Architects and Trowbridge & Wolf Landscape Architects have been working with the Town Center Committee for about four months, and held a well attended public meeting in January to lay out a strategy for planning a town center in Lansing.  They collected ideas and comments from residents, covering everything from strategy, areas of town that should be used as a town center or connected to one by sidewalks and walking paths, new community buildings, and development and green space issues.  In all they processed more than 60 suggestions from residents to come up with initial potential plans for transforming the strip of 34B between East Shore Drive and Triphammer Road.

Landscape Architect Peter Trowbridge stressed that the plans are just ideas at this point, but important now because when state and federal funding opportunities appear it is the projects that have been planned that get the money.  He said the center would be realized over a long period of time, but that it is important to have early successes to keep community interest and momentum for the project.  He showed a series of 'now' and 'future' pictures that illustrate how small projects can make a significant transformation of existing areas that the public can immediately see.

One example is the existing town square that currently holds the Town Hall, Lansing Community Library, Community Center, and the historic Field School.  They proposed turning 'black space' (the current parking lot) into a town green that could include a new permanent multi-use building that would house the Lansing Farmer's Market in the summer, and be usable for chicken barbecues and many other events during the year.


A striking example is the transformation of 34B from the Town Hall to Rogue's Harbor, adding sidewalks and foliage to transform a dreary stretch of road into one that has character and provides the beginnings of a walkway that will eventually connect the town center to other areas of town, including the schools, Myers Park, and the RINK.  Trowbridge said this kind of project would be inexpensive, especially if the Town can get the State Department of Transportation (DOT) which owns the road, on board.  He also said it would provide a significant visual transformation that would encourage townspeople to keep the overall project moving forward.

Trowbridge pointed to the Triphammer Road reconstruction as an example of how such a plan could transform the area.  In that project sidewalks, trees, and other elements contributed to a transformation of an undistinguished mall strip to an area that is tied together visually, making the strip seem more intimate even though the road was actually enlarged. 




"We think that this kind of first step would be a way that focuses some conversation around circulation and walking, and appearance, and curb appeal that I think is so important to a community like the Town of Lansing," he said.  "This is the kind of investment that the Town may or may not choose to make, but you have a plan in place so at such time that the State were to make some improvements in the State right-of-way you would be prepared to say, 'We want something more, to look like this.'  It's a significant transformation without a significant investment."


The overall plan starts with the existing town land  south of 34B, then extends to land north of the roadway that recently had deed restrictions lifted that will now facilitate mixed use town center growth.  In addition to residential and commercial areas the potential plan extends recreation areas and ball fields north, and proposes a new park at the northernmost point of the property.  It uses existing zoning to reflect the mixed character of the town with the new park to the north, representing the agricultural character of northern Lansing, and commercial and civic uses to the south.

Trowbridge says that the next steps include more consultation with the committee and also getting the Town Board to adopt a concept.  He noted that the concept will change over time as the needs of the community evolve.  He said that community consensus, political will, and accomplishing some first steps are critical to making a town center actually happen.

Town Center Committee Chairwoman Kathy Miller urged residents to send comments to the committee as they continue to gather ideas and build consensus for the project.

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