An apartment building that will be attractive to graduate students has been approved for a location between the CFCU branch and the Homewood Suites in the Village of Lansing.  The building will have 39 apartments, 26 covered parking stalls, and two commercial spaces. 

"It's a unique project.  All in all I think the Village feels it fits in fairly well," says Code Enforcement/Zoning Officer Marty Moseley.  "It has some commercial components that tie in with the Suites and the bank, and also has residential units, which ties in directly with apartments across the road."

What really makes the project unique is that it's a mixed use project that will be built on the last high-traffic commercially zoned plot in the Village.  Mixed use projects have been a recent theme in the Village.  A senior apartment project on Oakcrest Road is part of the BJ's Wholesale Club project.  When complete that project will include about a dozen rental units, a bird sanctuary and wetlands preservation with three buffering existing neighborhoods as well as the new apartments from BJ's. 

"The Village is encouraging mixed use to the extent that it can," Mosely says.  "They like to see that mixed use that creates a village feel that the village doesn't really have here."


Aesthetics has played a large part in the design of the three story building.  Developers Manley and Richard Thaler, who also own the abutting Triphammer Marketplace, are planning a building that will be entered by a park-like patio, flanked by two commercial spaces. The Thalers hope to attract some sort of bakery or coffee shop that will fit in with an attractive courtyard area where tenants can relax before going to work or school. 

"Manly liked the look of the new TC3 split face brick dorms," Mosely says.  "That's what he's going after, that appeal."

While it will be about the same height as the neighboring Homewood Suites, the project was granted a variance to put a gable roof on the three story structure, taking it above the usual Village height requirement.  By contrast the suites building has a faux gabled roof, hiding a flat roof that was designed to meet the height cap.


From the back, which faces the Triphammer Marketplace the building will appear as a four story structure because of the grade of the property that will facilitate underground parking.

"And when a commercial high traffic area abuts a residential district it requires a 150 buffer.  There will only be a 150 foot buffer on one third of the project on the end facing Cayuga Heights."

The developers hope to begin work on the project this year, early Spring at the latest.  Moseley says if they meet the conditions of their permit they could begin construction now.  Depending on how quickly construction progresses that means they could begin renting as soon as late next summer.

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