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Thanks for checking out the East Lansing City Council Recap. This publication is sent out after each regular and discussion-only City Council meeting. Plan for future meetings by viewing the 2019 meeting schedule here: https://cityofeastlansing.com/997/2019-Meeting-Dates

Readers are encouraged to contact the East Lansing City Manager's Office with questions: (517) 319-6920

Highlights from the March 5 Meeting

The East Lansing City Council began their meeting on March 5, 2019 with communications from Councilmembers and East Lansing City Manager George Lahanas. Mayor Pro Tem Erik Altmann announced that Blue Owl Coffee opened its new location in downtown East Lansing and that the owners had expressed to him that it was a pleasure to work with the City. "Kudos to the people who represent us and to the people who are at the front line, communicating with businesses. They are really doing a terrific job," said Altmann. Lahanas' report included introducing the City's two new Humphrey Fellows, Aruna Badoo and Michael Ajayi (pictured above). Badoo is from Mauritius and works in the public sector, and Ajayi is from Nigeria and works in the non-profit sector. "You'll be seeing them the next six weeks and we are pleased to have them join us," said Lahanas.

Electric Skateboard Ordinance

City Council unanimously approved Ordinance 1450 - an ordinance to amend the Code of the City of East Lansing by adding an article about electric skateboard companies. Before voting on the ordinance, Councilmembers proposed and voted on multiple amendments to the ordinance, which included, but is not limited to: the maximum speed of electric skateboards (commonly known as electric scooters), educational outreach for electric skateboard users and changes to the annual license fee for licensed electric skateboard companies. Here are some of the highlights from the approved ordinance:

Licensed electric skateboard companies must pay an annual license fee of $2,500 and a per ride fee of 10 cents.
An additional fee of $100 must be paid to the City each month for each electric skateboard that has remained impounded by the City for more than 30 days.
The City reserves the right to restrict the number of electric skateboards deployed in the City by any company.
While on sidewalks in the City, electric skateboards should be driven at no more than 10 mph.
Electric skateboards should be parked upright on the sidewalk and should only be parked on sidewalks with at least five feet of unobstructed space preserved for safe pedestrian travel and where designated, if at all, by the City Manager through an administrative order.
All electric skateboards must be removed from all public right-of-ways within the City:
- between the hours of 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. each day.
- when snow/ice or other weather conditions require removal for purposes reasonably related to City operations, such as plowing and maintenance of streets, sidewalks and access to public facilities, as determined by the City Manager.
- when damaged, in low-battery state or blocking the public right-of-ways.
Licensed electric skateboard companies must inform users about permissible parking locations, speed limits, safety equipment requirements and general courtesy.
Licensed electric skateboard companies must implement a plan to educate users about the rights of pedestrians, including those with disabilities, to travel unimpeded by electric skateboards, whether in use or parked. After introducing this amendment, Mayor Pro Tem Erik Altmann provided these comments: "I think we're going to have to establish a culture where people are respectful of pedestrians, especially on sidewalks."

With the approval of this ordinance, the City now has a process in place to license electric skateboard companies when they return to the community this spring.

*The final ordinance, with all of Council's amendments, will be posted on the City's Recently Adopted Ordinances web page at a later date.

Former DPW Site History & Purchase Agreement

Council approved a purchase agreement with Kodiac Landarc, LLC in the amount of $1,000,900 for the 6.4-acre City-owned parcel at Park Lake and Merritt roads. Read more about the history of this site and the purchase agreement here.

Application for 6210 Abbot Road

Council unanimously voted against a site plan modification application from Tailwind Group for the property at 6210 Abbot Road to change its original site plan from 29 detached single-family units to 18 four-bedroom duplex units and four detached single-family units. Mayor Pro Tem Altmann voiced concerns about having more student housing in the Northern Tier and said he would be open to reviewing other non-residential uses for the property. "I'm interested in being flexible about how this property gets used. In my mind it doesn't have to be for residential purposes," said Altmann. "If there's an office that wants to go in there, that is potentially a really good use for that space."

East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows explained his vote against the application was because of the history of the site, lack of occupancy in the Northern Tier and changes in limitations on who has the ability to rent. "The original plan for the area discussed in this application was an excellent plan and the restrictions were reasonable and consistent with the neighborhoods in East Lansing," Meadows said. "I am happy with the existing site plan that is in place for this property and I don't think it's been pursued enough to make it successful."

Temporary Window and Projecting Signs

Council also unanimously approved Ordinance 1450 - an ordinance amending the provisions related to temporary window signs and projecting signs. The ordinance allows businesses to utilize 100 percent of their storefront windows for temporary signage during construction and no temporary window sign shall be permitted for more than 30 days after issuance of certificate of occupancy. The ordinance also allows projecting signs to be closer to the edge of a tenant's space (0-3 feet).

Other Items

Council approved a contract with MCSA Group, Inc. in the amount of $64,844 for design, project management and engineering services associated with the White Park Trail Extension and Natural Features Enhancement Project. This project will extend the Northern Tier Trail through Albert A. White Memorial Park and make improvements to the park's natural areas. The project is estimated to begin this fall and be completed by spring of next year. View the staff memo here.
Council approved the following two contracts to build, relocate and install the City's parking office and maintenance shop in the Center City District parking garage:
- A contract with Laux Construction in the amount of $247,643 and allocate $24,765 for a project contingency to build the new parking office and maintenance shop. View the staff memo here.
- A contract with Harvey Electronics & Radio LLC in the amount of $58,333.33 for the relocation and installation of the City's Parking Access and Revenue Control System. View the staff memo here.
Council approved a permanent easement for the proposed traffic signal at the intersection of Coolidge and Coleman roads. The easement will allow access for the installation and maintenance of required traffic signal equipment. View the staff memo here.
Council approved the Michigan Department of Transportation Performance Resolution for Governmental Agencies in regards to the Infrastructure Restructure project. The project will bring sewer improvements to Michigan Avenue, the Michigan-Harrison intersection and local streets in the area. View the staff memo here.
Ordinance 1454 was introduced and set for the business agenda at the City Council meeting on April 9:

Ordinance 1454 - an ordinance to incorporate the Landlord and Tenant Relations Act into the Property Maintenance Code.
Ordinance 1449* was introduced and set for the business agenda at the City Council meeting on April 9:

Ordinance 1449 - an ordinance to create an overlay district for building height to the Code of the City of East Lansing.

*If the ordinance is approved, a building site plan would still need to be approved by a three-fourths majority of Council before being built to a height of up to 160 feet in this overlay district.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, March 12 Discussion-Only

Additional Information

Regular meetings begin at 7 p.m. and discussion-only meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. Meetings take place at 54B District Court, Courtroom 2, 101. Linden St. Meeting agendas, minutes and recordings can be found here. Recorded meetings are also televised and replayed on Channel 22 (WELG).