LCC President Brent Knight says the college is “not giving up” on addressing its parking problem, which regularly chokes Grand Avenue with cars whose drivers are trying to make a class.
Lansing Community College has a bid in to buy the city’s North Capitol ramp. But, once again, the City Council doesn’t seem interested. Last week, acting as the Committee of the Whole, the council voted 4-2 against a motion to hold a public hearing on LCC’s bid of $2.8 million.
Voting to move on the hearing were Kathie Dunbar and Jessica Yorko. Voting against were Carol Wood, Eric Hewitt, Brian Jeffries and Derrick Quinney.
Asked what LCC’s plans were now — with its bid technically alive but apparently dead politically — Knight said “there are other ways” to address parking.
He listed 3 options: 1. LCC can still build its own ramp. 2. LCC could lease the North Cap ramp from the city. 3. LCC could “work with a private developer.”
Private developer Joel Ferguson has filed his own bid for the North Cap ramp of $2.9 million. If the city were to accept Ferguson’s bid, it would have the advantages of an additional $100,00 for the parking fund, plus it would bring the property on to the city’s tax rolls.
So, is it Joel’s time to shine?
Mayor Virg Bernero had advanced the LCC bid and held back on Ferguson’s bid because he rated the former better than the latter. If the former is not acceptable to enough council members, why not fire Ferguson’s offer over.
The city gets the sale, then it falls to LCC to figure out how it wants to deal with Ferguson, if at all.
