The last year has been a trying one for Lansing’s Niowave Corporation and its residential neighbors in the area north of downtown. The Lansing Economic Area Partnershiphas spent months forging an agreement between the company and its neighbors over how to improve the appearance of a large metal building that went up last summer.
Irate residents launched a campaign, "Fix the Facade", that called for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of design improvements to the structure: landscaping, a new roof, windows and more.
In April, an apparent deal was struck that LEAP CEO Bob Trezise described to Current State as imperfect, but still acceptable to a majority of residents. It tied a Niowave tax abatement from the city to improvements.
Yesterday, the plan’s approval was formally announced. Rina Risper, President of the Walnut Neighborhood Association, and Bob Trezise, CEO of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, or LEAP, bring us up to date.