The long-vacant Walter Neller building in downtown Lansing is now being torn down after more than a decade of neglect.
The city declared the building unsafe in 2016, and last year, it ordered the owner, Granger Group, to either rehabilitate it or tear it down.
The company has opted to replace the structure with new development. Granger Group Marketing Director Tara Fay said restoring the aging building would have cost more than constructing a modern facility.
“It’s frail. It’s crumbling. It’s not usable,” Fay said. “That is why we are taking it down and putting [up] something a little bit more modern.”
Construction is expected to begin in mid-June. The new development will include a five-story, mixed-use building with retail space on the first floor and 76 residential units above. Fay says a second building in what is now the Walter Neller parking lot is in the design phase.
Faye says Granger hopes the new buildings will help revitalize downtown.
“We really need to bring people back to Lansing and make it a town that’s happening,” she said. “That’s our goal — to help contribute to the growth and economic structure, as well as help beautify it.”
Construction on the first building is scheduled to be completed next summer.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.