Reporting like this only happens with your financial support. Donate to WKAR today!
The city of Lansing is one step closer to selecting a location for a community of 50 modular housing units, known as ModPods, that will provide shelter and services for unhoused community members.
Members of the Human Relations and Community Services Advisory Board and Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Board voted during a joint meeting Tuesday evening to recommend placing the ModPods in the parking lot of the Ingham County Human Services Building, located on Jolly Road and Cedar Street.
The location was added as a finalist for the city’s “NOVA” housing initiative in December and earned the second-highest score in the vetting process, which rated possible locations on factors like infrastructure readiness, zoning and licensing, location and parking availability.
Four of the six finalists being considered were public parks, but the advisory boards voted to remove parks from consideration in response to negative feedback from community members.
“I heard loud and clear from the public that parks were not intended for this purpose, and that you felt strongly that the integrity of our parks would be compromised if we located ModPods in any of these parks,” HRCS Advisory Board member Sean Gehle said.
That vote earned immediate applause from audience members and was further praised by public commenters.
“When it comes to public input, the way that y’all just pulled them parks off after that was a whole big old conversation, just so nobody’s heart had to be pounding during that vote, that meant something to people,” one public commenter said.
Now the work continues — your monthly gift helps maintain this success and keeps public media free for all.
Board members emphasized that their recommendation is not a final decision. Mayor Andy Schor said the city is still accepting and vetting additional recommendations of possible locations. He will present his choice to the Lansing City Council, who will consider the rezoning request.
The city will hold a constituency meeting Thursday with nearby residents.
“We will ask them about their mode of communication going forward, with hopes of having contact with them ongoing, and encouraging their participation onto the committees where we begin to design, talk about the rules and regulations, how it’ll operate, the whole gamut,” a board member said. “We truly intend to have them work with us as partners, if they’re willing to.”
City Council members voted in August to approve $645,500 to purchase the 50 ModPods after plans to use them in Kalamazoo were cancelled.
The city was originally aiming to have the community operational in the spring, but the timeline has slipped into the fall.
