Center City District

The Center City District is a mixed-use redevelopment project in the heart of East Lansing, Michigan, home to Michigan State University. By redeveloping a surface parking lot into a new 620-space parking garage and repurposing three blighted buildings, the new Center City District includes housing for residents 55 and up, mixed market housing, street level retail, and the addition of a new urban Target flexible-format store, the first of its kind in Michigan. New bike lane infrastructure surrounding the site makes it a bikeable and walkable environment, with well-lit pedestrian walkways connecting the buildings. The project also included new utility infrastructure.

During preconstruction, the team worked through a detailed value engineering process, reducing over $4 million in scope and helping to bring the project within the desired budget and ready to move forward. To help in this process, Christman brought design assist partners to the team early on for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and metal panels.

The team was challenged by the project’s tight, urban site and focused on developing good relationships with neighboring residents and businesses as they worked to eliminate disruptions to the surrounding area. This sometimes involved limited extended hours of work, particularly during special events or final exam week for nearby MSU students.

Working on a fast-paced timeline, Christman worked closely with trade contractor partners to ensure work was moving along as anticipated. Through clear communication and regular meetings to keep everyone up to date, the project team was able to maintain the desired completed date to ensure students could move-in as planned.