Developer plans apt. complex at former Holmes Street School

A local developer plans to breathe new life into a neighborhood on Lansing’s east side with a proposal that would transform a vacant school building into a 108-unit apartment complex.

The Lansing City Council’s Committee on Development and Planning is expected to review a rezoning request this week from developers of the former Holmes Street School. If approved, plans call for renovations and construction of five apartment buildings on the 2.2-acre property.

Developer Jeff Deehan of Dymaxion Development reportedly bought the property last May and planned to have construction finished by 2021. He didn’t return calls to City Pulse this week, but Dymaxion logos were attached to draft renderings of the “Blackboard District” redevelopment.

The shell of the school building itself would remain intact, with renovations for 47 residential units inside. Five other buildings (and a total of 61 more apartments) would also be built across the playground with sidewalks and shared common spaces placed between them.

If the plans come to fruition, it’ll be the first time the property has been used for housing. The school opened in 1923, closed in 2000 and spent the last 20 years in legal limbo after another developer tried and failed to convert the property into an incubator space for tech companies.

In 2006, a nonprofit also tried to use the space for an addiction recovery facility but withdrew the request based on strong objections from nearby residents. City officials have since found a residential use to be much more “appropriate” option given its proximity to other homes.

The city’s Planning Board approved the rezoning request for the former school property last month. If approved by the Council committee Thursday, the request would then be sent to a formal public hearing and voted on by the full City Council.

A series of tax incentives for Dymaxion’s development plans have also already been approved by the City Council and would reportedly freeze its taxable value for the next 12 years while allowing developers to pay taxes based on the school’s worth prior to the renovations.

Visit lansingcitypulse.com for more coverage as the proposal moves forward at the City Council.