What's Happening in Lansing, MI…

A former furniture warehouse in Lansing that has long been vacant will soon be rehabilitated.

In 2012, John Sears, a developer, purchased the former Potter Mill on South Street, planning to improve it sometime this year. The building offers 37,500 square feet, which will be turned into retail and commercial space.

The building is next door to the office of the city's Operations and Maintenance Division, which Sears says is a “great location”, since he owns SC Environmental, a demolition company that works with the Ingham County Land Bank, as well as the City of Lansing. Sears says he plans to create a store that will sell the materials they salvage from demolitions.

The project has a price tag of $2.5m, and includes renovating the first floor, which has 14,500 square feet, and the second, which offers another 23,000 square feet. Sears plans to use wood he recycles from various demolition projects on the facade of the warehouse. He also thinks that the most likely tenants will be metalworkers, builders, craftsmen, and other skilled workers. Construction could begin as early as April, 2016.

As the remodeling gets underway, Sears might consider working with a brochure printing company to create an illustrated booklet about the project. He could make it available to commercial realtors in the area, who could present it to their clients.