Lansing, CATA reach temporary deal with Frandor to keep bus stops, without shelters

LANSING — When Kathy Wade and Susan Scott leave their jobs to catch a Capital Area Transportation Authority bus from the Frandor Shopping Center, the Kroger employees say they don't much worry about their safety.

But with Frandor ownership confirming this week plans to remove two CATA stops within the complex next month, Wade said she's concerned about walking further to bus stops located on outside streets — particularly in the dark.

"They're saying people are scared because they're being followed to the bus stop by the homeless community, but if they move(the buses)further away, there's more of a chance something bad's gonna happen," Wade said during a break from her shift. "And out here, there's always light. Where they're talking about having people walk to the bus stop is (by) the roads."

Officials from the city, CATA and the Lansing Retail Center, which owns Frandor, announced early Wednesday evening a deal that should allay those concerns, for now, at least.

Frandor has agreed to temporarily leave the stops in place, according to a statement issued by Lansing Mayor Andy Schor's office on behalf of Schor, Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee, Frandor ownership representative Patrick Corr and CATA Director of Marketing & Customer Experience and Public Information Officer Lolo Robison.

However, Robison said CATA will still be required to remove their bus shelters and benches from the shopping center's interior stops, which she said will happen in the coming weeks.

"This is a stop-gap. It's not the ideal solution, but we're going to continue to push for what we think is the ideal experience and amenities for our riders," Robison said.

Schor said he was pleased with Frandor ownership's decision to continue bus service at the current locations.

“When I heard that Frandor ownership was ending their lease with CATA and removing the bus stops located in the heart of the shopping center, I contacted the Frandor ownership group to see if these very important stops could be preserved," Schor said in the statement. "Hundreds of riders use these stops on a weekly basis, whether it’s for getting to their places of employment or to the places that they shop at for their essential household items. Given that these stops are located on private property and there is little the City can do, as well as understanding the issues involved, I am pleased to report that the Frandor ownership group has agreed to continue to have CATA service at their current locations at the shopping center.

"The City of Lansing will continue to provide police assistance and social services as possible. This situation will be revisited by all parties over the next several months. I appreciate the concerns of the neighborhood, the work of Council members including Councilman (Brian) Daniels, the involvement of our Neighborhoods Department, and the work of all parties to find a solution that continues to ensure accessibility to Frandor."

Corr announced in a letter in August that the east and westbound Frandor Center stops, located opposite each other in the heart of the shopping center, would stop service Oct. 17. He cited a variety of issues including vagrancy, aggressive panhandling and theft. The decision would have impacted two Capital Area Transportation Authority bus routes: Route 1, which traverses downtown Lansing to Okemos, and Route 15, which connects the Meijer store on Lake Lansing Road to downtown.

Lansing Retail Center officials declined to comment further Wednesday. But in the statement from Schor's office, Corr said: “After working closely with City of Lansing Mayor Schor, Lansing Retail Center has agreed, on a trial basis, to allow the two existing bus stops, within the Frandor Shopping Center, to remain. We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with CATA and appreciate the Lansing Police Department’s partnership in making sure that the Frandor Shopping Center is a welcoming and safe place to work and shop. We would like to thank Mayor Andy Schor for his dedication and steadfast efforts in finding a reasonable solution for everyone."

Natalie Hufnagel, a spokesperson for Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, deferred comment to police Tuesday. Lansing Police Public Information Director Jordan Gulkis on Wednesday said the department wouldn't comment until it had gathered data on police stops in Frandor.

“We are glad the parties involved have found a resolution to this complicated issue," Sosebee said in the statement from Schor's office. "We look forward to working with Corr Commercial Real Estate, CATA, and the community to ensure a safe experience for bus riders, shoppers, and restaurant patrons in the Frandor area.

CATA board Chairperson Nathan Triplett said in a Twitter thread early Wednesday he hoped Frandor would reconsider its plans.

"@RideCATA strongly disagrees with the decision made by Lansing Retail Center to remove highly utilized bus stops from the Frandor shopping center. It's the wrong call for our community, transit riders, seniors, people with disabilities, and these businesses," Triplett tweeted.

On Tuesday, Corr pointed to "vagrancy, public intoxication/open container, aggressive panhandling (and) public urination," and said city officials haven't helped them address incidents involving people who use the stops as a "conduit in addition to a hangout."

Corr said city policies prevent Lansing police officers from removing people at the bus shelters. He also claimed LPD had responded to more than 150 calls at the address in the past year, and called for increased police enforcement.

Gulkis on Wednesday said LPD could not confirm Corr's claims.

Triplett said that police are not the answer to addressing homelessness.

"Our unhoused neighbors are not a law enforcement issue," he tweeted. "Criminalizing people experiencing homelessness is both ineffective and cruel. The criticism of policies designed to prioritize treatment and support services over arrest and incarceration is wrongheaded and counterproductive."

On Wednesday morning, employees of Frandor businesses said they generally don't feel threatened by the presence of people who frequent CATA bus stops, known as shelters. The bus shelters weren't heavily trafficked Wednesday, though a few people boarded each bus that stopped.

The experiences of day workers varied.

Kroger employee Jay Martin wants the bus stops to stay where they are. But he said the grocery store has an issue with stealing by people who loiter in the area.

"It does get to be a problem," Martin said. "We can't do anything about it or we'll be fired."

Levin Taulbe, 37, was eating breakfast Wednesday and resting his eyes in a Panera Bread booth in Frandor while speaking to the Lansing State Journal when the fast-casual restaurant's management threatened to call the authorities on him.

He had a backpack and a reusable grocery bag filled with supplies, which he said causes him to be profiled as being of lower class.

"I had a rough night and I'm tired, but I'm still a customer and I have the right to be here," Taulbe. "That's just like I'm a customer of CATA as well and I use their services every day. And I appreciate the stuff, but I don't appreciate (Frandor) getting rid of it."

Kristen Mireles of Guys & Dolls Salon & Spa said not all tenants were notified of the changes before the decision became public.

"We never got asked, which I thought was absolutely ridiculous as a tenant," Mireles said. "They say it doesn't affect us, but it does affect us. A couple older ladies that come have never driven and they ride the bus here. Now they're going to have to walk from over by ... Clippert. It's not that much further, but there's no protection."

CATA buses stop also at five other locations along the shopping center's perimeter. They are located in front of the Rite Aid on East Saginaw Street, at the intersection of Clippert Street and Vine Street, down Clippert Street next to the former Sears property, and two are next to SkyVue apartments on East Michigan Avenue.

Corr said in the release that Frandor has many merchants, employees and customers who are worried about safety in the shopping center.

"We have a fiduciary obligation to our Tenants, customers/employees of the shopping center, provide a safe environment and safe passage to their destination, and to mitigate the issue," Corr said. "These are life-safety issues that cannot be ignored."

This isn't the first time Frandor has attempted to remove bus stops in its main parking lot. In February 1999 the shopping center's management team had sought to remove CATA stops — six of them, at the time — from Frandor's layout.

The decision sparked an outcry from some merchants who feared losing business, and employees who used the buses to reach their jobs. The following month, Frandor officials and CATA reached a plan to restore bus stops.

Patrick Heller, the former owner of Liberty Coin Service, a Frandor tenant since 1975, still works at the business as its communications officer. Heller said he believes Frandor's management perceives people who ride the bus as having less money than people with cars, and some riders "may not be desired to hang around here.

"I actually like having the CATA bus stop toward the center of the shopping center," he said. "Why? If people park to go to school, Michigan State (University), or to go downtown to work, they're likely to shop here before or after. And if you don't have people shopping in front of the stores here, that will tend to have their riders shop more elsewhere than here."

Heller said he sometimes sees people pushing shopping carts filled with personal belongings.

"I'm not happy to see it, but I also don't see it as a tremendous problem," he said.

Contact reporter Jared Weber at 517-582-3937 or jtweber@lsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing, CATA officials reach deal on Frandor bus stops