Permit for work at Trader Joe's site in Okemos expires. What's next for the project
MERIDIAN TWP. — Months after the construction of what would be the Lansing area's first Trader Joe's was paused, work at the site hasn't resumed and the project's construction permit with the township has expired, officials confirmed to the State Journal Monday.
But the project's developer told township staff the store's construction will resume, said Tim Schmitt, Meridian Township director of community planning and development. He met with officials with East Lansing-based Strathmore Real Estate Group, the development company behind the project, on Monday.
Messages left with the company weren't returned. Messages were also left with Flint-based E&L Construction Group, who Schmitt said is the project's contractor.
Township officials expected work on the site to resume in April, according to the township's website. That didn't happen, Schmitt said.
The building permit for work at the site expired on Friday, he said, but officials with Strathmore Real Estate Group indicated they plan to reapply for a new one.
The company did not say when they will submit the paperwork, Schmitt said, and didn't indicate why construction on the site hasn't yet resumed.
"They were not able to give me a schedule at this point," he said.
A Meridian Economic Development Corp. report in January cited steel supply chain issues as the reason for the project's pause.
The 13,500-foot store, which would be Trader Joe's ninth location in Michigan, was expected to open this summer, according to the township's website, though Trader Joe's has not announced plans to open in Meridian Township.
Schmitt said that the estimate is no longer realistic given the fact that construction hasn't resumed at the site.
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The process for developing the store started in December 2021, with the Meridian Township Zoning Board of Appeals approving a variance to allow the specialty grocer to have 115 parking spaces on 2.2 acres of property on Grand River Avenue and Northwind Drive. Last March the former Golden Wok restaurant on the property at 2755 Grand River Ave. was demolished.
By January, the boutique grocery store’s foundations were poured and protected for the winter months.
"That's largely what's been done," Schmitt said on Monday.
East Lansing businessman and developer Scott Chappelle of Strathmore Real Estate Group, who has been involved in multiple development companies with the Strathmore name, was one of the people involved in the Trader Joe’s project.
In October 2022 Chappelle was sentenced to 38 months in federal prison for a tax evasion scheme involving companies Terra Management Co., Strathmore Development Co. and Terra Holdings LLC.
"We are excited to have Trader Joe's in the community," Schmitt said. "Hopefully this is just a speedbump on the way there."
Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ .
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Permit for work at Trader Joe's in Okemos expires. What's next
