'The state of our city is great.' Lansing Mayor Schor delivers State of City address at Everett High School

LANSING — Lansing Mayor Andy Schor's first in-person State of the City address since the pandemic began touted reduced crime, new efforts to provide affordable housing and developments that are expected to reshape neighborhoods.

“The state of our city is great,” he said Tuesday night to a crowd of over a hundred residents, officials and students at Everett High School in south Lansing.

Mike Lynn, host of the Merica 20 to Life show and a former city firefighter, held a dueling event at the same time as the State of the City - the State of the People address, which was streamed on Facebook and featured several community leaders.

Lynn was critical of the mayor, saying he didn’t address the reality of many Lansing residents.

“I think the City of Lansing hasn't responded to any of issues going on in our city in any type of rapid way,” he said. “It's more been the community coming together.”

Lynn brought up gun violence and cost of living as two main concerns he doesn’t feel have been addressed by officials.

Lynn said that the city up to this point has generally been focused on responding to issues, rather than attempting to eliminate the root of the problems.

Steve Japinga, senior vice president of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, said he was happy with what he saw in Schor's address.

“He's shown his commitment building a stronger, more prosperous Lansing community for all of our residents,” Japinga said.

Schor’s focus on economic development, infrastructure and public safety align with the Chamber’s main goal of promoting a vibrant business environment, he said.

Japinga also praised Schor’s support of education in the city, including financial literacy efforts.

“A great community needs great schools,” he said.

Looking forward, Japinga said that he appreciated the mayor’s focus on housing and bringing business to the downtown area.

“There's progress being made there, but there's always going to be challenges,” he said.

Here are five highlights from Schor's speech.

Housing improvement plans

Schor shared the city’s progress on providing affordable housing and future efforts to attract and retain residents and families in the area.

“We want those just out of college, families with young children, working professionals, empty nesters and seniors all to live here,” he said.

Schor announced the creation of the Lansing Rental Housing Rehabilitation Program, which will help improve affordable housing in the area.

He also highlighted the current neighborhood grants program, which helps residents fund beautification programs in city neighborhoods. The program has more than three times the funding this year due to the American Rescue Plan Act, Schor said.

Crime and safety

Schor addressed crime in the city, focusing on programs the police department has implemented in recent years.

“Violent crime has decreased, and transparency has increased,” he said, noting a 25% reduction in crime after his speech.

Schor praised the city’s social worker and community policing programs, saying that law enforcements efforts have been aided by focusing on crime prevention and forward-facing policies.

Schor also announced the ALS 360 program, which will replace outdated lifesaving gear like automated external defibrillators, cardiac monitors and CPR machines. The city received $1 million in federal funding for the program and will continue updating technology over the next 10 years.

Schor discussed the $175 million police and firefighter proposal that was passed by Lansing voters last year. The proposal, which will fund new law enforcement facilities, is currently in the planning stage.

"So we won’t just get updated fire stations and vehicles - our residents will also get the updated and industry-expected tools for our firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics to save lives," he said. "We deserve it.”

Schor also announced that new speed signs with radar capacity have been ordered, which he said will help slow drivers in city and neighborhood areas.

New developments

Schor highlighted several upcoming developments throughout the city, including the approximately $2.6 billion Ultium Cells battery plant which is on track to open in 2024.

Several corridor improvement efforts will be taking place in the city in the near future: on Saginaw Street east of MLK, the old Park's Furniture building will be turned into office, commercial, and residential space; on the 2000 block of Michigan Avenue, $300,000 will be provided for facade upgrades; and the South MLK Corridor Improvement Authority will be further examining ways to improve the area, including the restructuring of Logan Square.

Schor also announced that the old Pleasant Grove Elementary School will be turned into commercial, office and workforce and veteran housing, while the former Sears building will be rehabilitated and transformed.

Social justice efforts

Schor touted the work of the Human Relations and Community Services Department, which works with Lansing's homeless population and others facing housing insecurity. The department is expected to spend $600,000 on services this year, he said.

Schor praised the work of the local justice system to keep people in their homes. Lansing's District Court received a grant to launch the Eviction Diversion Program, which assists residents in avoiding eviction and will "greatly complement the work being done on homeless prevention through HRCS," he said.

"I continue to believe that growth must be for all, and we need to do it through an equity lens," he said.

Schor announced the launch of a two-year Lansing Equitable Economic Development program, which will provide assistance to small businesses owned by people of racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Schor also announced the 8th Grade RISE program, which will help eighth-grade students achieve a personal savings balance of $100 each by the end of the school year.

Debbie Stabenow Park

Schor announced his intention to rename Washington Park after retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the first woman to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate.

"United States Sen. Debbie Stabenow built her career in public service here in Lansing," Schor said. "She has too many accomplishments to list, but the work that she has done for our city, our state, and our nation cannot be understated."

The park also will be improved with a new play structure and future plans for the pavilion, Schor said. Across the street, the old McLaren Hospital Complex will house the new Community Mental Health Crisis Stabilization Unit, which Stabenow helped secure funding for.

The aforementioned public safety complex will be located near Debbie Stabenow Park.

Councilman Adam Hussain said the day after the address that he appreciated Schor’s acknowledgement that there’s still work to be done in the city.

“He hit on some of the things that we should be proud of as a city, some of the things that we need to work on,” he said. “I felt there was a strong focus on our housing stock, particularly, affordable and our workforce housing.”

Still, Hussain said there were subjects he thought could have taken more of a spotlight at the event, namely the city’s homeless population.

“If we're not centering our most vulnerable right then, then we're not moving our entire community forward – that's a problem,” he said.

Hussain highlighted the City Council’s ad hoc committee on homelessness which is aiming to bring forth a set of recommendations for the city by September.

Hussain also expressed his desire to hear more about equitable economic development in the city and the prioritization of the city south of Mt. Hope Avenue, which he feels is sometimes overlooked in city planning decisions.

Contact Sheldon Krause at skrause@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter@sheldonjkrause.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing mayor delivers State of the City speech with plans for housing, business