All six of East Lansing's downtown gated parking garages are now under construction, with a repair project that started Monday, Aug. 3, and is expected to run through summer 2027.
The city said in a July 31 press release that the work covers the Albert Avenue garage at 188 Albert Ave., the Bailey Street garage at 126 Bailey St., the Charles Street garage at 121 Charles St., the Division Street garage at 181 Division St., the Grove Street garage at 330 Grove St. and the M.A.C. Avenue garage at 310 M.A.C. Ave.
Crews will tackle structural concrete repairs, sealant replacement, painting, drain work and electrical upgrades identified during a recent engineering assessment. The city has not disclosed the project's total cost or the name of the contractor.
The work will roll through in phases. The city said motorists should expect occasional temporary closures of parking levels, drive lanes or individual spaces, but not full garage shutdowns. Which garage goes first, and on what schedule, has not been announced.
Why it matters now
The timing adds pressure to an already tight downtown parking picture. On Tuesday, July 21, the Metzger-Fabian family, which owns 71% of the Bailey Street surface parking lot, announced it will terminate its parking agreement with the city effective Oct. 1, potentially removing a significant block of public surface spaces. The same night, City Council approved "The Howard," a 12-story apartment building on the 400 block of Grand River Avenue whose developer must lease 224 spaces from city parking garages for tenants.
Jon Howard, owner of Flat, Black and Circular records, told the council at that July 21 meeting: "We have a kind of clientele that is carrying heavy stuff. They don't want to [look] around for a parking structure blocks away to haul heavy records back and forth."
His concern captures what downtown retailers face as garage capacity fluctuates through next summer.
Alternatives during construction
Beyond the six gated garages, the city's Parking Department manages a seventh garage, six surface lots and on-street metered spaces downtown. Parking Administrator Caleb Sharrow can be reached at (517) 337-1277 for questions about the project or alternative options.
The city encourages visitors to follow posted signage and check project updates at cityofeastlansing.com/construction.
Downtown is also managing a separate sewer improvement project that reopened Grand River Avenue to one lane in each direction on Aug. 3.
Parking rates
Daily rates in the six garages range from 50 cents per half hour at the Division Street garage ($15 daily max) to $1.25 per half hour at the Albert Avenue garage ($20 daily max). The city has not indicated whether rates will change during construction.
The next detail residents should watch for: a garage-by-garage phasing schedule from the Parking Division.
