LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Lansing City Hall has been in the same building for decades but Mayor Andy Schor announced Wednesday that it’s finally time to move.
Wednesday afternoon, Schor announced City Hall will move locations to the former Masonic Temple at 217 S. Capitol Ave. in downtown Lansing.
Schor says the move is a way to keep Lansing’s history alive. “The former Masonic temple was constructed in 1924. It was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1980. And everyone in Lansing knows it as the former home of Cooley Law School,” Schor said.l
After years of looking to move, it is finally happening. City leaders say the money for this project comes from the recently approved state budget.
“We didn’t want to dig into our general fund, we wanted this to be able to be supported,” Schor said.
A big reason the move didn’t happen sooner, officials say, is because they didn’t know where a new court, jail and police department headquarters would go.
But with the approval of a $175 million bond to build a public safety facility, those issues are no longer a problem.
“The new City Hall has to have certain things. One thing that I want, and I have been very forward about this, is a customer-friendly place where our customers can come and do business with the city of Lansing,” said Schor.
Timeline-wise, the city is estimating two years to get the project done. The city says it will pay real estate firm Boji Group $40 million to buy and renovate the building.
“The appropriation dollars should be granted by or before Dec. 15. If a closing happens by then, which it should, the way our plans are already going — there is no reason why we cannot commence the first quarter of 2024, for a 12-month schedule. Grace of God, the first quarter of 2025, City Hall moves in,” said Ron Boji, CEO of Boji Group.
