Chris Holman welcomes Paul Gentilozzi, Owner, of Gentilozzi Real Estate, & Principal of New Vision Lansing, and John Gentilozzi, Vice President, Development, of Gentilozzi Real Estate, East Lansing, MI. Watch Paul, John, and Chris discuss Paul's career, and then the big new projects that are coming to Lansing, Michigan soon, in the YouTube video shared below:
Set to Transform Lansing’s Skyline and Central Business District into an Attractive Commercial and Residential Community for Workforce Talent
§ Capitol cityscape to be anchored by a 25-story skyline-raising mixed-use tower, elevating the region and reigniting Lansing’s central business district
§ Three developments incorporate up to 450 residential units, parking, retail, office space, entertainment, and an acre of outdoor amenity and green spaces
§ Development team includes Gentilozzi Real Estate, JFK Investments, architects Hobbs & Black, along with the highly respected Christman Company construction management firm, utilizing local professional skilled tradespeople
§ Projects hailed as latest sparks to ignite workforce housing and talent growth in mid-Michigan
LANSING, MI – Redefining what it means to live and work in Michigan’s capital city, Gentilozzi Real Estate, a family-owned real estate development firm located in Lansing, in partnership with family-owned Detroit real estate developer and manager JFK Investments, today is pleased to unveil New Vision Lansing, a trio of new and redeveloped downtown Lansing development projects designed to set Lansing’s course toward becoming a dynamic residential city.
Joining the Gentilozzi and Kosik families alongside Lansing Mayor Andy Schor in making the announcement were Lansing-based Christman Company, one of the nation’s foremost construction management firms, along with leaders representing area labor, business, and community interests. Capital area legislators and Lansing City Council members also took part in welcoming the announcement that all agree is timely for the city’s continued success.
New Vision Lansing will include three property developments to be located west of the Grand River in proximity to state government and legislative offices: Capitol Tower at the corner of Capital Avenue and Ottawa Street; Tower on Grand at Grand Avenue overlooking the Grand River and connecting to the existing historic Atrium Building that fronts Washington Square; and Washington Square at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Washington Square at the southwest corner of the roundabout.
“Our family is proud to be part of Lansing’s history and these new developments are vital toward making Lansing the place to be for future generations,” said Paul Gentilozzi, owner of Gentilozzi Real Estate and principal of New Vision Lansing. “Whether you want to live, work, dine, entertain, or simply share in the iconic views of Lansing, these developments will have something for everyone to enjoy.”
Part of the financing for the redevelopment and ground-up projects is provided through a state budget approved $40 million investment which will be dedicated to workforce and talent housing through New Vision Lansing.
“It’s time to invent downtown Lansing’s future, and the New Vision Lansing initiative is the game changer that is needed,” said Michigan House Appropriations Chair and Lansing- area State Representative Angela Witwer (Delta Township). “These projects will set Lansing on a bright new path where people are eager to live and work downtown and connect with one another, to create a downtown neighborhood, a community, a city. This year’s state budget provided an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our Capital Caucus members to put Lansing first, and I am proud that we came through for our city at this time. I believe strongly in Lansing’s future, and I’m proud to support the Gentilozzi team as they invest in this exciting development that will be built by hometown professionals and tradespeople.”
The three developments will be located in downtown Lansing with iconic views of the Capitol Building and Grand River.
“Lansing needs workforce housing, and this incredible investment will bring hundreds of new residents to our downtown,” said Lansing Mayor Andy Schor. “More people living downtown means more vibrancy through walkable traffic, especially nights and weekends.”
Schor continued, “Housing is an essential part of our plan to reinvigorate Lansing’s downtown, as is entertainment coming soon at the MSUFCU Ovation performance venue and Grewal Hall 224, opening up new small businesses and retail shops, and renewing customer loyalties for established favorites like Kewpees, Kelly’s, and Kositcheks.”
A sense of urgency exists among leaders for getting Lansing’s downtown to compete for residents and business development in the same way Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Marquette, and the tri-cities have done.
"On behalf of the City Council, we are excited to learn more about these projects that could change the face of the downtown area. Paul Gentilozzi has reached out to individual Council Members and discussed this exciting project. As Council we look forward to more information as this moves forward in the coming days and weeks before our body,” added Lansing City Council President, Carol Wood.
Schor concluded that these projects will change Lansing’s skyline and boost Lansing as the economic hub for Mid-Michigan. “With this project on a fast timeline, and with everything else coming downtown and throughout the city in the next few months and years, we are showing that Lansing’s time truly is now.”
Father and son team Paul, John, and Tony Gentilozzi share a long history of prominent, high-impact developments in downtown Lansing with their partner, JFK Investment Company.
“These projects will bring a new type of living to Lansing. True downtown core apartments, with styles for every taste, will offer a compelling argument to attract new residents and offer those that have lived nearby a new reason to come back downtown. We believe Lansing is ready for a new way to live and work,” said John Gentilozzi, Vice President, Development, Gentilozzi Real Estate.
“I have partnered with the Gentilozzi’s on many development projects over the years,” said Joe Kosik, Gentilozzi partner and leader of JFK Investment Company. “Out of all of our investments, New Vision Lansing holds the most promise for a transformative impact on Michigan’s capital city and we look forward to the vision for Lansing becoming a reality.”
Michigan-based construction companies and unions are critical to the completion of these projects. New Vision Lansing construction partners include Christman Company, headquartered in downtown Lansing and known for its attention to detail and award-winning historic renovations, architects Hobbs & Black, and local tradespeople, including UA Local 333 Lansing.
“Christman is proud to work with the Gentilozzi family and their partners to build something special in downtown Lansing and to invest in Lansing's future as one of Michigan's great and vibrant places to live and work,” said Steve Roznowski, LEED AP, CEO of Christman. “This is an important moment in Lansing, and the opportunity for Christman, which has called Lansing our home for many years, to contribute to its future as a unique community experience for residents and visitors through its architectural character is exciting.”
Roznowski said Christman's commitment to Lansing is evident in the intentionality of design behind the trio of projects. “The new buildings are optimally suited for the city landscape. In keeping with sustainability and practicality in this area, all three high rises will have green space and resident parking. Each building will also have retail space, helping local businesses and their customers reinvest in our city."
UA Local 333 President Price Dobernick added, “This is an exciting and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Lansing and our region's skilled trades. Michigan’s tradespeople take tremendous pride in putting their skills to work and making a mark on the most prominent buildings of our time. We are thrilled to play a vital role in the project's success and with hundreds of workers employed through the New Vision Lansing development, this is just one of the many ways that this development will reinvent and revitalize Lansing’s economy and put our area's tradespeople to work.”
Development Project Summaries
Tower on Grand:
Straddling Grand Ave from the riverfront to Washington Square, Tower on Grand will raise Lansing’s skyline with record-breaking height. At more than 300,000 square feet, the 25-story building will offer 300 units of market and workforce housing and feature riverfront restaurants and retail, as well as a unique one-acre green rooftop amenity and resident-gathering deck with views extending to and beyond the MSU campus and surrounds. Rarely found urban living amenities will include pickleball courts, dog walks, an indoor-outdoor swimming pool, and outdoor grilling cabanas. Indoor parking for 500 cars, including electric car charging is planned, tripling parking availability currently in downtown Lansing. Giving a nod to Lansing’s past, the historic 1920s-built Atrium Building, now owned and managed by Gentilozzi and which fronts Washington Square, will maintain its golden-era arcade-like interior, and will play a leading role as a connecting space to the Tower on Grand.
Capitol Tower:
With its curved and glassy face within a few steps to the State Capitol Building and state government complex centers, Capitol Tower is slated to rise at the corner of Capitol and Ottawa NW. It will offer 48,000 square feet of premium office space that has already been pre-leased. Additionally, it will harbor approximately 70 market rate and workforce apartments and feature parking for 110 vehicles, a rooftop deck and conferencing center for office tenants. Capitol Tower will support blight removal and renew the capitol building’s prime northwest corner, increasing the population density and helping to underpin adjacent neighborhoods.
Washington Square:
Yielding a historic structure with all the modern features of modern living, Washington Square will renovate a cornerstone of Lansing’s history – a 100-year historic office building that once housed the Michigan Court of Appeals. Upon completion, the new Washington Square will add 55,000 square feet of 70 workforce housing units prominently positioned overlooking the city’s main intersection, immediately east of the Executive Office of the Governor and less than a block from Michigan’s historic Capitol Building. It will feature private and secured enclosed parking in an adjacent structure. While maintaining the historic streetscape at this part of Washington Square, the midblock structure will provide 6,000 square feet of new ground floor for five new retail bays to renew street-level aesthetics.
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