Park Grove Realty looks to expand East Pointe in Lansing 

Park Grove Realty, a large regional developer based in Rochester, is seeking to expand one of its housing complexes in the village of Lansing.

Representatives of the developer and the director of development at one of Park Grove’s properties in Lansing presented their project to build another 130 housing units in the village at the Jan. 6 meeting of the village board of trustees. The development would be dubbed East Pointe II, signifying an extension of the company’s East Pointe development on East Pointe Drive and south of Bomax Drive.

The 130 new units would be a part of 10 new townhomes north of Bomax Drive and would join the company’s portfolio in Tompkins County, which includes more than 500 apartment units and more than 100,000 square feet of retail space spread across the county. 

East Pointe II units are billed as luxury apartments, and the rent would be closely in line with the offerings at East Pointe: $2,400 a month for a one-bedroom apartment, $2,800 for a two-bedroom apartment, and $3,400 for three bedrooms.

“We’ve done our market research on this stuff, and very strongly, there is a demand and occupancy at the East Pointe project has been very stellar,” said Andrew Bodewes, a cofounder of Park Grove who was present at the meeting over Zoom. “We have had over 95% occupancy since it was constructed.”

Park Grove’s presentation noted that the new development would include pickleball courts, a new dog park and a pool.

“There’s just a lot of things about it that people like,” said Park Grove Director of Development Tim Crilly. “Each unit is very spacious and has its own driveway, the balconies and patios, and the finishes inside are very high-end.”

Crilly and Bodewes told the village board of trustees that they were seeking an early green light, though not any board action, on the project. 

“We’re not asking for you to do a formal vote or anything. But before we decide to move forward, and move at a pretty fast pace, we want to know that this is something you want,” Bodewes said. “We are not interested in going through the process and having it be an uphill battle with folks as to whether this makes sense. We are confident it makes sense. We think the proof is in the existing East Pointe phase one, and the other work we’ve done in the community.”

Bodewes said he understands that going through the village board of trustees and the planning board will be a process. The planning board will have to review a site plan review application. The village board of trustees will also have to approve a zoning variance application, given the area, but noted that the company wants to be diligent in order to be able to break ground by summer.

“At least give us the nod that you find this to be the type of thing that you’re looking for in this location, and we’ll do all the work to vet this and provide all the due diligence and the studies and things,” he noted.

Some board members generally agreed that they wanted to see more housing built in the village and that they trusted Park Grove’s pedigree. 

“I’m okay with it, yes, and certainly in favor of moving forward,” said trustee Susan Ainslie.

Trustee Wolfgang Bullmer said that he isn’t 100% on board. He noted that, as a resident who lives near East Pointe, he did not like the changes the apartment complex brought to his neighborhood.

“Let’s say not necessarily 100%,” he noted. “Right now, I have a lot of dog traffic in my front yard. This one here will bring even more of that. You have a lot of cars driving pretty fast through the neighborhood, coming from up there [at East Pointe]. The stop signs … nobody stops there. So you have some issues with that, and it really changed the character of the neighborhood completely.”

Bullmer noted that East Pointe was the beginning of those changes.

“Everything is already done,” Bullmer said, “so whether there are 130 more apartments or not, that is probably not that that big of a deal. And I am always against destroying wetlands and forest. So, that is just my position.”

Mayor Ronny Hardaway said he supports the development..

“As far as myself, I agree with the majority of the comments that the first East Pointe project worked out very well for the village,” Hardaway said. “It has provided good housing for the village. I think it’s very complementary to the village, as far as its atmosphere, its construction and its upkeep. I’ve been fairly impressed.”

Hardaway said he wanted the company to consider building housing that was more affordable in the future. 

Lansing at Large appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter): @ezvelazquez.

In brief:

The Lansing Community Library will host the latest version of its Educator Talk series on Feb. 12. “Pathway of Resistance: The Erie Canal & the Underground Railroad” will be presented by Derrick Pratt, director of education and public programming at the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse. The conversation will start at 7 p.m.

The library website offers the following information on the event:

“This constantly evolving talk examines the experience of African-Americans along the Erie Canal Corridor, with a particular focus on the struggle for abolition. It follows the course of enslavement and resistance in New York from colonial times to the present while emphasizing the key role the Erie Canal has played in these historic developments.

“[Pratt] is… a native of Chittenango, he received a B.A in Social Studies Education from SUNY Cortland and a M.A. in Museum Studies from Syracuse University. Prior to his job at the Erie Canal Museum, Derrick served as director of programs at Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum.”