EAST LANSING – One of downtown East Lansing’s newest student apartment buildings, the Hub on Campus, is open and bustling with new occupants, although the rush to complete construction left some new tenants with problems..
Mike Gasperetti, regional manager of the Hub’s Chicago-based developer Core Spaces LLC focused on the building’s positive impact to the area during a tour on Wednesday.
“This area is changing. There is nothing here like our property. The closest would be Landmark,” he said, referring to the 12-story apartment building with a ground floor Target, which opened for tenants last week. “Our location is arguably the best top tier amenity.”
Just across the street from Michigan State University atGrand River Avenue and Cedar Street, the Hub has more than 540 of its 585 bedsnow filled, according to Gasperetti.
Part-time staffers, who are also residents at the Hub and students at MSU, gave tours to interested groups.
“We have had several leases signed since move-in day,” Gasperetti added.
A delay forced some residents to move in severalhours later than expected on Aug. 21. It stemmed from the Hub receiving its temporary certificate of occupancy at 3 p.m. that day.
Core Spaces broke ground on the 10-story property in March 2018. This contributed to the flurry of construction ongoing downtown as East Lansing residentswatched both the Huband Landmark use cranes to build two of downtown's tallest structures. The Landmark opened a few days ahead of the Hub,and another development, called the Abbot, remains under construction at Grand River Avenue and Abbot Road.
“There is a desire to grow downtown with more housing and restaurants,” said East Lansing City Council member Shanna Draheim, referencing the city’s master plan. “Between (the Hub and Landmark) and the Abbot on Grand River, there is market demand to create new businesses, new housing and new interests for people who want to live there and be there.”
Draheim added that the Hub and Landmark are tipping points in transforming the area.
Being anew development near MSU was what attracted Donovan Golich, a 27-year-old law student, to the Hub.
“I like that (The Hub) is newer. A lot of the apartments (in the area) are older,” he explained.
An in-depth look inside the Hub on Wednesday afternoon showed that challenges stemming from the delayed move-in last week were still affecting the building and its student residents.
While Golich said his studio apartment is great, he has continued to see issues since he was forced to move in at 4 p.m. rather than 8:30 a.m. as he expected.
“The elevators have been down frequently,” he said.
Golich added that police were called to the building’s rooftop deck on Saturday.
“People were throwing beer cans and pizza off the balcony,” Golich said.
He also noted that his apartment wasn’t clean upon arrival, so he cleaned it himself.
Acknowledging the issues with cleanliness at the property, Gasperetti saidstaff emailed residents and parents offering cleaning services until Sept. 15.
He added that an outside company willclean the apartment’s common areas once a month.
Remnants of the move-in remained that afternoon.
Smudges marked the Hub’s reclaimed wood floors, indicating heavy foot traffic. A technician stood on a ladder installing a security camera near the entrance of the property’s parking garage.
Opened boxes were stacked near new Mac computers in a computer lab. And other opened boxes could be seen around the building, here and there, such as by two stainless steel grills on the rooftop deck.
Additionally, the electronic system that allows residents to take virtual yoga lessons wasn’t up and running. And some flat-screen TVs had yet to be installed in common areas.
“The place was put together haphazardly, but it was also put together nice, if that makes sense,” stated Hunter DeSantis, a 20-year-old junior majoring in political theory and constitutional democracy.
DeSantis lives in a 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment with a roommate. He too had issues, such as broken items in his apartment, but he said they were fixed within a day.
“I like that my bathroom is attached to my bedroom. It’s better than my bathroom at home.”
Amenities, including the rooftop pool and fitness center, arewhat drew DeSantis to the property.
The fitness center especially is one of the features Gasperetti is proud of. He showed off a tire-flipping machine, something he said is seen at CrossFit, before traversing the room to pick up empty water bottles littering the floor and other spaces.
The apartment building features MSU-inspired decor,a kiosk in the mail area where residents can pick up packages, several study areas, and a steam room and sauna.
Apartments ranging from studios to three bedrooms include stainless steel appliances, showers with Bluetooth speakers and glass doors, furnishings and beds with storage underneath, and washers and dryers.
Gasperetti said he expects final touches to be completed at the building by the end of the week and that staff has been working diligently to resolve any issue.
He described the problems as "atypical of what we do as a brand,” he added.
As the Hub wraps up its indoor work, construction was ongoing innew retail spaces on the building's ground level – Georgio's Gourmet Pizzeria and a 7-Eleven convenience store.The incoming 7-Eleven will be accessible to students via double doors connected to a study lounge on the lobby floor.
Contact General Assignment ReporterKristan Obeng at KObeng@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrissyVegas.
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