Three Strikeout Sites For A New Lansing High School

The Lansing School District has owned property near the Eastwood Town Center at Chamberlain Dr. and Wood Rd for years, well before any shopping centers, bridal shops, or landscape supply shops. The land currently houses a maintenance and supply facility. The adjacent property to the west, also owned by LSD, once housed the district's transportation services. Now, with nearby and adjacent properties to the east and north now developed, it seems unlikely that a new high school could be built on the current acreage.

The site of the former Red Cedar Golf Course is set for private mixed-use development. It's location on the city's Eastern border along Michigan Avenue would have been a prime location for a high school to service students currently at Eastern High.

Pattengill Middle School makes both lists as a swing and miss, and a possible home run. The school was opened in 2007 to replace the original building adjacent to Eastern High School on Jerome St. At the time, the original Pattengill was completely unsafe for students, making this move necessary, but, officials knew Eastern wasn't far behind in its deterioration. The site could easily have been designed with the thought of both schools moving to its location.