Washington Square Redevelopment, City of Lansing

The City of Lansing hired DC Engineering for design and construction administrative services of the 200 and 300 North blocks of Washington Square. This two block project reopened Washington Square to vehicle travel after being used as a pedestrian mall for over 30 years of the City’s history.

DC Engineering worked closely with the Lansing Principle Shopping District (PSD), Lansing Economic Development Corporation (EDC), and the City Public Service and Transportation Departments. Property owners were invited to provide input during the design. Regular meetings were held with the building occupants to keep them informed during construction.

The project included the complete removal of the existing pedestrian mall and the construction of a two-way roadway system with on-street parking, pedestrian walkways and crosswalks. Streetscape enhancements included historic streetlights, benches, information kiosks, and planting beds.

The two block project area features twelve rain gardens that treat initial storm water runoff. Rain gardens (or bio-retention gardens) are depressed planting beds designed to collect storm water runoff. The runoff is allowed to infiltrate through an engineered soil media to filter pollutants and to promote nutrient removal by selective plantings prior to discharging to the storm sewer system. Construction of the bio-retention rain gardens was funded through a MDOT Streetscape Enhancement Grant.