Construction & Development
East Lansing considers change to special permit for mass timber development
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EAST LANSING, Mich.—A particular item on the agenda for East Lansing’s Commission on the Environment at their most recent meeting on Sept. 16 concerned the use of mass timber as opposed to concrete for future development. Mass timber, as opposed to “heavy timber,” is an engineered wood product that is composed of layers of wood bonded together and has a high load-bearing potential. In the case of East Lansing, mass timber has been considered across a variety of different types of zoning as a building material. However, regulations regarding using alternative materials in construction like the city’s special use permits (SUPs), particularly for residential projects, have become a center of debate.