LANSING — The MACOTTA Club, a food incubator that was expected to bring six restaurants and 10 additional food concepts to the historic Knapp’s Centre in downtown Lansing, will not happen.
The Downtown Lansing Inc. project was first announced in the spring of 2023 and originally expected to open in 2024. It was delayed several times, and three years later, funding for the project has fallen short, Cathleen Edgerly, the organization’s executive director, said.
“Over the past three years, significant effort has gone into exploring a public-private partnership to bring the project to life; however, the level of private interest and funding needed to move the project forward did not emerge,” she said in an April 29 email. “Given current economic uncertainties and continually rising costs – the Macotta Club will not be moving forward.”
The incubator was expected to provide operational space to startup eateries and food-based businesses for two years. By the end of 2024 the organization had released the name of two food vendors who would take part in the concept. That had included Marcus Leslie’s Mr. Leslie’s Cheesecakes and The German Place restaurant, a new concept.
“The Macotta Club was developed with the goal of preserving a historic space while creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs in Downtown Lansing,” Edgerly said in her email.
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The cost of the project rose over the last three years, from a projected $4 million in 2023 to just over $8 million in 2024. More than $5 million had been raised for the concept by the end of 2024.
“The gap between available committed funding and the gap for what was still needed to responsibly execute the project was $2M, with a total project cost of $7.5M,” Jenea Markham, marketing and brand specialist for Downtown Lansing Inc., said in an email.
In the fall of 2024 a Downtown Lansing Inc. official said there were also issues with designing the concept in a 20,000-square-foot space on the first floor of the Knapp’s Centre.
“We look forward what the future holds for the Knapp’s Building and the continued meaningful momentum taking place here in Downtown Lansing.”
Contact Reporter Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on X @GrecoatLSJ.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Downtown Lansing restaurant incubator project killed. What happened
Reporting by Rachel Greco, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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