East Lansing Businesses Hurting Without College Students
The Pandemic just keeps on giving, and not in a good way. Many colleges tried to open for fall classes this year, and many experienced cases of Coronavirus right out of the gate, and changed their plans at once. East Lansing is usually hopping with activity, but not this year. No March Madness, No Summer Classes, No Sports, No Football, and now only virtual classes at MSU for the fall.
Local businesses are worried that if their establishments close due to no students in town, the city of East Lansing could lose millions of dollars in tax revenue. They want the city to help them out, so they can survive.
Fox 47 reports “The business community was fully anticipating plus or minus ten thousand freshmen to be on campus. To say that does not have a dramatic effect on the businesses would be a gross understatement,” said CEO Harbor Bay Real Estate Mark Bell.
He also says he believes the 1.8 million in tax revenue the City Center District generates may not exist if no students are bringing business downtown. MSU President Samuel Stanley said he is not expecting to bring students back in the fall semester. Aaron Stephens the Mayor of East Lansing has indicated the city has offered some aid for the businesses that are struggling. Any way you look at it, East Lansing and many college towns across America are dealing with lost business and tax revenue. Only time will tell who survives and who does not. Not a pretty picture.