EAST LANSING – The Graduate East Lansing wants to expand its rooftop bar and outdoor seating area. The move would more than double the occupancy at the Rock Bar and its deck, allowing the 10-story downtown hotel, which opened in 2021, to use nearly all of its roof to entertain guests.
The Rock Bar and its deck, which already offer a view of Michigan State University’s campus, Spartan Stadium, and, to the west, downtown Lansing’s skyline, can already accommodate just shy of 100 people. If the City Council approves a special use permit for an expansion, occupancy would top out at 268 people, compared to 96 now.
Hotel officials have been discussing the restaurant and bar’s rooftop expansion for over a year, Graduate East Lansing General Manager Lee Cote said…