[JonathanGRR]

Downtown

Thousands pack Indoor Market Hall for taste of grand opening
Angie Jackson | Sep. 2, 2013

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- It was nearly impossible not to bump elbows with one of the thousands of people who packed the indoor downtown market Monday during the hall's grand opening.

As many as 30,000 people were estimated to visit the Indoor Market Hall, 435 Ionia Ave. SW, on Monday, Sept. 2. By five minutes to 9 a.m., eager shoppers had lined up shoulder-to-shoulder along the market's outdoor area. It took them about 15 minutes to file in, said Downtown Market Executive Director Mimi Fritz.
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http://www.mlive.com/business/west-m.../post_121.html

Downtown Development Authority approves contracts for park makeover, snowmelt repairs
Jim Harger | Sep. 11, 2013

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) approved a $468,000 contract to complete a $1 million makeover of Monument Park and signed off on a $148,700 contract for repairs to downtown’s sidewalk snowmelt system on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

The contract for improvements to Monument Park is the second agreement to give the park a total reconstruction. In July, the DDA approved a $547,600 contract to remove the trees, replace underground utilities and move the Civil War Monument to the center of the triangle-shaped park.

The contract approved Wednesday with Katerberg-Verhage Inc. calls for the installation of a reinforced sidewalk, brick pavers, curbs, masonry columns, granite cladding, landscaping, bicycle racks, a drinking fountain and benches.

Work on the makeover of Monument Park is expected to be completed by Dec. 15, according to Assistant City Engineer Rick DeVries.

Around the corner on East Fulton Street at Sheldon Boulevard, the DDA also is preparing to reconstruct Veteran’s Memorial Park. That project is expected to get underway in 2014 and 2015.

The DDA also approved a $148,700 contract with Van Dyken Mechanical to repair the downtown’s 15-year-old sidewalk snowmelt system. The repairs include replacement of valves and a vault which houses the valves for the system.

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-m...hority_21.html

One of downtown's oldest buildings is getting a $2.5 million makeover
Jim Harger | Nov. 14, 2013

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – One of downtown’s oldest buildings is getting a $2.5 million makeover.

The 144-year-old Karl-Aldrich Building is undergoing a reconstruction project that will renovate its second and third floors and add a partially enclosed deck to its rooftop, according to plans submitted to the city.

Home to the Madcap Coffee shop on the ground floor, the building at 98 Monroe Center NW is owned by VW Ventures, which is owned by family members of Amway Corp. co-founder Richard DeVos.

“The project includes significant work to ensure the long term structural integrity of this historic building,” said Ginny Seyferth, a spokeswoman for the building’s owners.

The building permit issued in September lists the value of the renovation project at $2.5 million. The project will be completed by spring, Seyferth said.

“It is a more complex project than it might appear to be from the ground. It involves lots of new steel structure work that you can’t see but will create an updated, stable facility,” Seyferth said. “Also, the roof is currently sloped towards the rear of the building and will need to be flattened as part of this project."

“When completed, the first floor will continue as retail, second will continue as office and third floor will remain as an apartment space with continued access to the roof that has a much more functional and secured area up there."

The wedge-shaped brick building at the corner of Monroe Center and Ottawa Avenue NW is one of the oldest Italianate-style structures in the city. It was built by druggists Edward Wilson and John Harvey. For many years, the storefront was home to a Fanny Farmer Candies shop.
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http://www.mlive.com/business/west-m...st_buildi.html

$4 million makeover brings new life to 133-year-old Kendall Building in downtown Grand Rapids [red building in first photo]
Jim Harger | Dec. 5, 2013

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – From his fifth-floor loft apartment in the 616 Lofts at Kendall, Tyler Nickerson said he experiences the vibrancy of downtown life like few others can.

“I think it’s probably the only corner in West Michigan that is constantly busy,” said Nickerson of his view overlooking the intersection of Fulton Street and Division Avenue. “Every time we look out the window, there’s someone moving about.”

Nickerson, who moved into the building on Oct. 1, lives in one of 12 apartments created in the top three stories of the five-story Kendall Building, a 133-year-old structure that was brought back to life by 616 Development.

The developers plan to officially open the building on Thursday, Dec. 5 at an invitation-only reception to celebrate the revival of the space that had been vacant for much of the past 35 years.

Constructed in the early 1880s, the building was named for George Kendall, a Grand Rapids businessman who came to the area in 1846 and started in the grocery and dry goods trade.

The red brick and sandstone building facing Monument Park at 16 Monroe Center NE was renovated for $4 million. The project included the installation of a new elevator shaft, new windows and new flooring, electrical and plumbing throughout the building.

The two storefronts will become Osteria Rossa, a casual Italian restaurant and bar that is scheduled to open in mid-January. The restaurant will feature large windows that fold back to create an open-air seating that flows into Monument Park, which also is undergoing a full-scale makeover.

The second floor of the building has been converted into the 616 Development’s corporate offices. The company manages some 150 apartments in downtown Grand Rapids and surrounding neighborhoods.
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http://www.mlive.com/business/west-m...rings_new.html

grnow flickr album
Morton House project is underway
David Czurak | Dec. 6, 2013

Remediation work has begun on the final piece to complete the revival of Monroe Center.

Rockford Construction has started engineering the pre-construction phase for the ultimate renovation of the Morton House, a vacant, 13-story, 170,000-square-foot structure at the northwest corner of Monroe Center and Ionia Avenue.
“The building has some asbestos and lead in it, and we are currently working on abating those two items and then we’re going to move into demolition. Basically, all of the floors from three to 13 will be cleaned out so we can start fresh on our 123 residential units,” said Ken Bailey, senior vice president of planning for Rockford Construction.
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“We’re gutting the floors and basically taking the building down to its structure and replacing all the windows, the roof, and doing some exterior masonry restoration. Then we’ll start with kind of a fresh skeleton for the multifamily build-out,” said Bailey.

Bailey said each floor will have 11 units. Two two-bedroom apartments, one studio and eight one-bedrooms are planned for each level.

“We’re using the existing vertical circulation, the existing stairwell there, and we are replacing the three elevators. We have two passenger elevators and one freight elevator.”

The cost of the project is expected to be about $21 million.
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http://www.grbj.com/articles/78479-m...ct-is-underway

Historic designation for old furniture factory clears the way for $32 million redevelopment as loft apartments
Jim Harger | Jan. 4, 2014

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A 117-year-old furniture factory being considered for loft-style apartments across the street from the new Downtown Market has been added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Parks Service.

Used most recently as a warehouse for Klingman’s Furniture Co., the 4-story building was added to the register on Dec. 24 at the request of developer Mike Jacobson, who hopes to convert the building at 400 Ionia Street SW into an 83-unit apartment building.

The designation means his $32 million project will qualify for federal historic tax credits if his redevelopment plans are approved, said Jacobson, a principal with LC Companies, which has offices in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor.

Obtaining and selling the federal tax credits are part of the financing plan for the project, said Jacobson, who also obtained a tax exemption and approval for payments in lieu of property taxes from the city of Grand Rapids in July.

Jacobson said the building actually encompasses six buildings that were built adjacent to each other during the city’s furniture boom in the early 20th Century.
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Jacobson’s plans call for the building to be redeveloped into 83 apartments for low income residents. Each unit would feature 10-foot exposed ceilings, walk-in closets, individual air conditioning systems, dishwashers, appliances and in-unit washers and dryers.

Rents for one-bedroom units would range from $447 to $671 a month while two bedroom units would rent for $537 to $805 per month, depending on the residents’ income.

Plans also call for 78 parking spaces for residents and a community room with seating for 50 residents and guests. The project also will include 15,000 square feet of commercial space.

Jacobson recently completed the Baker Lofts “affordable” housing project at 40 Logan St. SW, one block south of the Klingman’s building.
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http://www.mlive.com/business/west-m...for_old_f.html

Owners of old downtown hotel create suspense for Blue35 as unveiling date nears
Jim Harger | Jan. 8, 2014

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The owners of an old boarding house and hotel at 35 Oakes St. SW are trying to build some suspense as the eight-story building enters its next life.

Rockford Construction of Grand Rapids and Haworth Inc., the Holland-based office furniture company, have dubbed the building Blue35 and have created a Facebook Page for it.

The website, Blue35GR.com, promises the building will be “a game-changer” with “state-of-the-art technology” that leads to “meaningful connections” and “achieving business goals.”

More information and a public announcement is promised on Feb. 5.

Chris Knape, a senior account executive with SeyferthPR, said the new use for the old building “incorporates some incredible new ideas and technology.”

“It’s definitely a tease,” said Knape about the Facebook page and website. “We’re hoping to generate a conversation about a building that has generated a lot of conversation over the years.”

With more than 50,000 square feet of interior space and a rooftop deck, the building is jointly owned by Rockford Construction and RDV Corp., a real estate firm owned by the family of Amway Corp. co-founder Richard DeVos.

A $7 million reconstruction is nearly complete on the building, which has been vacant since 2002, when it was called the Heartside Manor and used as low-income apartments. The building also has operated as the New Mertens Hotel.

When the renovations began, the owners said they hoped to attract the same types of tenants who were drawn to Grid70, a building they own around the corner at 70 Ionia Ave. SW.
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http://www.mlive.com/business/west-m...lyout_business



There's still more, but this is all I have time to post for now...enjoy.