WEST MICHIGAN | General Developments

[deja vu]

Muskegon -

Just a few weeks after we learned that the City of Muskegon will pay Port City Construction (Gary Post, owner) up to $350,000 for demolition work at the Ameribank building...

City gives developer $300K loan to complete downtown project
Ben Solis | MLive
April 12, 2018

MUSKEGON, MI - The city of Muskegon will loan $300,000 without interest to Gary Post of Port City Construction to help complete the final phases of the new downtown Heritage Square Commons commercial and residential project. The loan is being hailed as a way to "jump-start" the $2 million project's final phase and get it over the finish line, said Muskegon City Manager Frank Peterson. This will be the second time that the city of Muskegon has offered Post a loan to complete the project - Post received a $500,000 loan without interest to complete the first phase of Heritage Square townhomes in 2014...

The City is really investing / trusting a lot to this one developer. The interest-free component of this deal ends at the end of the year. Any principal remaining after December 31 would begin accruing interest.

[deja vu]

Muskegon -

An update on Muskegon's downtown convention center plans.

Design work on downtown Muskegon convention center moving forward
Ben Solis | MLive
April 15, 2018

MUSKEGON, MI - Muskegon County will foot the bill for architectural work on a proposed downtown convention center, essentially reimbursing the city of Muskegon for associated design and planning fees. City officials paid $832,800 upfront for design work on the $15 million project when Muskegon hired Progressive AE, a Grand Rapids firm, in early February...

...According to a design study completed by Progressive AE, the convention center would likely:

• Cost $12 million to build, financed by Muskegon-sponsored municipal bonds, with a final project cost of $15 million.
• Stretch over 45,000 square feet, give or take, and measure a single story tall.
• Offer parking at 895 Fourth St. or 327 Morris Ave.
• Be attached to the downtown Muskegon Holiday Inn in some fashion. An early design concept for the Fourth Street option shows a bridge connecting the convention center and the second floor of the L.C. Walker Arena.

Design work is expected to take all of this year, with construction beginning sometime next year and project completion in 2021.

[deja vu]

Muskegon -

Home builder eyes downtown Muskegon for new housing project
Ben Solis | MLive
April 16, 2018

MUSKEGON, MI - A custom home builder based in Grand Rapids has purchased property in downtown Muskegon with plans to build multi-family homes. Dave Dusendang, who owns and operates Dusendang Custom Homes, wants to build three new multi-family residences at 241 and 255 W. Western Ave., and another at 1251 8th St., according to documents provided to the Muskegon City Commission. He recently purchased the three lots from the city at a cost of $75,000 minus closing costs...

Several other proposals for this area / these lots fell through in recent memory, so time will tell if this actually happens.

[deja vu]

Holland -

According to some source (WalletHub), Holland Michigan was ranked the best small city to start a business in the whole country, in both 2018 and 2017. I don't take much stock in these rankings, but it's good recognition.

West Michigan town is No. 1 'small city to start a business' in US
Rachel Watson | GRBJ
April 16, 2018

...Holland tops the 2018 ranking of “Best Small Cities to Start a Business” by WalletHub, a personal finance website. The city also snagged the top spot in the 2017 ranking. To create the ranking, WalletHub evaluated more than 1,200 small cities across 18 key metrics, including average growth in number of small businesses, access to investors and labor costs. The ranking is based on communities with a population between 25,000 and 100,000...

And apparently BarFly Ventures (owner of the very-successful HopCat brand of brewpubs) agrees. It was just announced that HopCat's 18th overall location (the 8th in Michigan) will be in downtown Holland. This will be a sure-to-succeed pairing with the new movie theater.

HopCat plans next location in West Michigan
Ehren Wynder | GRBJ
April 17, 2018

...Grand Rapids-based BarFly Ventures said yesterday it is planning to open a HopCat in downtown Holland by early 2019. The 6,200-square-foot restaurant and bar will be located at 84 W. 8th St. and be part of Sperry’s Movie House and Retail Suites, a mixed-used development by Geenen DeKock Properties. The location will seat 250 customers inside, there will be an outdoor area that can seat 70 customers...

Construction Progress, as of April 17 2018 -

Source: Fox17online (screenshot)

[deja vu]

Grand Haven -

The re-imagined / reconstructed Bil-Mar restaurant in Grand Haven may soon resume construction. The new owners determined that they needed to demolish and build a new structure once they begin inspecting the existing building. It sounds like some unresolved permitting issues ensued, including with MDEQ, which held up the work over the winter. The opening has been pushed back from Spring to June.

Construction to resume soon at Noto's at the Bil-Mar
Marie Havenga | Grand Haven Tribune
April 18, 2018

Noto's at the Bil-Mar has all permits in place and is back on track for construction to continue once the weather cooperates. When his family purchased the Bil-Mar last year, Tony Noto said the plan was to remodel and renovate the Grand Haven beachfront restaurant. However, the old building made a complete tear-down necessary, he later said, and it has taken time to redraw plans and get all the necessary permits to begin building anew...the Noto family received the last of their required permits — one from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality — on April 11...

Rendering -

Source: Grand Haven Tribune | Courtesy Rendering

Construction progress, as of April, 2018 -

Source: Grand Haven Tribune | Matt DeYoung

[deja vu]

Saugatuck -

In the ongoing saga of the proposed housing and marina development on the north shore of the mouth of the Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck (coined 'NorthShore of Saugatuck'), two area Native American tribes have now joined the fight in trying to stop the current owners and developer. Together with the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi and the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, (Gun Lake Tribe) have filed a joint petition to contest a recent MDEQ permit issuance that allows the marina construction work to move forward.

This whole thing is a big muddle of issues, and I think it will continue to go nowhere fast. Several lawsuits, appeals filed at the state level, archaeological surveys, contested interpretations of local zoning ordinances and state laws, etc.

Group claims 'sand mining' in Saugatuck dunes project
24 Hour News 8 Web Staff | WoodTV8
April 16, 2018

Tribes join fight against controversial Lake Michigan dune development
Bryce Airgood | MLive
April 19, 2018

SAUGATUCK TWP, MI - An environmental group is continuing its fight against a proposed marina and development on a piece of Lake Michigan dune land at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River. The Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance announced developments in the group's attempts to stop the proposed marina and housing development at a recent press conference in Saugatuck...

[deja vu]

Muskegon -

Mercy Health on track to open portion of new hospital in September
This is the largest construction project ever in Muskegon County, Mercy Health says.
WZZM13
April 17, 2018

MUSKEGON, MI - If all goes as planned then a portion of Mercy Health's new Muskegon hospital will open in September. The $271 million project includes the new hospital and renovations to the existing hospital. According to the Catholic health care system, it's the largest construction project ever in Muskegon County...

See Also -

Mercy Health to open 2 floors of Muskegon tower during September 2018
Justine McGuire | MLive
March 14, 2018

MUSKEGON, MI - Mercy Health will open its new emergency department and operating rooms in September - at least nine months before the rest of the 10-story tower will be ready. The $271 million Mercy Health Muskegon Mercy Campus building will open during summer 2019, but the garden level and first floor will open in September. ..

Construction Progress Photo, taken March 2018 -

Source: Mike Krebs | MLive

[deja vu]

Muskegon -

Take a deep breath...and let's remember the good 'ol pre-EPA days. Deconstruction of another remnant of a by-gone era, the iconic B.C. Cobb smoke stack in Muskegon - is ongoing -

An undated photo of the former B.C. Cobb Coal Power Plant in Muskegon (likely mid-1970s) -

Source: MLive | Muskegon Chronicle Archive Photo

Work on the 650-foot-tall smoke stack at the former B.C. Cobb power plant started in November of last year, but now there are more visible signs of progress. The site is now owned by North Carolina-based Forsite Development, as of October 2017. Forsite plans to have the entire site cleared by October 2019, and then plans to build a deep-water marine terminal. The plant was closed by Consumers Energy in April of 2016. I think this is the last of the 'great' smoke stacks in Muskegon to come down. A stack at the former Shaw Walker factory site may possibly come down as well, but developers want to integrate it into the redevelopment plans if at all possible. That one is only a fraction of the height of the B.C. Cobb one though.

Work to dismantle B.C. Cobb's 650-foot-tall smokestack begins
Justine McGuire | MLive
April 25, 2018

It's really hard to grasp the sheer size of this thing - it was taller than One Detroit Center (Detroit's current 2nd-tallest) by about 30 feet - that is one hell of a ladder climb!


Source: Justine McGuire | MLive


Source: Justine McGuire | MLive

A recent view, showing it in greater context. I'm not sure how this photo was taken. The building in the background - The Shoreline Inn & Conference Center - looks much closer than it really is. Maybe that's just the perspective -

Source: Joel Bissel | MLive

Here's an aerial view of the entire plant, from 2014 -

Source: MLive | Marge Beaver - Photography Plus

And here is the stack under construction in 1974 -

Source: MLive | Muskegon Chronicle Archive Photo

It was witness to some Greenpeace protests in the 1980's, when activists attempted to hang a banner from the top -

Source: MLive | Muskegon Chronicle Archive Photo

[Eridony]

Originally Posted by deja vu

Just a few weeks after we learned that the City of Muskegon will pay Port City Construction (Gary Post, owner) up to $350,000 for demolition work at the Ameribank building...



The City is really investing / trusting a lot to this one developer. The interest-free component of this deal ends at the end of the year. Any principal remaining after December 31 would begin accruing interest.

I think they trust him because he has proven himself a capable developer. Besides the Heritage Square Townhomes mentioned in this thread he also successfully redeveloped/restored three of the buildings that survived the Muskegon Mall's demolition.

To those not familiar here are a few shots showing the transformation of those three buildings.

Mallsite1 by Brandon Bartoszek, on Flickr

A Complete Block by Brandon Bartoszek, on Flickr

Russell Block & Century Club by Brandon Bartoszek, on Flickr

[Ex-Ithacan]

^ Great to see they saved those beauties.

I sure would like to visit Muskegon some day.

[deja vu]

Thanks for the before & after views, Eridony. It's incredible to me that they just covered up that beautiful Russell's Block. But masonry / detailing was not in-vogue in the 1960's - 1970's anywhere.

Muskegon -

Pretty cool news below. Sources had said that something big was potentially coming to the expanded Port City Industrial park, and I'm glad to hear it's something local -

Kayak maker to open new plant in Muskegon
Mitch Galloway | MiBiz
May 11, 2018

MUSKEGON — A major kayak manufacturer plans to expand into newly added space at Muskegon’s Port City Industrial Park, MiBiz has learned. KL Industries LLC is working with Grand Rapids-based development firm Robert Grooters Development Co. to build a 490,000-square-foot facility at 2420 Remembrance Drive in Muskegon, according to filings with the city. The developer tentatively expects to start construction on the project in June. The city of Muskegon purchased the 22.7-acre parcel for $340,500 with the intention of luring a “significant” expansion from a light industrial manufacturer, as MiBiz first reported in April...

[subterranean]

Whoa! Very cool reveal!

[Eridony]

Originally Posted by deja vu

Thanks for the before & after views, Eridony. It's incredible to me that they just covered up that beautiful Russell's Block. But masonry / detailing was not in-vogue in the 1960's - 1970's anywhere.

Yes, it happened to many buildings around the county. The lucky ones have had their facades restored. What was a bit strange was the that Daniel's Office Supply and the Century Club were not part of the covered mall area, but that bank building (mostly was).

half & half by Brandon Bartoszek, on Flickr

Pretty cool news below. Sources had said that something big was potentially coming to the expanded Port City Industrial park, and I'm glad to hear it's something local -

Great news about the new plant. Hopefully it includes a large number of new jobs too.

[deja vu]

^And I love how they just painted the bottom half of the bank white. Like, nobody is going to look higher than that and notice something fishy.

[Eridony]

Originally Posted by deja vu

^And I love how they just painted the bottom half of the bank white. Like, nobody is going to look higher than that and notice something fishy.

It's hard to remember because I was a kid, but I think that area above the white was covered with something that did hide the fact the building was as old as it was. They certainly covered every other old building in the mall to hide the fact the place wasn't as new as it looked.

[deja vu]

Holland -

A big gift has been made to Holland's Civic Center. The $1 million donation comes from Elsa Prince Broekhuizen, and will go towards improvements to the outdoor market area in front of the currently-being-remodeled Civic Center.

Elsa Prince Broekhuizen gifts $1M to Holland's Civic Center renovation
Amy Biolchini | MLive
May 16, 2018

HOLLAND, MI -- Elsa Prince Broekhuizen, the mother of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and of Blackwater founder Erik Prince, is donating $1 million to the city of Holland's renovation of its Civic Center. The city of Holland announced the donation Wednesday at the Civic Center, where construction is ongoing to expand the 1950s-era gymnasium and bring the facility into the 21st century. The $16.5 million project will be complete this fall, according to city officials...

[Eridony]

Pigeon Hill Brewing opened in downtown Muskegon in 2014. They currently have their taproom and production facility in two separate buildings about a block apart on Western Avenue. Now they plan to build a new combined facility elsewhere in downtown.

There have been a few articles about it in the last few months.

Pigeon Hill Brewing Co. expansion finalized

Ben Solis | MLive
Nov 29, 2017

MUSKEGON, MI - After months of negotiation, Pigeon Hill Brewing Co. has reached a deal with the city of Muskegon to purchase property at the corner of Shoreline Drive and Fourth Street for a major expansion.

Pigeon Hill Brewing wins tax break for new production facility

Ben Solis | MLive
Mar 2, 2018

MUSKEGON, MI - The new Pigeon Hill Brewing Co. facility to be built at the corner of Shoreline Drive and Fourth Street has received tax exempt status from the city of Muskegon.

Second round of Pigeon Hill tax breaks are subject of public hearing

Ben Solis | MLive
May 16, 2018

MUSKEGON, MI - Pigeon Hill Brewing Co. could receive another round of tax breaks from the city of Muskegon as it seeks to build a new facility at the corner of Shoreline Drive and Fourth Street.

It's good to see a local business become successful and stay downtown. Hopefully their current spaces are leased quickly after they move into their new building.

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by Eridony

Pigeon Hill Brewing opened in downtown Muskegon in 2014. They currently have their taproom and production facility in two separate buildings about a block apart on Western Avenue. Now they plan to build a new combined facility elsewhere in downtown.

Thanks for posting. Somehow I missed that. Good news indeed.

[Eridony]

Originally Posted by deja vu

And in another small, related development, a new restaurant, Rad Dad's Taco & Tequila Bar, is being built and will be connected to the LC Arena -

Source: MLive

This little addition to the arena is nice in that it helps the nearly 60 year old arena interact more with the street so its not so much of a dead zone when there are no arena events. According to a recent article Rad Dads is expected to open sometime this month.

The article included several images of the inside space coming together, but I really liked the art/sign on the 4th Street side of the arena.




Source: Rad Dads' restaurant to open inside Muskegon arena in May

[Eridony]

This a small (tiny) development in downtown Muskegon. Last year chalets were built on Western Avenue to serve as tiny storefronts. Named Western Market an additional five chalets were built this year bringing a total of 16 shops downtown.

Downtown Muskegon pop-up shops to include Segway rentals, Hawaiian ice

Justine McGuire - MLive
May 21, 2018



MUSKEGON, MI - Downtown Muskegon pop-up shops will open for the summer season on Saturday, May 26.

The article also notes how some of the previous shops have moved into more permanent storefronts.