GRAND RAPIDS | Development Thread

[JonathanGRR]

Thanks! Since I moved to London recently for school, I try to at least post and follow all the big projects; I'm sure that other stuff falls between the cracks now.

On that note, more information (which includes an expansion of the project) was released for 616 Development's Lofts on Alabama:

See how 616 Development is expanding its plans for West Side apartment complex
Jim Harger | November 26, 2014

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – 616 Development and Rockford Construction Co. are raising the ante for the “Lofts on Alabama” housing development they plan to create on the near West Side.

The project, which would re-use a 104-year-old carriage factory at 420 Alabama Ave NW and build a new apartment building on a parking lot across the street, now contemplates 100 apartments with an investment of nearly $20 million, according to plans submitted to the city’s Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.

Previous plans for the project envisioned an 85-unit project at a cost of $17.2 million. The revised plans expand the new apartment building to include 61 units while plans for the old factory envision 39 new loft-style apartments.

The developers are asking the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to sign off on their request to capture nearly $2.8 million in tax dollars to help with the site cleanup costs and construction of a 36-space parking facility beneath the new building. The authority meets Thursday, Dec. 4, to consider the request.

The project would re-use a three-story brick building built in 1910 while demolishing a 1930 addition and two adjacent houses. Originally built as a carriage factory, the building also was used as a furniture factory and most recently, as a theatre lighting company.
...

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-m...l#incart_river

[JonathanGRR]

There have been a lot of small projects and piecemeal development updates announced in Grand Rapids rapids over the past month, but I've found it manageable to just post about large projects with renderings when they come in. One such project was announced today: The Olds Manor/Rowe Hotel, the last large vacant building downtown will finally be redeveloped, beginning this Spring. It has long been thought and argued by RDV Corp that the building would not be redeveloped until the surrounding post office processing facility was vacated. Evidently, there must be enough demand to warrant that point mute.

New life for Olds Manor: Historic Grand Rapids property to be redeveloped
Garrett Ellison | December 30, 2014

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The last major vacant building in downtown Grand Rapids is finally getting redeveloped.

Olds Manor, located next to the downtown Post Office at 201 Michigan Street NW, will be converted into a mixed-use residential and commercial building called The Rowe through an estimated $22 million to $26 million project, CWD Real Estate announced Tuesday, Dec. 30.

The building has been owned by RDV Corp since Amway Corp. founders Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel purchased the property from Peter Secchia in 2002 for $4.5 million.

The proposed project will include approximately 9,500 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor, 77 market-rate one- and two-bedroom apartments on floors three through 9, and a limited number of condominiums on the 10th and newly created 11th floor.

The project includes the complete restoration of the building's two historic facades and creation of an underground parking facility. Rooftop amenities including an outdoor terrace, indoor community room and fitness facilities are also planned.

If the necessary financial incentives are obtained from the city, construction will begin in the spring of 2015 and be completed in late 2016, CWD said.The project is seeking the support of the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and Downtown Development Authority.

The property is located at the corner of Michigan Street NW and Monroe Avenue across from the former Grand Rapids Press headquarters, which is being demolished this spring by Michigan State University, which now owns that property.

The original Rowe Hotel was opened in January 1923 by Fred N. Rowe, president of the then Grand Rapids-based Valley City Milling Company.
...

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





And here's a picture that I took of the building this past June:

[animatedmartian]

Michigan State trustees approve construction of $85 million research facility in Grand Rapids
By Kyle Feldscher.




Michigan State University trustees approved the construction of the Grand Rapids Research Center with a budget of $85 million at its meeting Friday morning.

The 163,000-square-foot building is slated to be completed by the end of 2017, about the same time that the university's lease at the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids expires. Vennie Gore, university vice president for auxiliary enterprises, said donors are picking up about half the cost of the building.

....

The research facility will be replacing the Grand Rapids Press building which is approved for a demolition starting in March.




Meanwhile...

12-story office tower proposed at downtown Grand Rapids demolition site

By Garret Ellison.



Developers are eyeing the hole next to Rockwell & Republic bar and restaurant for a 12-story office building called Twelve Weston.

SIBSCO LLC, a Secchia family holding company, presented plans for the building to the city's Historic Preservation Commission on Wednesday, Feb. 4.

....

Preliminary plans for the 150,000-square-foot building include restaurant and retail space on the ground floor, a multi-story parking deck and several stories of offices.

Developers are using a "bonus height" calculation to exceed the 85-foot limit on buildings in the Heartside neighborhood. City code allows developers to build higher if certain amounts of ground floor retail and "urban open space" are included.

....

[JonathanGRR]

You beat me to the post! It will be really exciting to see how Michigan Street and Monroe North continue to change with this addition by MSU.

Also, note that the rendering in the second story is not final or even likely. It was merely released as a conceptualization to 'start conversations.'

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by jonathan.jam

You beat me to the post! It will be really exciting to see how Michigan Street and Monroe North continue to change with this addition by MSU.

Also, note that the rendering in the second story is not final or even likely. It was merely released as a conceptualization to 'start conversations.'

For as basic as it is, it is a decent concept. It kind of looks like an modern office building on top of a brick building. Just refine it with some details and I think it'd be good to go.

[animatedmartian]

The Grand Rapids Press Building looks to be about a quarter of the way demolished.


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

[animatedmartian]

Found a webcam for the MSU research building. Most recent daytime image from today.



http://oxblue.com/pro/?webPath=msu/grrc

[animatedmartian]

Medical Mile developer's $50M apartments hit 'untapped market' of students, professionals
By Jim Harger. June 23, 2015.

A Georgia real estate developer wants to build a 287-unit apartment project along the city's Medical Mile to meet the demand for housing by young professionals and students.

The $50 million-plus project would be built north of Michigan Street NE and replace 16 houses and a commercial building used by Goodwill Industries along Grand and Benson avenues NE. The project will include a 334-car parking deck.

The four-story units also will include a two-story fitness center, a business center and gathering space, said Matthew Marshall, vice president of RISE Real Estate of Valdosta, Ga.

The city Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed project on July 9. Marshall said they have assembled ownership or control of the 20 properties that will make up the project. He said they hope to begin work on the project by October.

.....

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

[animatedmartian]

State approves $3M loan participation for West Side student housing project
By Jim Harger. June 23, 2015.

The Michigan Strategic Fund Board approved a $3 million loan participation in Fulton Place, a $33.7 million student housing project being built within sight of Grand Valley State University's downtown campus.

The $3 million loan approved by the board on Tuesday, June 23, is in conjunction with a $25.5 million loan from Chemical Bank and $5.275 million in equity by the project's developers, Fulton and Seward LLC.

The development partnership includes SIBSCO, a real estate firm owned by businessman Peter F. Secchia and his family; 42 North, owned by businessman Mike Jandernoa and his family; and members of Amway Corp. co-founder Richard DeVos' family.

The $35 million project along West Fulton Street between Lexington and Seward avenues will include 232 beds in three buildings:

• A 13,000-square-foot building with seven, three-story townhomes, each with four bedrooms.

• A three-story 5,500-square-foot building with three apartments, each with two bedrooms.

• A five-story 125,000-square-foot mixed-use building with 102 units, with a mix of 14 one-bedroom units and lofts, 84 two-bedroom units and four four-bedroom units.

Amenities at Fulton Place will include 10,000 square feet of ground-level retail space and onsite residential parking, including a two-story garage and street level areas. The project is scheduled for completion by June 2016.

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

[animatedmartian]

'Game-changing' office and residential towers slated for downtown parking lot
By Jim Harger. MLive. November 9th, 2015.

Warner Norcross & Judd, one of the city's oldest and largest law firms, announced it will move into new office and residential towers planned for a parking lot at the corner of Ottawa Avenue and Lyon Street NE.

Slated to open in 2019, the towers – between 14 and 17 stories high -- will fill a parking lot that covers three-quarters of a city block and will include frontage along Lyon and Pearl streets and Ottawa and Ionia avenues, said John Wheeler, president of Orion Real Estate Solutions.

ORES will partner with Midtown Properties – Pearl & Ottawa LLC and DTN Management to build the mixed-use development that will include market rate apartments and condominiums, according to joint announcement on Monday, Nov. 9.

Renderings of the building and details about its size and cost have not been finalized, Wheeler said. The building will be across the street from the Kent County Courthouse and the Waters Building, which is being renovated to include housing and a hotel.

The land has been used as a surface parking lot in the heart of downtown since 1966, when the Houseman Building was razed as part of the city's urban renewal movement. Wheeler said the new development will include a 500-space parking deck.

....

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

[The ATX]

Here's a new Downtown mid-rise proposal:


http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/up...26ce3eb3d2.JPG

[The Lurker]

Thanks guys. Ive veen jonesing for an update from the west side of the state.

[Docta_Love]

There's more good news about the Metro Grand Rapids economy the pyramid former shaped Steelcase Research Center is being turned into a huge data center, the largest east of the Mississippi as a matter of fact. Its good to see that on the Westside of the state too high-tech new industries are replacing manufacturing legacy facilities left underutilized since the great recession. On a side note I've been very impressed with the strides Grand Rapids has made in the past 15-20 years revitalizing its (remarkably intact for Michigan) urban core and the city over all, the Metro area is the size of Heartford or Memphis however is is very much over shadowed by its much larger and more famous neighbors Chicago & Detroit.

Switch confirms plans for $5 billion data center near Grand Rapids, if tax breaks get OK

November 16, 2015
By Associated Press
Crain's Detroit Business




GRAND RAPIDS — A Las Vegas company said Monday that it plans to build a high-tech data center in Western Michigan — if state lawmakers approve tax breaks.

Switch would create a new $5 billion SUPERNAP data center campus in Caledonia, south of Grand Rapids, in and around a pyramid-shaped building formerly owned by Steelcase Inc. The company said that at 2 million square feet it would be the largest data center in the eastern U.S. Switch has sites in Las Vegas and Reno, Nev.

Switch said part of the appeal is that Michigan is far from traditional earthquake zones and other natural risks on the coasts. Switch customers include some of the biggest names in banking, entertainment and technology.

Switch's arrival "will unleash countless" opportunities in the state, said Birgit Klohs of The Right Place, an economic development agency in the Grand Rapids area. "The future of business will be driven by data, and Michigan will be well positioned as a hub of data innovation.”

The project will create thousands of well-paid construction jobs over the estimated 10-year build out, according to a news release. In addition, Switch and its clients are projected to employ 1,000 people to work in the data center campus.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...rand-rapids-if

....

Committee OKs tax breaks to land Switch data center near Grand Rapids

December 02, 2015
By David Eggert
Associated Press
Crain's Detroit Business


LANSING — A legislative committee has approved tax breaks needed to ensure a major data center developer chooses Michigan for its first campus in the eastern United States.

Bills approved 8-5 Wednesday by the House Tax Policy Committee would exempt Nevada-based Switch and current Michigan data centers from sales, use and personal property taxes paid on servers and other equipment.

Switch plans to locate a massive data center campus near Grand Rapids, starting inside a pyramid-shaped building that once housed furniture maker Steelcase's research facility. Switch said it will not come to Michigan without the tax incentives.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...WS01/151209961

[animatedmartian]

Pizza-shaped tower proposed downtown would be tallest Grand Rapids building
By Matt Vande Bunte. June 23, 2016. Mlive Grand Rapids.


A 40-story building featuring a hotel, apartments and ground-floor retail space is proposed for a quarter-acre site downtown at Fulton Street and Ionia Avenue NW.

The $90 million tower on property at 10 Ionia Ave. owned by Hinman Co. would be the tallest in Grand Rapids, surpassing the 406-foot River House condominiums on the west side of the Grand River on Bridge Street.

Developers plan a narrow, triangular-shaped building on the 11,000-square-foot lot that sits just east of Van Andel Arena, wedged between Ionia and Louis Street. The building will include 100,000 square feet of hotel space, according to documents filed with the city.

Hinman's chief operating officer did not immediately return a call for comment.

The proposed building's 418-foot height will be a topic of review Wednesday, July 6, when developers seek approval from the city's Historic Preservation Commission. The site is one of two properties north of Fulton that are part of the Heartside historic district.

.....

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapi...surpass_r.html

[photoLith]

That would be amazing. Never would think a lot like that would be developed in Grand Rapids.

[Urbannizer]

Here's Grand Rapids current tallest, River House Condominiums. A 34-story condo high-rise built during the 06-08 boom.


http://www.trulia.com/property/31955...apids-MI-49504

A new hotel Downtown was also built during this time. JW Marriott Grand Rapids, the first step into the Midwest for the brand.


http://gpchicago.com/architecture/jw...-grand-rapids/

[animatedmartian]

Poster WMrapids over at Urbanplanet did a sketchup model of the proposed tower. IMO, if a tower of this height can make in Grand Rapids, I'd imagine a few more 30-floor towers could easily sprout up around the core.

Originally Posted by WMrapids

Gave you guys a little extra with 20 Fulton included too.

Here's the model of the tower and here is the model of 20 Fulton again.

https://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/t...omment-1414469

[JonathanGRR]

^
Though developers would still have to be careful about expanding too much too quickly. It seems as though the main reason this height can work here is because the lot is indeed so small in the first place, warranting the extra height. If more typically blocks would rise, there may not be the same demand.

For outsiders, this is just the most recent highlight of things coming out of (and being built up in) Grand Rapids. I apologize for not updating the thread much due to my hectic schedule as a part of moving to study in London for the past two years. If anyone does want a more comprehensive rundown of everything going on, take a stroll to UrbanPlanet every once in a while: https://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/f...-grand-rapids/ .

[animatedmartian]

First look at Meijer store and affordable apartments proposed for West Side
By Jim Harger. Mlive Grand Rapids. June 29, 2016.







Developers have made public the first renderings of a massive housing and retail project that will include a Meijer store on the city's West Side.

The drawings were included in the July 14 agenda package for the City Planning Commission, which will be asked to re-zone the property that is bounded by Bridge Street, Stocking Avenue, Seward Avenue and First Street NW.

The project is being developed by Rockford Construction Co., which has announced it will partner with Meijer Inc. to develop a grocery store and the Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF) to develop affordable apartments.

The first phase of the project would construct a five-story building facing Stocking Avenue and Lexington Avenue NW. The building would include 16,380 square feet of ground floor retail space and four floors of affordable apartments above.

Rockford executives are asking city planners to give the first phase their final approval this summer so they can pursue the Low Income Housing Tax Credits for the project from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority in October.

Conceptual approval is being sought for the second phase of the project, which will include two buildings and a 309-space parking deck for residents, commercial tenants and retail customers.

The Meijer store would be on the ground floor of a five-story building that extends along Bridge Street west of Seward Avenue to Stocking Avenue. The upper floors would include office and residential space, according to the rezoning request.

A third three-story building would be built on the southwest corner of Front Street and Seward Avenue and include ground floor retail space with professional offices above.

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

[subterranean]

Very cool! I'm actually a little surprised that more of this hasn't been proposed given the level of success GR has been experiencing in recent years. When I think of similarly sized metros (Omaha, Tulsa, Salt Lake City, New Orleans, Raleigh, Louisville, Oklahoma City), GR seems to be lagging in the height department.

One thing I really like about GR is the completeness of its historic fabric, and it will be cool to see more contemporary designs commingled with that fabric. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we see a few more of these.

Since moving to Portland, I've often felt that this town feels like a bigger version of a mix between Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor (West Michigan politics are another matter). The similarities don't stop there, either. Just as Portland is about an hour from the coast, so is Grand Rapids from Lake Michigan. And despite the elevations being greater in Portland, Grand Rapids also has some beautiful topography for that area of the Midwest and it's also fairly close to a lot of recreational activities up the 131 corridor. Not to mention the beer. If I ever move back to Michigan, the likelihood of me taking up residence in Grand Rapids is pretty high.