GRAND RAPIDS | Development Thread

[DetroitMan]

New Grand Rapids riverfront concert venue to be named Acrisure Amphitheater

After years of planning, design and fundraising, the 12,000-capacity riverfront amphitheater planned for downtown Grand Rapids has a name: Acrisure Amphitheater.

The name of the venue, expected to open in 2026, was announced during a press conference Friday, Sept. 22, featuring Acrisure CEO Greg Williams, as well as leaders of Grand Action 2.0, the private economic development group leading the push to build the amphitheater at 201 Market Ave. SW. “We are thrilled to play a role in the development and growth of downtown Grand Rapids,” said Williams, who co-founded the Grand Rapids-based global insurance brokerage, financial services and technology company in 2005. “The Acrisure Amphitheater is poised to be the next great cultural landmark of the city and region.” Acrisure secured naming rights for the venue by making a $30 million gift for the project, whose total price tag is $184 million.

The company, which describes itself as the “fastest growing brokerage in industry history,” has 16,000 employees in 21 countries, 1,100 of whom work in West Michigan, Acrisure says. Its seven-story, corporate headquarters opened in 2021 at Studio Park in downtown Grand Rapids.

A push to build a large-scale, outdoor amphitheater has been underway in Grand Rapids since at least 2018. The venue is seen as a way to lure more national music acts to the city, boost summer tourism and activate what’s now an industrial stretch of the Grand River occupied by the city’s public works department.

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rap...hitheater.html

[deja vu]

Not to be confused with Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. Or, Acrisure Arena in California. Oh well, it could be worse-sounding. At least it has some alliteration.

Big, neutral, sigh on the name choice.

[DetroitMan]

While I do like the fact that Corewell is planning to add a housing component to their campus, I'm not in favor of the surface parking lots.

Corewell Health master plan calls for razing buildings to make way for housing, parking

Corewell Health plans to demolish five aging, unoccupied buildings in Grand Rapids’ Monroe North neighborhood and turn them into surface parking lots and green space that would become part of a broader development.

The health system filed a request for special land use approval from the Grand Rapids Planning Commission to carry out its Corewell Health Place North Monroe Campus Master Plan, which includes developing housing for medical residents and fellows, as well as a market-rate housing project. “These proposed plans allow us to develop a (sic) residential housing for Corewell Health graduate medical residents and fellows in the near future. The proposed housing will allow residents to live within a walkable distance to the medical center and will help Corewell Health attract top talent to West Michigan,” the health system said in a written statement to Crain’s Grand Rapids Business. Corewell Health intends the proposed parking and some of the housing in the master plan to serve its eight-story, $100 million Center for Transformation and Innovation office tower that’s under construction in the neighborhood north of downtown.

The new parking lots will “replace displaced parking to support the Corewell Health Place campus and align with our long-term development plan for Monroe North,” the health system said.

Corewell Health previously said the Center for Transformation and Innovation will consolidate about 1,200 employees from 24 offices across West Michigan. Plans for the center also include two parking decks. According to city documents, Corewell Health proposes to demolish buildings at 648 Bond Ave., 647 Ottawa Ave., 637 Ottawa Ave., 700 Ottawa Ave., and 711 Ionia Ave. NW. Four surface parking lots with 320 parking spaces would be constructed in their place.

The health system is proposing the housing development for medical residents and fellows at 648 Ottawa Ave. and 649 Ionia Ave. Construction is set to start “as soon as funding is available,” according to a planning memo filed with the city.

“There are currently 415 residents and fellows in Corewell Health West Graduate Medical Education program that require convenient and affordable housing in close proximity to the Medical Mile and in walking distance to Corewell Health’s Medical Campus,” the health system wrote in a planning memo filed with the city.

Additionally, Corewell Health is proposing a market-rate housing development for 706 Bond Ave., with construction expected to begin in 2025 or 2026.

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/ne...using-parking/

[deja vu]

Wow. That will make the area feel significantly different. Monroe North as a neighborhood doesn't have a very clear identity to me. This Corewell masterplan definitely skews it even more towards medical campus. The good thing about surface parking lots at least is that they can also be developed later.

Here are some stellar photos of the Studio Tower. There are reportedly 2 floors left to go. It really has much more of an imposing presence from certain perspectives than I had pictured -












Source: LinkedIn | Sam Weaver

[subterranean]

Huh, I hadn't realized something this large was going in.

[deja vu]

Yeah it's large enough to justify its own thread. There's just not enough GR traffic on this site to warrant it / no one set one up. But it is going to be 22 floors / 270 feet, when stacked on top of the parking garage. I think that means it will be the 5th tallest building.

[DetroitMan]

New agreement guides planning for proposed Grand Rapids soccer stadium

The public authority that oversees Van Andel Arena, DeVos Place and DeVos Performance Hall has approved an agreement with private economic development group Grand Action 2.0 that formalizes the push to build a pro soccer stadium in downtown Grand Rapids.

Members of the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority (CAA) have been working with Grand Action behind the scenes for more than a year on the stadium concept. Friday’s “memorandum of understanding” essentially makes official the partnership between Grand Action and the CAA, and clears the way for Grand Action to continue to explore the development, funding and construction of the venue. “The action taken by the CAA today is a minor step, but it’s a required step, and it’s another step forward,” said Rich MacKeigan, executive director of the CAA. Neither the size nor the location for the stadium has been publicly announced. However, one site reportedly under consideration is several surface parking lots owned by the Downtown Development Authority adjacent to the David D. Hunting YMCA near Pearl Street NW and U.S. 131.

The soccer stadium is the second venue the CAA and Grand Action are working to develop. The two groups are in the midst of a push to open the 12,000-capacity, $184 million Acrisure Amphitheater at 201 Market Ave. SW in downtown Grand Rapids by 2026.

If the soccer stadium were built, the CAA would be the owner and operator of the venue. MacKeigan declined to offer details on efforts to secure a site for the venue, as well as what the project’s cost would be. He referred those question to Grand Action 2.0 Executive Director Kara Wood.

When reached Friday afternoon, Wood said the “due diligence for a potential soccer stadium is still very much in the early stages,” and the memorandum of understanding is an “important step” in the process.

“The vision for soccer and an event stadium designed to host a higher-level of professional soccer is still very much alive,” she said. “We’re continuing to pursue that. Of course, it’s still very early in the due diligence, and we’re just going to continue through that due diligence process.”

Wood declined to provide further details such as the estimated cost of the project, the project’s timeline, fundraising, the site of the stadium, or what team would play there.

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rap...r-stadium.html

[DetroitMan]

Grand Rapids set to approve $103M ‘transformational’ tax incentive plan for major development

The Grand Rapids City Commission is poised to approve a $103 million tax incentives plan that would be the first of its kind in the city, as well as an agreement to lock in affordable housing for 20 years at the massive Factory Yards project.

The city commission’s Committee of the Whole this morning unanimously approved Grand Rapids’ first ever Transformational Brownfield Plan for the $147 million Factory Yards project that will encompass 15.5 acres on the city’s southwest side. The city commission later in the day typically approves projects sent by the committee of the whole.

Metro Detroit-based developers Ben Smith, Scott Magaluk and Dennis Griffin requested $103 million in reimbursements through the state Transformational Brownfield Program tool, which lawmakers expanded this year to apply to more projects. The funding amount was recommended by the Michigan Economic Development Corp., which will also consider the Factory Yards incentives at an upcoming Michigan Strategic Fund board meeting. “This is obviously the first Transformational Brownfield Plan for Grand Rapids,” Jono Klooster, Grand Rapids’ interim economic development director, said during today’s committee meeting. “It has been a long process to get to this point, with a lot of cooperation from a lot of internal staff, external stakeholders and the developer, and we’re happy to be here requesting final approval of this project this morning.”

The massive project at and around 655 Godfrey Ave. SW would redevelop three buildings at varying heights as well as a boiler room on the site. A two-story building would be demolished while two new commercial buildings and a new residential apartment building would be added.

The plan calls for 467 apartment units, 31,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space, a 22,000-square-foot food hall, and 30,000 square feet of commercial office space. Nearly 30,000 square feet of fitness and recreation facilities would be onsite, as well as a 50,000-square-foot self-storage facility, a half-acre courtyard and 825 parking spaces.

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/ne...r-development/

[DetroitMan]

Construction on first phase of $50M Grand Rapids Public Museum expansion set to begin

Construction is expected to begin within two weeks on the first piece of a $50 million renovation at the Grand Rapids Public Museum that will expand Grand River access, add new exhibit space, make landscaping improvements and more.

Dale Robertson, president and CEO of the museum, said workers will begin by laying the foundational pilings and supports for the terrace, steps and ramp that will provide greater access to the river. “It’s the very beginning,” he said. “It’s a lot of technical stuff. You won’t see it because it’s going to go all the way down to bedrock. But without it, the entire system can’t work.”

The work is expected to take six months to nine months.

On Tuesday, the Grand Rapids City Commission approved a resolution authorizing the museum to enter into a construction management services contract with Owen Ames Kimball Company for $4.2 million. The total amount of the work is not to exceed $8 million.

The city of Grand Rapids owns the museum building and its artifacts. But operations there are managed and overseen by an independent, nonprofit board.

“We’re hoping with the approval of the bids today that construction can start out here within the next week-and-a-half to two weeks,” Robertson said. “The fencing around the site went up yesterday.”

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rap...-to-begin.html

[deja vu]

Some Studio Park Tower photos by me, taken Monday. The tower topped out earlier this week -

[202_Cyclist]

Are the streets paved with gold on Wealthy St?

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

Are the streets paved with gold on Wealthy St?

Interestingly, it does lead to one of the more wealthy neighborhoods in the area - East Grand Rapids / Reeds Lake. I don't know the origin of the name though.

[DetroitMan]

New Grand Rapids hospital to be named Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital

Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital’s new children’s hospital will be named after Joan Secchia, the widow of former Italian ambassador, businessman and philanthropist Peter Secchia.

The Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital, a partnership between Mary Free Bed and Corewell Health’s Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, is expected to cost $60 million and open in 2026 across the street from Mary Free Bed’s main campus on Wealthy Street SE. “I heard about the project a year-and-a-half ago when it was still in its infancy, and I just jumped right on the bandwagon,” said Secchia, 81. “I thought this is a good project, a good hospital for Grand Rapids, the community, the state, children, families. It was a win-win-win.”

The amount of Secchia’s gift is not being disclosed, said Chris Mills, a spokesperson for Mary Free Bed. The hospital will deliver “top-tier pediatric rehabilitative care, pioneering medical research, and steadfast support to families in their times of need,” according to Mary Free Bed.

Construction is expected to begin next year and be complete two years after that, according to a news release. The hospital would be built across the street from Mary Free Bed’s main campus at 235 Wealthy St. SE. The two buildings would be connected by a skywalk, renderings show.

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rap...-hospital.html

[DetroitMan]

I'm glad to see there is pushback against tearing down buildings for surface parking lots. If Corewell needs added parking, I prefer it to be in a parking garage.

‘This request is extreme.’ Corewell Health proposal to demolish buildings for parking lots tabled

A controversial request by Corewell Health to demolish five buildings next to its planned $98 million office complex in the Monroe North neighborhood and replace them with surface parking lots was tabled by the Grand Rapids Planning Commission Thursday.

Commissioners — with the exception of one member, Susan Shannon — took issue with what they described as a “disappointing” attempt at neighborhood and community outreach. They noted that only one group, the Monroe North Business Association, appeared to have been consulted about the plan.Commissioners as well as several residents also spoke about the importance, as established in various community master plans, of avoiding the construction of new surface parking lots. Such structures, they said, don’t represent the best use of land in an urban environment, and go against goals of promoting alternative modes of transportation such as biking and bussing.

“It’s not often that we get 60 letters of opposition of something,” said Commissioner Adrienne Wallace. “So that tells me that there is a disconnect in the communication with the public.”

Corewell came before the planning commission Thursday to request a special land use permit to demolish five aging, industrial buildings near its office complex, Corewell Health Place, which is located at 648 Monroe Ave. NW. The complex is under construction and expected to open in summer 2024.

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rap...ts-tabled.html

[DetroitMan]

Renderings show new glimpse of Grand Rapids soccer stadium

While local officials declined to confirm a final location of the project, the recently surfaced drawings provide a “sneak peek” of what the venue could look like, said Richard Winn, chairman of the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority (CAA) board.

The CAA is working with Grand Action 2.0 on the development of a stadium that local backers hope could land a professional soccer team, potentially from the United Soccer League.

Grand Action 2.0 serves as the private economic development group that is working to secure the financing of the project that would ultimately be run by the CAA, similar to the arrangement behind the proposed Acrisure Amphitheater. Grand Action 2.0 is working with Progressive AE Inc. on the soccer stadium design, which is still in the schematic design phase.

“The renderings are very preliminary, and are used strictly as rough drawings to show the project’s basic features,” Grand Action 2.0 Executive Director Kara Wood told Crain’s Grand Rapids. Wood also declined to confirm the project’s location, adding that it is still being determined.

“We’re still in the process of reviewing the schematic design package from Progressive AE,” Wood said.One rendering shows the stadium appearing adjacent to the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids, a site that local officials previously confirmed was under consideration. The stadium appears situated just east and north of the YMCA, along Mt. Vernon Avenue NW across the Grand River from downtown. A city-owned commuter parking lot is currently located on the property.

A south-end entrance to the stadium appears to replace a Big Boy restaurant currently on the site, per the drawings.

The renderings are the latest update on the stadium project, which has taken incremental steps forward through public-private agreements and attempts to secure public financing. Winn declined to give an estimated timeline on the project, but said it continues to move forward.

The CAA board on Oct. 6 approved a formal agreement to kick off a joint effort with Grand Action 2.0 to build and operate a soccer stadium in the city. The agreement lays out the development, funding, construction, ownership and operation of the future stadium, and is modeled after a similar partnership the board approved with Grand Action 2.0 for the Acrisure Amphitheater.

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/ne...occer-stadium/

[deja vu]

Crane demobilization at the Studio Tower site, from a few days ago -
















Source: LinkedIn | Samuel Weaver

[DetroitMan]

Amazing photos! It's amazing how fast the Studio Tower went up.

It looks like the Convention Center Authority is looking at the possibility of expanding DeVos Place and building a new convention hotel.

With conventions and meetings in Grand Rapids approaching pre-pandemic levels, the idea of expanding DeVos Place with more meeting space and a new hotel is now being re-examined by the public authority that oversees the venue.

The Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority (CAA), which oversees DeVos Place, DeVos Performance Hall and Van Andel Arena, has hired consulting firm HVS to study whether such an expansion is still needed.

Prior to the pandemic, in 2018 and 2019, the CAA was examining the idea of building a 400-room hotel atop DeVos Place. Initial plans indicated the hotel would have a full-service restaurant and bar, a lounge, a pool, a whirlpool and exercise room, as well as 40,000-square-feet of ballroom and meeting space. The concept was first floated in 2016 in a destination asset study commissioned by private economic development group Grand Action. The idea, officials said, was to strengthen the city’s draw as a destination for conventions and meetings, and to bring more visitors to the area.

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rap...-pandemic.html

[X E N O]

Grand Valley State University is planning to build a $140 million tech center at its downtown Grand Rapids campus called the Blue Dot Lab. The state legislature has committed $30 million for the project. The bill is awaiting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's signature. Pictured is a rendering for the lab planned at the LV Eberhard Center (Rendering provided to MLive by Grand Valley State University).Photo provided to MLive by Grand Valley State University

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rap...-downtown.html

[deja vu]

^ That's an exciting-looking project. Always good to see GVSU expanding their downtown presence.

Steel is starting to go up at GRR's new Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting Facility. Photos from about a week ago -




Source: LinkedIn | Miller-Davis Company

[DetroitMan]

Grand Rapids eyes 30 acres of riverfront property for future redevelopment

A Grand Rapids board voted Thursday to rezone about 30 acres of land immediately west of the Grand River in an effort to spur the type of mixed-use development across the river to the east.

The Grand Rapids City Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to recommend the city commission rezone 22 parcels along Front and Scribner avenues, between Leonard Street to the north and Sixth Street to the south. The parcels — one of which is owned by the city while the rest have various private owners — sit between US-131 to the west and the Grand River to the east. The plan is to prepare the land for potential redevelopment, particularly housing.

The request, initiated by city planning staff, is expected to move to the city commission for final approval in early 2024. The request would also benefit the developers of a multi-story residential tower that has stalled this year as city planners deliberated over options for the site. Planning Director Kristin Turkelson said even though this zoning district will likely be reevaluated as part of the master plan updates that are underway, her department initiated the request for sooner action, based on development trends underway in the area. The urgent need for more housing was another reason to move on the rezoning. “Over the past several years, the west side of Grand Rapids has experienced some significant changes as a result of (several) projects and the growth of the neighborhood business districts, both on Leonard Street … and Bridge Street to the south,” Turkelson said. “As a result, we believe, based on those development trends, the needs of the existing businesses and the desperate need for housing by the city, we think that it is a good time to talk about the possibility of rezoning this location.”

If approved by the city commission, the zoning would change from traditional neighborhood-transitional city center to traditional neighborhood-city center. The change would increase the allowable building height for that area from up to seven stories to a maximum of 10 stories by right, or 20 stories with a height bonus approval. The zoning change also would remove requirements for parking minimums at those 22 parcels.

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/ne...redevelopment/