GRAND RAPIDS | Development Thread

[Velvet_Highground]

That would be awesome I can’t picture exactly where that will be off hand but imo great to see a 21 story apartment tower there. GR could use a bit more density in the very center with its skyscrapers. Excellent downtown with a ton of great assets including the most complete downtown of a major city in Michigan it’s just that the skyline is spread out a bit along the river.

Not hating on it I think the Grand is asset and I would love to see it returned to a more natural state for recreational purposes. Just once downtown’s central skyscraper district is more developed I think it will help GR move further out of the shadows of Chicago & Detroit. At least in terms of an image for the national audience that says big city. It’s almost there, doesn’t really change anything on the surface but a good strong national image is good for a city.

[deja vu]

MoTown Square, a 54-unit assisted senior housing facility, had its ribbon cutting this past week at 240 Hall Street SE -


Source: Facebook | TowerPinkster

Many more photos here.

[DetroitMan]

The final steel beam for the Amway soccer stadium was put into place last week. The stadium will open in Spring 2027.

Final beam raised as $175M Grand Rapids soccer stadium reaches milestone

Community leaders and project partners joined construction workers Friday morning to mark a milestone at downtown Grand Rapids’ Amway Stadium, as the final structural steel beam was lifted into place.

The 11 a.m. topping-out ceremony completed the steel framework for the $175 million stadium’s signature cantilevered canopy, which will cover most of the venue’s 8,500 seats at 230 Winter Ave. NW. The beam is the AECOM Hunt and Rockford are serving as construction managers for the project. Ken Johnson, national sports representative for AECOM Hunt, said the stadium represents a new generation of soccer venues last of roughly 1,600 tons of steel used in the project.

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/...ds-soccer-stadium-reaches-milestone.html

[airforceguy]

Detroit construction firm enters West Michigan market with $20M Heinz plant redevelopment

A Detroit construction management firm is formally expanding into Grand Rapids, joining West Michigan’s largest contractor on a planned $20 million redevelopment of a former Heinz plant as its entry point into the market.

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/real-e...invictus-builders-1515-madison-20260611/

[Dale]

Are the "Three Towers" still moving along ?

[airforceguy]

State budget greenlights construction on GVSU’s $65M downtown tech center

Grand Valley State University can start construction on a $65 million riverfront technology lab in downtown Grand Rapids under lawmakers’ recently finalized state budget.

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/real-estate/commercial/cgr-gvsu-blue-dot-lob-approval-20260707/

[airforceguy]

Originally Posted by Dale

Are the "Three Towers" still moving along ?

I haven't heard anything since the transformational brownfield application was approved in December. Hopefully, it is still moving along.

[Dale]

Originally Posted by airforceguy

I haven't heard anything since the transformational brownfield application was approved in December. Hopefully, it is still moving along.

Thanks, sitting on the edge of my seat!

[DetroitMan]

Developers set to break ground on $17.8M housing project near Medical Mile

Developers are preparing to start construction on the $17.8 million second phase of an affordable housing project in the works for at least five years near Medical Mile.

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/real-e...-phase-of-union-suites-on-coit-20260701/

[DetroitMan]

Massive Gaslight Village project gets green light from city planners

Design plans for the first phase of a large-scale mixed-use development project in Gaslight Village received their first round of approvals from East Grand Rapids city planners on Tuesday.

The East Grand Rapids Planning Commission voted unanimously on July 14 to advance the final site plans for phase one of the project, which proposes to build 40 residential units including condominiums and townhomes on two acres of vacant land off Lakeside Drive. This was the first green light developers needed for the phase one site plans, which detail the size, design and building materials for the three structures that will be constructed first for this project.

Next, the plans will be sent to the East Grand Rapids City Commission for another public hearing and a final vote. City Manager Shea Charles said there is no date yet for when the project site plans will go before the city commission.

The planning commission voiced support for the designs and building materials being used in phase one, while recommending that the city commission approve the site plans. The full project, being led by developer Gaslight Investors, plans to build a total of six residential and commercial buildings on an 8.6-acre site encompassing 2255 Wealthy St. SE and 515 Lakeside Drive SE.

The project has been met with mixed reactions from the East Grand Rapids community. A resident group is currently suing the city over its approval of the concept plan from last fall. However, city attorneys say the legal challenge doesn’t stop the developer from seeking city approval on the project.

The first phase of the project is solely residential and includes the construction of three new buildings at 515 Lakeside Drive SE.

Developers made several minor tweaks to the site plans since first presenting them to the planning commission in May. Those changes included adding more lighting near the intersection of Shopping Center Road, which resulted in the removal of one parking space.

Even with the removal of the parking space, city planners say the entire development will still have sufficient parking to meet demand, with a total of 491 spaces planned.

A pedestrian pathway on the northeast corner of the site was also rerouted to connect to an existing marked crossway on Lakeside Drive for pedestrian safety.

The 40 residential units in phase one will include six one-bedroom units, 31 two-bedroom units and three three-bedroom units. None of the proposed retail or parking structures are being proposed in this phase of development.

A construction timeline has not been laid out for the project yet, but developers say the plan is to begin to proceed with construction as soon as the final site plans are approved.

Here’s a brief overview of the three residential buildings planned in phase one:

• Building F is a four-story structure with 24 residential units and 24 parking spaces on the ground floor of the building. Developers said these units could be condominiums or apartments.
• Building G is a three-story structure with seven townhomes and two garage spaces per unit, resulting in 14 parking spaces.
• Building H is a three-story structure with nine condominiums and two garage spaces per unit, resulting in 18 parking spaces.

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/...gets-green-light-from-city-planners.html

[DetroitMan]

Now that the cap on the transformational brownfield program has been doubled. Developers across the state are going to be submitting their plans to get access to this money. One of these developers, Joseph Elias, is proposing a 20-story residential tower on the Grand River north of Downtown Grand Rapids. He plans to submit his application in the next two months.

Developer Joseph Elias, managing partner of Grand City Capital who is behind the project at 260 and 282 Leonard St. NW along the Grand River in Grand Rapids, aims to file his transformational brownfield plan application in the next two months.

Elias told Crain’s in May that the project, which is significantly expanded from an earlier vision, was on ice until the transformational brownfield program was expanded.

“There is a massive structural shortage of housing in the Grand Rapids area that we’re trying to solve for, and help employers attract and hire talent,” Elias said. “There is a lot going on along the riverfront, so it just makes sense to continue to develop the area and see it thrive.”

Elias’ project could be up to 20 stories with hundreds of apartment units. Rising construction costs make the project unworkable without a transformational brownfield plan, Elias said.

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/real-e...omer_secondary_source=cgr_articleGifting