WEST MICHIGAN | General Developments - Page 19

DetroitMan · #1 Posted **Jul 25, 2023, 11:57 PM**

West Michigan aquarium could drive billions into economy, draw visitors nationally, study finds

Quote:

That’s according to a recently completed feasibility study conducted by Canopy Strategic Partners in coordination with Grand Rapids-based John Ball Zoo, Kent County and the city of Muskegon.

The study sought to determine whether a large-scale aquarium would be economically viable in West Michigan, and whether it should be located in the city of Muskegon or somewhere in Kent County. While the new study from Canopy Strategic Partners remains unreleased, John Ball CEO Peter D’Arienzo discussed some of the higher-level findings in an interview with Crain’s Grand Rapids Business. The partners plan to release the full report publicly in a matter of weeks, he said.

“A good takeaway is the aquarium is absolutely viable, meaning the operating model and market study says it will bring enough people to the state of Michigan that it’s a viable product. We just have to figure out the exact location,” D’Arienzo said. “The model (in the study) is showing more than half the attendance of the aquarium would be coming from outside the state of Michigan, and the reason why that’s so important is that is what drives net economic impact. We’re talking in the billions for economic impact in a 10-year period.”

Partners have yet to select a site for the aquarium, as planning discussions are ongoing and “still at the 50,000-foot level,” said Kent County Administrator Al Vanderberg. If the project ends up coming to fruition in Kent County or Grand Rapids, it would be another large-scale cultural asset that makes the area a destination and serves as an economic driver, Vanderberg said.

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/ne...y-study-finds/

deja vu · #2 Posted **Jul 26, 2023, 1:07 AM**

It seems like if it went anywhere, it would have to be somewhere in or around Grand Rapids. There's nowhere else in West Michigan that seems like it would feasibly work.

deja vu · #3 Posted **Aug 28, 2023, 6:15 PM**

^ Great to see Zeeland building up its downtown.

How long until they just rename Benton Harbor "Whirlpoolville"? Or maybe "Maytag, Michigan"? That has a nice ring to it.

Below article is paywalled, but you get the renderings for free -

Quote:

Whirlpool unveils $60M ‘state-of-the-art’ Michigan tech center
Aya Miller | MLive
August 18, 2023

Source: MLive | Aya Miller

Velvet_Highground · #4 Posted **Sep 4, 2023, 8:19 PM**

Hah it’s only a matter time at this point. Though I got to say Maytag Michigan does flow off the tongue.

I’m a little late posting the fest itself but the idea behind it is pretty cool. Planting a Giant Sequoia will offset your carbon footprint for life according to the event organizers. The Great Lakes create unique micro climates in West Michigan that have proven to be very hospitable to the Giant Sequoia. There is a grove in Ludington at the Lake Bluff Arboretum. The climate zone preference for the Giant Sequoia is 6-9 but the moderating effect of summer heat that Lake Michigan has on summer heat and humidity in West Michigan perhaps helps to prevent root rot & fungus. Arboretums in Connecticut & Rhode Island have dealt with such issues as heat and humidity travel up the eastern seaboard in summer. I would imagine that the 6b climate zone in SE MI would face similar challenges to long term growth as in southern New England as Erie & St Clair are smaller and shallow they reach up to 80 degrees in SE MI, not tremendously helpful water temperature to moderate a heatwave.

Shiba Fest

https://treevitalize.com/planting-zones-michigan/

deja vu · #5 Posted **Sep 8, 2023, 9:02 PM**

^ That's pretty cool.

Wayland -

The Gun Lake Casino hotel tower is becoming quite visible from the highway as it begins to rise. Photo taken by me yesterday, while flying by -

deja vu · #6 Posted **Sep 9, 2023, 2:14 PM**

A different (better) view, from the construction feed last evening, just as the clouds broke and right before the sunset -

Source: OxBlue

deja vu · #7 Posted **Sep 24, 2023, 4:09 PM**

The Windward Pointe development plans have been moving slower than a herd of snails through peanut butter. I understand there was a pandemic. But it's been over 5 years since the initial design charrettes. And the property owners are just now announcing they might have a developer on board, with hopes to begin next spring. I'm very skeptical that this will come to fruition at the fully envisioned scale.

deja vu · #8 Posted **Sep 26, 2023, 12:58 AM**

Marshall -

Woah! You think the UAW strike is a factor in this?

Quote:

Ford 'pausing' construction of Marshall EV battery plant
Beth LeBlanc, Craig Mauger, and Chad Livengood | The Detroit News
September 25, 2023

deja vu · #9 Posted **Oct 26, 2023, 3:03 PM**

Muskegon -

Quote:

Grant boosts efforts to restore Muskegon's historic Torrent House to 'former glory'
Shandra Martinez | The Lakeshore
October 23, 2023

Source: The Lakeshore (GMED)

deja vu · #10 Posted **Nov 12, 2023, 6:52 PM**

Wayland -

Time for a 2-month check-in on progress at the Gun Lake Casino Phase 5 expansion. It looks like the tower is about 1/3 of the way from being topped-out -

Source: OxBlue

deja vu · #11 Posted **Dec 14, 2023, 12:32 PM**

Muskegon -

Muskegon Museum of Art expansion progress -

Source: LinkedIn | Muskegon Museum of Art

deja vu · #12 Posted **Dec 14, 2023, 12:48 PM**

Wayland -

Gun Lake Casino Phase 5 - The Aqua Dome ring beam structure is taking shape, with tri-chord trusses for the atrium reportedly being set this week. It's worth taking a peak at the construction camera to see the progress - the tower core looks to be almost topped-out -

https://app.oxblue.com/open/gunlakecasino/glcphase5

Source: LinkedIn | Eric Tironi

DetroitMan · #13 Posted **Dec 15, 2023, 8:03 AM**

They're making great progress on the casino expansion. It will be interesting to see how that area develops over the next 20 years. Yesterday, two companies announced 300 new jobs and nearly $49 million in investments are coming to Holland.

Automotive company plans 163 new jobs, $7.9M investment in West Michigan

Quote:

A company that remanufacturers electric batteries and other products for the auto industry is planning a $7.9 million investment and up to 163 new jobs at a new plant on Waverly Road in Holland.

ATC Drivetrain was awarded a $2 million, performance-based grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund this week as part of the state’s efforts to incentivize the company to expand in West Michigan as opposed to Tennessee. The Michigan Strategic Fund is the public funding arm of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).

“We’re really excited about this, this project and look forward to working with you in the future to expand our business and develop new opportunities,” George Kostopoulos, the company’s vice president of global sales and marketing, told the Michigan Strategic Fund board on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

ATC Drivetrain is headquartered in Farmington Hills, and has locations in Tennessee and Oklahoma as well as the United Kingdom, China and Germany.

Kostopoulos said the company is 83-years-old and was founded with the mission of remanufacturing parts for the auto industry. Recently, it has expanded into providing those services for electric vehicle batteries. The company has 23 employees in Farmington Hills, and 1,700 workers internationally.

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

German medical company plans $41M investment, 180 jobs in Holland

Quote:

A German medical device company has been awarded a $1.8 million state grant and a five-year tax cut valued at $237,840 for a plant it plans to open in Holland.

The funds were awarded this week to HG Medical USA by the Michigan Strategic Fund, the public funding arm of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). The MEDC says HG Medical is considering opening a location in Holland that would create 180 jobs within five years and make a $41 million investment at its site. The company’s Holland location would be at the former Johnson Controls building, 3312 Lousma Dr. SE.
Hg Medical makes orthopedic implants for bone surgery. Its parent company is German-based hg medical GmBh. The company’s established its U.S. presence in 2015, when it opened a location in Huntington, West Virginia.

The 180 jobs would have an average wage of $21.59 per hour plus benefits. Construction on the plant is expected to start in June, according to the MEDC.

“All the due diligence we’ve done tells us that Holland, West Michigan has the workforce we need to build this business,” HG Medical CEO Craig Bluett told the Michigan Strategic Fund board this week.

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

deja vu · #14 Posted **Feb 26, 2024, 6:55 PM**

^ I'll be near Whitehall & Muskegon for spring break in a few weeks. Maybe I'll try and check out some of the development progress in both locales -

Wayland -

The Aqua Dome portion of the phase 5 Gun Lake Casino expansion topped-out on Feb. 22, 2024. The dome is 90 ft. high and comprises 2,200 pieces of steel. Glazing activities will commence on the dome soon, with 800 unique panes of glass -

Source: LinkedIn | Eric Tironi

Source: LinkedIn | Douglas Steel Fabricating Corporation

Velvet_Highground · #15 Posted **Mar 1, 2024, 5:20 PM**

Work continues at Adelaide Point development on the site of the former Michigan Steel foundry. Great to see this waterfront development progressing Muskegon has a potential stellar waterfront. Redeveloping old industrial sites while maintaining pedestrian and bike access is a great way to improve the community while keeping residents engaged with their waterfront.

It’s really cool that Muskegon has a couple WW2 museum ships as part of its waterfront park space, USS Silversides a Gato Class submarine is one of the most famous ships of the US WW2 submarine fleet. There’s also a LST (landing ship transport) docked along the waterfront though this one is in downtown as opposed to Silversides which is across from the state park in the channel.

Muskegon still has a ways to go with rolling back mid century urban renewal & the lack of access Lake Shore Drive causes between the waterfront & downtown. That is on top of the downtown interchange cutting off the west end of the city from the center.

Still I’ve been very impressed with how far the city has come in the past 10 years Muskegon State Park is one of my favorites having a quality urban center to attract visitors into spending time & money downtown. Nothing wrong with camping I love my stays at Muskegon State Park yet it’s great to see the city creating opportunities for people to engage more with the city itself as well as attracting potential new residents.

Quote:

Muskegon Lake development ‘game changer’ for Michigan’s mass timber future

There’s mass timber swinging at the development on Muskegon Lake, marking a major step forward in sustainable construction.

Adelaide Pointe, a $250 million mixed-use development and marina planned for the waterfront, committed to using mass timber on three of its major projects — a first in Michigan construction.

Mass timber is a wood construction product comprised of multiple solid wood panels nailed or glued together.

In addition to strength and stability, mass timber has been hailed as a carbon-negative construction option. This is because in addition to not using typical construction methods like concrete and steel, wood’s natural ability to capture carbon can amount to millions of miles not driven or pounds of coal not burned.

Michigan State University researchers believe the state’s manufacturing expertise and natural resources could make it a leader in a new, sustainable construction industry. But first they need an archetype.

Enter Adelaide Pointe and developers Ryan and Emily Leetsma.

“When I started my job, I thought okay, Ann Arbor will build some mass timber buildings. Maybe some in Detroit. When the first call I got was from Muskegon, I was like, ‘this is pretty cool,’” said Sandra Lupien, Director of MassTimber@MSU.

https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/...outputType=amp

Development Plan

https://adelaidepointe.com/development-plan/

Renderings

https://www.wgvunews.org/news/2022-0...another-hurdle

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/9...57285696_zpid/

deja vu · #16 Posted **Mar 18, 2024, 7:31 PM**

I spent some time last week in the Whitehall area. I took hundreds of photos around Whitehall and Montague. Maybe I'll get around to posting some more photos from the area, later on. But for now, here are just a few progress photos of Harwood Flats - it is humming along. You can see how it will really have a big impact on the feel of downtown Whitehall, especially when approaching from Montague, across the bridge. It is a big project for this small town.

Velvet_Highground · #17 Posted **Mar 19, 2024, 8:53 PM**

Thanks for the update, looks like it’s going to be a hell of a good time in summer. I had Muskegon on my mind the other day and was looking at some real estate 215k for a duplex and a 3 bedroom single family home for sale not far from downtown. The place needed some modernization the kitchen decor was stuck in the 70’s but the air and electricity looked to be in tip top shape. That would be the life snag that property live in the home rent out the duplex and have a nice cash stream coming in to start a dream project.

deja vu · #18 Posted **Mar 20, 2024, 3:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Velvet_Highground

Thanks for the update, looks like it’s going to be a hell of a good time in summer. I had Muskegon on my mind the other day and was looking at some real estate 215k for a duplex and a 3 bedroom single family home for sale not far from downtown. The place needed some modernization the kitchen decor was stuck in the 70’s but the air and electricity looked to be in tip top shape. That would be the life snag that property live in the home rent out the duplex and have a nice cash stream coming in to start a dream project.

There has probably never been a better time to invest in real estate in Muskegon. As infrastructure continues to improve, it is only going to become hotter / more desirable as a year-round destination and as a place to "put down roots".

deja vu · #19 Posted **Mar 20, 2024, 7:25 PM**

Some more pictures from Whitehall. I drove around this residential development - Tannery Bay - being built by Eastbrook Homes. It includes a mix of condos, single family detached homes, and townhomes along the edge of Whitehall Lake, on a former industrial site. It was a very active construction site, and several of the units from earlier phases are already occupied. Pretty predictable stuff, finishes-wise. The density was pretty good though, and they are clearly drawing upon some new-urbanist ideals, including sidewalks (in some spots), on-street parking, and front porches that share car-free open green space.

deja vu · #20 Posted **Mar 27, 2024, 8:06 PM**

Muskegon -

Well, I totally missed that this was happening. The former National Lumberman’s Bank building (at 221 W. Webster Ave.) is being converted into a multi-use venue that will serve downtown and include a restaurant collective, boutique shops, and leasable tenant spaces (including some co-working space). The tower most-recently housed a Huntington Bank branch, which closed a decade ago. Also, fun fact: according to the article, apparently this modest little tower was the first building in the entire state of Michigan to have a rooftop heliport -

Quote:

See inside Muskegon food hall being built in historic bank building
Cory Morse | MLive
March 27, 2024

Video update of construction progress, from March 11, 2024. They appear to be pretty far along -

• Video Link

Credit for all photos below, taken by Corey Morse (MLive) on March 11, 2024. There are more photos at the article link -

Source: Corey Morse | MLive