GRAND RAPIDS | Development Thread

[Michi]

Area manufacturer invests $300K, moves national HQ downtown

The Arena Station building at 25 Ottawa SW is the new national headquarters of Cole’s Quality Foods, a manufacturer that has been on the Grand Rapids business scene for 64 years. Cole’s consolidated their Grand Rapids and Muskegon offices in December after opening a manufacturing and distribution center in Iowa City, IA.

“Everybody’s excited about the move,” said Chairman of the Board Scott Devon. “There was an immediate good feel to everybody’s work environment, and it’s very spacious. Space and light are two key factors we tried to maintain.”

With almost 15,000 square feet of open loft office space, Devon estimates the total buildout will approach $1 million. However, Cole’s only had to invest $300,000 to make the fourth floor space their own.

“Steelcase Design Group was in here prior to us,” Devon said, “so the conference rooms were all set. Most of the work was already done. We added eight executive offices to what was here.”



A lounge area with comfortable seating and a flat screen television provides space to entertain clients; then it’s just a short jaunt via skywalk to a concert or show at the Van Andel Arena.

An employee-run self-serve barista station with specialty coffees, a reception area, and a new employee break room round out the additions.

Devon cites plenty of restaurant choices and the vitality of the city as features Cole’s 28 employees find enticing about being downtown.

“We’re very happy to be part of the city,” Devon added. “It has so much to offer as a workplace for our employees. We’re looking forward to summer when we can get out and walk around downtown.”

...and that's how it's suppose to be!

[Michi]

GR's tallest tower crane yet now rising at River House site

A special setup crew from Texas will spend this week building the first 224 feet of a Pecco SK 355-25 tower crane. At its full height of 468 feet, the Pecco will be the tallest crane ever to anchor into Grand Rapids bedrock.

Barring more below-freezing weather or a blizzard, the crew and a 365 ton Liebherr mobile crane with a hook reach of 280 feet will have the first phase of the Pecco completed by Friday.

Sometime in late August, construction will reach the 13th floor. That's when the Pecco will “make a jump” to 350 feet tall.

“It can’t free stand that high,” said Matt Larsen, project manager for Wolverine Construction, the construction company leading the project. “First, we tie it back into the structure of the building at the 13th floor, then jump it to the 350-foot height. We tie it in again at the 24th floor sometime in January 2008, and jump it to its full height of 468 feet.”

Although the Pecco needs the mobile crane to get it to its initial height of 224 feet, Larsen said that from that point on it can “build itself.” It’ll pick up each 20-foot section, set it in place, and lift its climbing structure to the height needed.

The Pecco is attached to a concrete pad that is anchored into the bedrock 20 feet below ground. The crane is assembled in 20-foot sections. A jib, a cab, and a counter jib will also be set in place atop the crane. The last piece of the initial assembly will be a boom that has 200 feet of horizontal hook reach.

At the farthest end of the boom, the Pecco will be able to lift 11,000 pounds. The load capacity increases as the boom works closer to the crane tower, maxing out at 27,600 pounds, or 11 Ford F-450 pickups.

Robert Grooters is the developer of the project. Brian Winkelmann of DTS + Winkelmann is the architect.

Source: Matt Larsen, Wolverine Construction; Dan Wert, Robert Grooters Development Company


flickr: grdadof3

[CALMSP]

i just wish that the initial ICON on BOND would have gone through with dual 24 story buildings. that would have been great. the only problem with downtown is its lack of shopping and restaurants. we built this huge convention center, but nothing supports it on the outside, no shops, not that much eating options either.

[Dr. Taco]

Originally Posted by LMich

This picture is unbelievable. It almost looks like a painting or something. I went to college in GR for a year.5 and I was and still am very proud of her. I hope the new children's hospital gets built most of all

[LMich]

It's been under construction for months, now.

[twomutts]

Has anyone tried doing a rendering of what the city is going to look like with all the new developments? I couldn't believe how different the city looks at night when we went back to GR a month or so ago. I'm really having a hard time envisioning how the spire on the pedestrian bridge will affect the skyline, but it seems like it definitely will!

[CALMSP]

its too bad the proposed 25 Ottawa or Lyon can't remember.......wasn't built. The top of that building was going to render the Chrysler Building in NYC...that would have been a great skyscraper in GR

[Kenneth]

I never thought Grand Rapids would become as popular as it is today. I noticed it about 3 months ago when I was watching the Weather Channel. Ive been there a few times. The downtown has a lot of potential.

[CALMSP]

i haven't been home in almost a full year, anyone have any new pics of the skyline??

[CALMSP]

great video of the heli-pad being tested on the new JW Marriott

http://www.wzzm13.com/video/player.a...1&bw=hi&cat=14

[CALMSP]

does anyone have any updated pics of the skyline?? particularly the riverhouse project

[Michi]

PDF Map of Streetcar Route:
http://www.ridetherapid.org/fileDisplay/?fileId=153

ARTICLE:
Transit agency launches website touting streetcar potential
By: Deborah Johnson Wood

The results are many months off, but the streetcar feasibility study launched by The Rapid is well underway. To help residents understand the far-reaching benefits that could accrue to Grand Rapids given a serious investment in the modern public transportation infrastructure, the regional transit agency recently launched an information page on its web site this week.

The study will determine a number of factors, including the location and length of the initial route of the streetcar system, ridership potential, construction cost, funding, how fast it could be built, and the kind of economic development it might generate.

“In the past, Grand Rapids had a well developed streetcar the system that built up Eastown and Cheshire and East Grand Rapids around Ramona Park,” says Peter Varga, CEO of The Rapid, “and that is exactly what it can do to re-stimulate the neighborhood business and residential aspects now.”

Transit leaders suggest the initial alignment could be a 3.2-mile loop from Newberry Street south along Monroe to The Rapid central station. That proposed route is expected to be approved as the top priority this week by a task force overseeing the project.

“It’s an extension of pedestrian activity,” Varga says. “It will also create a new nucleus of riders outside the core that will travel into the core. That’s a key component.”

Streetcar systems don’t come cheap, running from $12 to $15 million per mile to build, but the return on the expenditure is typically 10 to 20 times that as the new transit infrastructure stimulates private investment along and near the route. That's based on the experience of several U.S. cities that have invested in urban trolley systems.

The modern streetcar system has had phenomenal success in Portland, OR, for instance. The initial cost of building the first leg of the city's streetcar system approached $57 million. But the ROI in the first four years alone was some $2.39 billion in residential and commercial development.

Grand Rapids' streetcar project is following the Portland model. Projected costs will be known when the study is completed in June 2008.

Source: www.rapidgrowthmedia.com & Peter Varga, The Rapid

http://rapidgrowthmedia.com/developm...trtcr1220.aspx

The RAPID Transit Streetcar Page:
http://www.ridetherapid.org/about/streetcarstudy/

Grand Rapids is using the Portland model as the one they will focus on to make transit a reality here.

[CALMSP]

forget streetcars..............build a "L"

[Michi]

Yah royt!

[CALMSP]

saw this when I was back home in GR for New Years............

http://www.240-ionia.com/index.html

This is really the only spot that downtown can expand......to the south.

[DetroitSky]

Some development shots from September

JW Marriott


The Fitzgerald construction



Anyone know what this development is?


And the skyline shot people have been asking for...

[CALMSP]

To answer your questions..........that is Waterworks. Been there for a number of years. (4+)

[Exodus]

Originally Posted by dtsd

So you’re saying that cities such as Allegan, Grand Haven, Muskegon and Holland, a couple of which even have their own defined MSAs, are not distinct cities, but are just suburbs of GR?

I think it’s fair to say these cities do have a strong relationship (economic and otherwise) being in close proximity, and thus it makes sense to combine them into a Combined Statistical Area, but to say it’s one continuous metropolitan area is a bit of a stretch.

I can’t speak to the criteria, just to what I know from living there. For example, go to the hybrid-satellite view on Google maps, and look at the urbanized (gray) areas of each of those cities. You’ll notice they’re bordered with very large rural areas (green) that separate them from Grand Rapids and its suburbs. Contrast that against Detroit or Chicago where the urban areas are uninterrupted.

Monroe is considered part of Detroits csa for example. So why couldn't Grand Haven for example be part of the Grand Rapids csa ?

[robk1982]

[CALMSP]

new 11 story tower to begin ground breaking this afternoon..........

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8202612