As a GVSU alum, a professional planner, and as someone who has taken the bus before, it'a a relatively short bus ride from the Allendale campus to DT GR. If you've ever driven Lake Michigan Drive during the week during school time, the bus stops are quite busy between DT and Allendale. Why do you think there has been such growth along LMD?
Plus, there has been significant multi-family residential growth in Allendale Townhip that is creating a real "off-campus" feel that the Allendale campus never had previoulsy, a la Western or Central.
I will grant you that the main Allendale campus does not have the historic downtown atmostphere, but the many other amenities that it offers are really starting to make it stand out from Western, Central, and Eastern.
And in closing, let me state that I also attended Wayne State University for my graduate degree, so I am well aware of the many pluses that Metro Detroit has to offer.