joeDowntown

We're gunning for you Detroit forumers. I predict we'll beat them in posts within 2 weeks. Joe

Anyone notice we are quickly catching up to the Detroit forum in number of posts? Go Best Coast go. I remember when it was just Allan and I and I decided to post anything and everything just hoping others would show up. I'm getting choked up... Joe

Anyone who starts a fourth restaurant there is a glutton for punishment. What is the scoop on the Post Bar? I drove by one in Novi this weekend and it looked pretty nice. Is it now Woody's Lounge? GRDad, any progress shots on the building? Terra Firma, any new happenings with your Anheiser Busch building across the street? Joe

Indeed, that is a nice one! Although you can't really "pick up" anything on Morris for cheap I have my hands full with two houses as is (one to sell, one to renovate). I'd explode with a third... Joe

I also heard P.F. Chang's is looking for a location in Grand Rapids (I heard this from company sources).

Has anyone tried Olive in EGR? It just opened. Heard it was good. They *ALMOST* did a good job renovating that building but they forgot the top half. Speaking of Olives, I also like Olive Expess downtown. If you haven't tried it yet they have great food. Cheap too! Joe

That is cool. I think the area between Pearl and Fulton would be a prime attraction for something cool. Fountain show, laser lights, fire (like described). Something that would draw people to the banks in the summer. I have thought for a long time that they could do some cool stuff to draw people to the river (How about a REAL bandshell in front of the Gerald R. Ford Museum, with REAL concerts). Hopefully the new Marriott will showcase the river and not turn its back on it. Joe

I heard full steam ahead (if you are talking about the DeVos-Christman development). I am sure that it is going to be like dominoes though. With all the construction on the hill they can only work on so many projects at one time. Maybe they can turn the city centre ramp into a staging area for all the development? Oh wait, they already turned Tol down when he attempted it. Joe

They did. And I guess they use a certain type of exotic wood that is backordered for a long time. That is why the boardwalk is closed. That is a shame about Canal Street park. I worked in the Brass Works Building when they were redoing that area, and that was not too long ago! Joe

I read that the Grand used to shrink its banks by 20-30 feet each summer. Part of the reason the dams went up. The Kirby Grill looks great. Did you know it used to be taller? I remember reading that they chopped off the top story at some point. Very odd. I am interested to see what the 2 new condominium buildings look like. Downtown Grand Haven is definitely hopping. Joe

I drove past the new GR Press Print Facility again Yesterday and it has to be one of the most gawd awful buildings in town. I guess the GRPress has a knack for buildings that will look like total sh*t within 3-5 years... Yuck! Joe

It's actually pretty nice looking. Of course, the scan sucks. Sorry: Joe

Right, so how could a 4 story, 4800 car ramp cost the same as a 10 story, 11,000 car ramp?! It can't be because of the skywalks and elevators. Read what the Detroit ramp has: I'd dare say that construction costs in Detroit are even higher than Grand Rapids because of the strength of union workers. Maybe the person calculating this pushed the wrong number on his 10-key. Joe

That is what I was thinking. Must be all of that batman titanium plating. I actually laughed when I read the price. Wow! MetroKid, you got the scoop on this one? I know you are part of some planning commission with the airport. Joe

Airport officials are considering applying the brakes to a new parking ramp after its $60 million price tag as much as doubled. http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ss...14235257940.xml Is this parking ramp lined with gold? To be surprised by a $120 million parking ramp seems like an understatement. It is obvious that GRR needs more parking but I don't understand how rising construction costs and a couple of skywalks (with elevators) could inflate the numbers that much. It seems like they may need a third opinion on this one. Alticor is building a 700 space ramp for $11 million. Multiply that by ten and they'd get 7000 spaces (instead of 4800) and save $10 million. Somebody get the DeVos' on the horn Joe

Here is the original model with Phase I & II. It was supposed to have the effect of a cascading waterfall. I always thought Phase I looked incomplete. I hope they keep Phase II Intact. Update: This is from Wood TV 8. It looks like the original plan is intact. http://video.woodtv.com/index.php?video_id=664 Joe

Wood TV just said they'd have David VanAndel on tomorrow to announce Phase II construction of the VAI. This is great. If they go with the original concept, it will be a signature building. Phase II was actually much more impressive aesthetically. Joe

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