Sparty97

Any movement on this project? Seemed to have a lot of attention for a while and then... crickets.

Any word on the Brazilian steakhouse that was originally planned/announced? I've not seen much about it recently.

We had an office on the second floor off Brassworks when it first opened after renovations (around 2000) and it was basically us and Founders. It was my first exposure to craft beer. I remember how vacant Founders was during the day and how they struggled with a lot of different lunch ideas. I was worried they weren't going to make it. Shows what I know...

When they first sold this to the community, this was THE East coast facility. Then shortly afterwards, they agreed to build a SuperNap data center near Atlanta (The Keep). That is around the time the investment into Grand Rapids went dry. Now GR is listed as their NE campus and Atlanta their SE campus. I'm hoping that they will return to their initial plans to build out the other buildings on the Pyramid campus.

Speaking of backed up traffic and traffic lights. In the last 2 moths or so, I've noticed that Knapp street get backed up 1 to 2 miles most evenings now (10-15 minutes to go 1-2 miles). This is Eastbound traffic backing up from the Grand River Drive intersection. From a glance, while driving through the intersection, Northbound Grand River drive is backed up a small bit but nothing like the Knapp traffic. Once you get through the traffic light, it is smooth sailing. I don't know if this is an issue with the increased traffic on Knapp or if some sort of traffic light timing has changed. I do know that it has almost come out of nowhere. It would be frustrating that after all the construction last year, we find out that they should have done 4 or 5 lanes instead of 3.

This is cool. Where did you find this? Are there more?

Floyd, I've wondered the same thing. From aerial views it appears that most of these structures have stairs going up to an invisible parking deck. It seems like they were built with the idea of at least one more level.

I get what you are saying. If there are a spots available every day, why isn't the city leasing out more monthly passes for these ramps? The number of visitors for these ramps seem to be quite a bit less than planned but the daily workers downtown can't find a spot without having to pay $20 a day.

That is a lot of parking spots. I guess I didn't fully appreciate how many people will be working there. I was picturing a warehouse with a lot of automation and robots running around. Must be a lot more manual process than I was imagining.

The rum industry, and Tiki in general, is really growing at a fast clip. This is going to be a success. This really seems like a labor of love from Mark Sellers and with all the big name partners he is bringing aboard for this project, it is looks like it is going to be awesome! I could totally see the wife and I booking one of the Airbnb's some weekend for a date night(s). That would be a lot more fun than just a normal hotel.

Another Ritz Koney fan (mug club member at one point in time). I used to grab lunch there once a week and then did some MSU alumni watch parties there. Will definitely check out Leo's Coney once it is up and running.

I also spoke with friends that went to the soft opening and the feedback was mixed. Some people loved it (Burger and fries) while others complained about raw food (bacon, burger...). I'm betting they get the wrinkles ironed out. I think the roof top patio might help draw some people there in the summer. One thing they all agreed upon, the parking is a pain. Like 7 Monks, they don't have their own parking lot (unlike Dukes, Bob's or Birch Lodge). So, you need to hoof it a block or two. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Having 4 other bars (Duke's, Bob's, Birch Lodge, 7 Monks) within 100 yards of the Friesian either will help to make the block a destination for people (ie. Ionia) or they will all fight over the locals that can walk there.

We have flown Allegiant and Frontier several times directly to Florida. The last time, we had a tight window in order to catch a cruise. Of course, we had to pick the same days as the Polar Vortex and there were threats of canceling flights. This is where I started to second guess the discount flights... luckily, our plane was only delayed and we got there in plenty of time. Otherwise, we were looking at paying 5x as much for a last minute flight to replace it.

Had to search to find the associated article. Is there where you grabbed the picture?? https://mibiz.com/sections/real-estate-development/rdv-corp-reveals-plans-for-new-downtown-grand-rapids-headquarters RDV Corp. reveals plans for new downtown Grand Rapids headquarters By Sydney Smith GRAND RAPIDS — RDV Corp. is planning a transformation of a former Fifth Third Bank building in downtown Grand Rapids where it announced in December it would move its headquarters. Plans for the new DeVos family office at 200 Monroe Ave. NW show a new main entrance onto Monroe Avenue and updated exterior. Construction on the 100,000-square-foot office building is slated to begin in June, and site preparation and interior demolition is underway. RDV Corp., Ottawa Avenue Private Capital and the DeVos family foundations will be based in the facility. Currently, RDV Corp. and the family foundations are spread throughout downtown Grand Rapids in buildings owned by the family office at 126 Ottawa, 116 Ottawa and 98 Ottawa. The current concrete facade and dark tinted windows will be replaced with a modern design. A preliminary rendering also shows an extension added to the south of the building and an additional floor atop the building’s five stories. Built in 1967 by the Michigan Consolidated Gas Company, the building was last occupied by Fifth Third Bank. It was built as part of Vandenberg Center, a federal urban renewal project in the 1960s that also led to the construction of the nearby Vandenberg (Calder) Plaza and various government buildings. Grand Rapids-based Rockford Construction Co. Inc. is the general contractor for the project and AMDG Architects Inc. is the architectural firm. Chicago-based Eastlake Studio is the interior design agency. MiBiz real estate & development news coverage is supported by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, offering comprehensive suite of programs and services to support your company needs for continued growth. Visit michiganbusiness.org/pure-partnership for information.

I never knew about the basketball court. I worked for a company that was one of the initial tenants (2nd floor). I'm sure there were other offices, but I only remember us and Founders (I was in my early twenties and loved beer...).

So, nobody is moving into town. Just a local company potentially moving to a new building. Not a whole lot of "new jobs" in this scenario.

When I think a professional firm, I think consulting, law firms, etc. 670 people for a professional services firm headquarters is pretty large. Top 10 for those industries is pretty large. Most professional services are pretty disbursed to branch/regional offices. Whoever it is, they probably already have an existing presence.

People in Ionia County are both. I grew up in Portland (Eastern Ionia County) and many families have people working in both Grand Rapids and Lansing. My dad is a good example. He worked in Lansing for around 20 years and then spent the next 25+ working in Grand Rapids. As a kid, we watched WOOD TV8 and got most of our news from there. People who grew up in Western Ionia County (Lowell, Saranac, Ionia, Lake Odessa, etc.) all probably consider themselves West Michigan. They are closer to GR and the shopping/employment options dwarf that of Lansing.

Apparently, the Forest Hills Foods nugget wasn't a huge secret (I just found it a few minutes ago..). Their Facebook page has been up for a couple of days. Here is a drawing of the layout.

The rumor has been Forest Hills Foods.

As a Gen X'er, I've got a while until I retire but I can already see the draw of spending the winters down in Florida. I've noodled with the idea of buying a condo down there near a beach, using it for vacations and then renting it out until we are ready (15-20 years from now). The biggest fear is the real estate bubble bursting or betting on an area of the state that becomes less appealing in 20 years.

IGNORE: Answered my own question..

The average home list price is $280k? I don't work in the industry, but that seems higher than I expected.

Well, that didn't last long. Kingmas, Fish Lads, Rowsters, etc. in Ada are closing. https://mibiz.com/sections/real-estate-development/kingma-s-market-to-close-ada-store-18-months-after-opening

Just to pile on. If you put the IKEA out by the airport or 28th Street, I think it would be a slam dunk. You could then also include MSU/Lansing in those numbers. East Lansing to the Canton IKEA is around 1 hour and 20 minutes. East Lansing to Kentwood would be a little over an hour. Lansing is even a bit closer than EL. Add in all the towns between Lansing and Grand Rapids, and I think the IKEA would get enough traffic.