discgrab21

Seems like if they don't want to make it a dedicated exit lane, they could flex it like on US-23 north of Ann Arbor. I have driven that stretch several times, both when the flex lane is open and closed, it makes a huge difference for traffic. It couldn't be very expensive to do that for the approximate 1 mile between the lane ave exit and the 131 interchange.

That' a pretty good guess. Looks like they are doing site prep work for plaza towers which started construction in September 1988. Its amazing how tall 12-stories looks in this photo (99 Monroe). Also cool to see the RR tracks on the not-so-blue bridge.

Milwaukee utilizes metering for its exrpessway on ramps. Is that something that would help with rush-hour congestion, or are we still just dealing with too much volume with too few lanes? Anybody know how expensive it is to install and operate meter systems?

Amazon announced today that it's new minimum wage for US Workers will be $15/hr. According to Indeed, the average warehouse worker in GR earns $12.18 /hr. Gotta think with such short labor supply, this will put pressure on other employers to compete and drive up wages.

Hideout Brewery is for sale. Always seemed to be in a challenging location to me, and competition is obviously fierce, especially with Hopcat and Creston being close by. I liked their beers okay. I really liked the beer garden https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/the-hideout-brewing-company-for-sale-in-gr/1474962574

The end of an era

That's it! I remember that place too. Used to ride up the beltline from the SE Side north of the river nearly every day all summer every summer as a kid growing up. It held on for a bit after Meijer went in. I remember they kept horses right there too. Anyway, I am nearly certain, but could be mistaken, that the Flower's of the Fields was one of the first spots to get developed post the "new" meijer, and that carwash is what went in. Reflecting back, that area sure has developed in fits and starts. I guess that's what a lost decade does to a city EDIT: Went and checked the records-- Meijer was built in '99; celebration and the car wash in '01

That's interesting, and I would not have thought that. From the AE homes I have been in that were lived in, I know they don't hold up well, and I personally don't think their designs are very attractive. I liked the looks of the mayberry homes in Rivertown Valley much better, and having gone through the models the floor plans seemed well conceived and it seemed like quality construction. But I admit, these are my own limited and lay observations--I am far from any sort of industry insider or expert. (GRDad's quote edited out of respect and courtesy)

2-2.5 years. They have been done for a while now. I just assumed that it was a matter of a labor shortage that kept them from putting up more at once. At least that something I keep hearing/reading about in the skilled trades. Granger has not done a lot of residential in general, and this may be the only SFH development that they have done. In fact, on their website, the only other residential project listed in their portfolio is a condo development in Lansing. They only built a couple of the houses on spec , so maybe the issue was marketing by Granger? When people think of building new in Grand Rapids, most probably haven't even heard of Granger or considered Mayberry outside of mid-michigan. I could see that being a sour note for Mayberry. But I hope it wasn't so that they stay on for the rest of the project, because they did a really nice job.

Mayberry was just brought on for the 37-log Phase 3. It is my understanding as well that it was their first foothold in the area, but I think it must have gone well for them. Last I went through that part of the neighborhood, there was only one unsold home, and that was being used as a model. They were building at least three houses at any given time, and they sold like crazy. I can't speak to what their arrangement was with Granger, who owns the land and is responsible for the development, so I don't know what kind of money they made to assess whether it went well, but I have to assume with how fast those houses were built and occupied, that it did go very well. It is likely they will be on board for the additional single family homes on tap for the new development.

Official groundbreaking ceremony September 27th. They have been very anxious to develop this land for a long time. I don't what their plan is for the build out as far where they are starting.

Single story flat is the label they settled on for their condo-style units. Most will be built on a slab, with some taking advantage of natural terrain to put in a walk-out basement. They are not called condos because they are not for sale and there will not be any condominium established/recorded. As for the existing neighborhood, when that development slowed way down a little more than 10-years ago, Allen Edwin did indeed build out many of the lots, though not "mainly built" by. Granger would not allow Allen Edwin to build there at all post-recession, and the Phase 3 was built out over the last 2 or so years using Mayberry exclusively. I believe those houses were more in the $300-$375k range, and of much nicer design and quality than the Allen Edwin homes (not that high of a hurdle to clear admittedly), but those 37 new houses really changed expectations of the quality of housing that should be in the neighborhood. Most of the opposition came from the Del Mar neighborhood on the west side of Wilson actually. Also, i just got word, the groundbreaking ceremony will be September 27.

New development approved in the Wyoming Panhandle. Extending the existing Rivertown Valley PUD all the way to Wislon & 56th. As the Mlive Article notes, it will add 175 SF homes, 138 Single Story Flats (intended to be marketed to empty nesters), 110 townhomes and 190 luxury apartments. They are maxing out he available density at 3.97 units per acre. There is about 3.75 acres zoned for commercial along Wilson just south of 56th. The NIMBY's fought hard and long against anything but all SF for the undeveloped land there, and they were winning that fight until the tides tarted to turn at the beginning of this year. But, the City Council misapplied a protest petition which gave Granger enough room for a non-frivolous lawsuit. Granger and the city worked together to arrive at the final ODP and settle the suit. The Plats have been approved, and work is likely to begin shortly from what I understand. I got roped into the dispute a little more than a year ago at the suggestion of my wife. The goalpost moving from the NIMBY's was quite a sight to behold. From Apartments will lower my property values (one homeowner had a notarized letter that 370 apartment units would drop her property value by up to 25%, even with 185 new single family units directly adjacent to hers); to the schools can't handle it (Grandville schools assured the city they could handle any added capacity); to too much density; and that we don't want "these people", (i.e. renters, not POC) in our neighborhood, on top of the usual trite NIMBY concerns. It became clear after a few years of trying to work with neighbors that nothing but exclusively single family homes would appease the NIMBYs, and Granger got sick of it and decided it was time to play hardball. Anyway, not the most exciting development, but an interesting personal experience for me. https://www.mlive.com/byron-center/index.ssf/2018/09/wyoming_granger_group_settle_l.html

Wow, that place looks awesome! Seems to be really well thought out and cover all of the bases. Any word yet on how pricing compares for staples compared to Meijer? Do they carry Meijer label packaged food? (I may have answered my own question, looks like Meijer branded milk in the dairy fridge)

Is the permitting idea to issue neighborhood-specific permits, or city-wide permits? When I lived in Milwaukee we had to have permits to park overnight in the city. I lived a half-block south of Brady Street, one of the main bar/commercial districts that had meter parking on the main street and free parking in the surrounding neighborhood. This was pre-uber/lyft days, and in Wisconsin your first DUI is a civil infraction, so there is little incentive to not drive. In my three years in that apartment, I can think of maybe twice that I had to park further than a block away from my front door. My overnight permit cost $55/year. It really was not a significant burden, especially because that was the neighborhood I wanted to be in. Small price to pay for walkability and vibrancy. If you don't have off-street parking, you can't expect to always be able to park at your front door.

You got that right. I was staring straight up in that same lane because the boom on the left crane spans over the s-curve

Has anybody been over to the plaza for food truck fridays? Just wondering what kind of crowds congregate there when there is actually a reason to go, and how it might compare to rosa parks cir on thursdays? Really what I'm getting at is the likelihood of realizing "if we build it, they will come"?

I don't have any specialized knowledge on the issue, but I would suspect that Lansing will always serve a need given the Capital

Right, the amenities are great giving the membership great value, especially compared to MVP as you note, but for somebody just looking for a "gym membership", it is far more expensive than the $10/month for Planet Fitness and other similar outfits.

I mean, the Hunting YMCA is right there...half a mile from the Meijer development. I guess the Y is pretty expensive compared to like a Planet Fitness, but its not like the westside is a fitness desert

Yikes! That is about as textbook a case of sexual harassment and unlawful retaliation as there is. If this was anybody but the owner, I could see this surviving, but unless he sells, I would be very surprised to see it come out the other end. It reminds me of a restaurateur when I lived in NE Wisconsin. In my opinion, he had the best restaurant in town, or at least top 3. He had a series of issues including sexual harassment, and he eventually lost everything (not necessarily directly related to the harassment).

When I saw the news pop up on my phone yesterday, my first thought was artist participation must be declining. I just ran through the numbers on Wikipedia, and sure enough, the attendance (est) has continued to climb each year, but 2017 had the lowest artist participation rate since year 1. I suspect this year will be even lower than last, which would prompt such a move.

Strange, watching that section go up, it looked like it would be just a contiguous parking deck, but looking back a few pages at the renderings, and especially the fly-through video, it's pretty obvious that you are right. Has there been news of any other tenants signing on for those lower levels of the Warner building?

Glass going up on the parking ramp.

I have been wondering about that lately. The place has been open nearly 18 months, and they haven't done a thing for the "beer garden". Definitely interested to see what they have in mind.