Raildude's dad

I'm also using a wheelchair and I don't think they can make both non-ADA compliant. I would hope the building dept would catch that, but it doesn't look like it. There's room to install a ramp although the landing is too small. Unfortunately these violations are mostly complaint based unless a plan reviewer insists on it. So which one of us is going to complain???

Hi Walker: Here's my spin on the rendering. I think you will agree with me, the street will look like Monroe between the DeVos and City Hall. Based on the shadows, the viewer is at the corner of Mt Vernon and Pearl St. looking NW. I'm not sure what the side street to the left is but it must be the same wave of the magic wand that eliminated the Pearl St exit ramp. I hope the A/E is better at estimating that the new city island at 1500 Scribner.

The whole clearance issue is BS. Wealthy St was built to go over the RR tracks that served the freight ware houses behind the buildings on the east side of Grandville Ave. and the tracks west of the old Union Station on the west side of Ionia. The tracks were there long before 131 was built. The station was a thru station for the Pennsylvania and C&O Railroads and a dead end for the New York Central Railroad. It wasn't a new issue. I found some old drawings and a report from the 30's where the discussion / analysis was whether to tunnel under the tracks or over the tracks. The tracks remained at grade until the freeway was built in the 50's.

The pond was designed to have the run off to infiltrate into the ground That caused adjacent residential wells to have elevated chloride levels The pond's ability to infiltrate has declined. During heavy or prolonged rains the pond is in danger of over flowing and flooding homes downstream in GR Township. All the contributing area of the pond is in the City of Grand Rapids so the City is paying for the pump and haul. There's a pond between Bird and the Beltline that has to be pumped and hauled when the pond can't infiltrate fast enough. There are no any storm sewers readily available to the river or a stream for either pond.The Knapp's Corner pond would need more area for infiltration. There's no quick, easy, and inexpensive solution. Under the Drain Code, the developed land will pay the cost of redesign.

I went by there about 4pm to day. They have the temporary big block base in place and 2-3 sections of tower in place. Sorry no photos. Looks like it will red:) Looking at the concept drawing, are they going to make Lafayette one was southbound?

Cecil Houghton. Somehow, his unique tax views didn't make his obituary. https://www.sleddogcentral.com/obituaries/houghton_cecil.htm

Not one of those folks depicted could give one fat rat's arze about the tracks and the Grand Rapids Press (what's a newspaper? , the existing building has been renamed). The city couldn't wait to get the Bond St spur abandoned. Pull the concrete cap off the loading dock, remove the sand fill, concrete the rails in the new walkway and get rid of all the steps. It looks nice in the rendering but in reality it will be a concrete tunnel even if painted. Pedestrians will use it as a shortcut under the freeway no more. What kind of business would proper there? Yes, I'm a pessimist about this

Seems like there would be some salvage value in 4 roof top AC units rather than just demoing them. I assume they were all working before they closed up shop there. With long lead times on everything, I would think a good working used unit would make a good repair option.

DEG Development owns it already according AccessKent. DEG is a Visser Bros. company. It was originally Atlantic Mills a discount department store before KMart etc. I heard it was used to garage Greyhound buses for a while. At one point the roof sagged and the trusses on top were installed to restore the structural integrity of the interior trusses.

My daughter and son in law are good friends with one of the Versluis. They have been there 5 generations. Based on my conversations with him, they are not interested in selling out. He really enjoys what he does on and with the land.

Good Will is a Meijer real estate company. But they are not consistent in what name the properties are in.

The only way I can get 31 acres is to include all the land from Fulton to Wealthy and from Market to to the river. That includes the the 11 acres just sold by the city. The 31 acres are bisected by the freeway and the railroad tracks. The freeway isn't accurately portrayed in the rendering and the RR tracks are not shown at all.

Amway is not the big user, King Milling is. They get 20-30 cars at a time of western wheat. They recently shipped out a few cars of flour , first time in 30? years. I don't see rucks as an alternative for inbound wheat. I've looked at the RR property for a trail. for a number of years. There's a lot of area where the track bed is in wetlands. Can't build a trail there unless it's boardwalk and IF and that's a big IF, the RR will allow it. Boar walks are $$ to build, slippery when wet and need maintenance. There is a good location for a trail. My boss and I have both scoped it out :).

No this track does not go to the airport. Former Grand trunk that went to Durand. Now ends in Lowell. They run 2-3 times a week to Amway in Ada (not much traffic) and to King Milling in Lowell. Rails to Trails means the rails get removed and a trail built. The RR is not receptive to a trail on their property.

Great Lakes Capital owns 2 strip malls and a 297,000 sft spec building at 4 Mile & Hendershot in the Grand Rapids area. It looks like a different type of investment for them.