GRLaker
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Posts posted by GRLaker
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On 5/1/2024 at 5:53 PM, Pattmost20 said:
Miami developer planning a $1 Billion redevelopment of the mall in Sterling Heights.
I know this is far beyond the scope/scale of what would be needed in Grandville, but it is cool to think what could be done with Rivertown if some real money came in to redevelop it.
I actually came here to post the same thing. I feel like the land in its current state would lend itself well to a small scale version of this. There’s no sense putting lipstick on a pig by turning what currently exists into a “lifestyle center.” A development of this type could really thrive in this spot considering how well everything does around RiverTown.
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On 3/19/2024 at 8:07 PM, GR_Urbanist said:
One of those stories with lots of hopeful talk, but the reality seems to show that Rivertown as it is now may be heading in the direction of Roger's Plaza. But with lots of disrepair, and a "trampoline park" looking to take over space from an anchor store, you are not a mall that is on the upswing.
A pity for Grandville because they copied a large part of the same mistakes Wyoming made with Roger's Plaza with building a "retail corridor" around a single shopping mall, and not thinking that it could ever decline.
Not that Rivertown Pky. is nearly in the same position 28th street in Wyoming was, but a failing mall far bigger than Roger's Plaza is not going to be a good look. Personally, I dont think it is worth saving, and should be demolished before the sunk cost, trying to rehab it, just makes it look even more slipshod and sad. With the major tenants being a Secretary of State or a Dollar General.
But hey, Woodland did what people thought was the impossible. So who knows!
I feel like the only solution for RiverTown is to tear it down and start from scratch. The only retail that seems to work today is organic. Main floor retail and dining with housing and offices above. That is a decent size chunk of land. Run a “Main Street” down the center and line it with mixed use. Keep the theater, Dick’s, and Kohl‘s there with some cosmetic updates. I know the idea has a 28 West feel to it, but the concept can work in Grandville far more than it ever could in Wyoming.
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I guess I’m not really that concerned about the size. It’s USL, not MLS and we’re Grand Rapids, not Chicago. I’m sure the north and south ends will have room for expansion in the event that standing room only becomes the norm. Until then, though, this should fit our needs.
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13 hours ago, MJLO said:
OMG No other city in the country has a napoleonic complex like OKC. That skyline already looks ridiculously off balance with the 800ft Devon tower dwarfing everything around it. Add a 2000 footer and there will be no denying that the entire state has phallic compensation issues.
I pray Grand Rapids keep its pragmatic approach with mid rise infill which does wonders for the cities character, vs employ the OKC “we’re not insecure at all” model lol.
OKC looks like a sprinkling of buildings in a parking lot. I’d never want to model GR after them. To make their city even more off balance, that 2,000 foot Johnson isn’t even going to be in the city core. There will be like a half a dozen parking lots between it and the rest of downtown. So weird.
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If OKC can have the tallest building in America, there’s no reason we can’t have taller than 12 stories
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8 hours ago, Zads said:
This was unlikely to happen with GVSU upgrading Lubbers Stadium very recently.
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a conversation there but I would guess Lubbers renovation was planned well ahead of this soccer stadium.
GVSU has several upgrade plans in the works for Lubbers Stadium. New concession and bathroom building, an overlook in the northwest corner, an expansion of the east side stands, an elevator in the back of the press box for ADA reasons…Plus they just built a brand new football center a few years ago. They’re not going anywhere.
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Seems odd that an organization that’s hemorrhaging money after acquiring Beaumont can somehow keep buying up downtown land.
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There are far larger cities than GR that have no upper tier professional sports teams. The likelihood of us getting one over them is slim to none. The fact that we have the second highest level in hockey and soon to be soccer is honestly great.
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GVSU going to D1 is still up in the air. It’s a natural move considering the GLIAC is falling apart at the seams, but I have heard that they may be getting resistance from Oakland and Detroit Mercy to join the Horizon League, which would be the logical conference for all non-football sports.
As for the stadium…They’ll never move it downtown. They want the stadium to remain on campus. They also have plans for another expansion in the near future per their master plan. This addition is much needed since that side of the stadium is dinky. New additions in the picture are in blue.
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11 hours ago, joeDowntown said:
My thought is that GVSU is dragging their feet on moving to D1 (plus, college Football seems to be in a bit of turmoil as far as conferences, who's in/who's out. Definitely a power grab going on). Also, Unless we got an MLS team, I don't the stadium would be profitable (size needed for D1 football, vs USL soccer). MLS is extremely expensive, and I see MLS getting MORE expensive with the David Beckham's and Tom Brady's of the world getting involved. Add what Messi has done for Inter Miami, and I think we're going to see a major shift upward in MLS in the next few years, and I think Grand Rapids is too small for what MLS is trying to achieve.
Joe
As much as I’d love to see one in GR, I highly doubt we’d get one before Detroit.
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1 hour ago, cstonesparty said:
My 23 year old nephew and his wife live in an apartment downtown. He told me this weekend that they're not going to renew their lease 'because of the change in vibe downtown.' She doesn't walk to her office alone anymore either.
The extent of issues down there is debatable, but it's having an actual impact on people and their decision-making. As much as we all want to celebrate the best aspects of downtown, need to recognize that stuff is happening that's changing behavior and decisions of residents and visitors... Hope we're not heading back to the 70s/80s era conception of downtown.
Did he provide any examples at all to describe the new vibe? I’m not questioning his view; just curious what changes they have started to notice.
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On 6/6/2023 at 2:45 PM, RiversideGR said:
I agree with many of you that safety downtown is primarily a non-issue, but that we must counter that perception with the evidence that downtown is a safe space for people enjoy. Unfortunately, I have some bad news...I came across some social media posts showing gatherings downtown that got a little out of hand....
look at this wild bunch that completely took over the Blue Bridge:
to make matters worse there have been large gatherings of people at Rosa Parks circle EVERY TUESDAY
THIS MUST BE STOPPED!!!!!
Buncha savages!
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On 5/18/2023 at 1:14 AM, TheLonesomeHobo said:
Anyone know if the crane is going to get raised again? I just drove by and noticed the building is nearing the height of the crane.
On a completely off topic and unrelated note, does GRdad not active on here any longer? He always had the most informative posts.
I have wondered the same about GRdad. Haven’t seen him around here in a long time.
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I’m not trying to be negative. I just truly believe this is a better design and fits better in an urban environment.
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I'm not sure I would call this a step up from the previous design. I get the need to change the direction of it, but I feel like we took a big step back by going away from a structure to an artificial hill with trees.
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On 5/26/2023 at 9:52 PM, Prankster said:
800 block of Monroe Avenue in the Monroe North Neighborhood
Nice. Must be the empty grass area by Field and Fire.
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Safety concerns? What the bloody hell? I have never once felt unsafe in any section of the downtown area.
Moving to the suburbs isn't going to do businesses any favors in finding young talent. If Millennials and Gen Z can't work from home, they want to work in a city - not a suburban industrial park in a metal clad building.
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Looks like a zoning change is on the agenda for this week that would allow buildings on the periphery of downtown to be as tall as 20 stories, which is a 10 story increase from the current limitation.
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The Two for Twenty Connector.
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1 hour ago, Winston1206 said:
Any thoughts on the “big announcement”? The graphic doesn’t scream “new routes” to me.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CrgVzCHMKlF/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
If we were to go off of the graphic alone, it almost seems to point to a flight museum.
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On 4/17/2023 at 9:53 AM, joeDowntown said:
There's a couple of interesting articles in Crain's Grand Rapids (formerly MIBiz and GR Business Journal) about GVSU's plans for the downtown campus:
- $140M repurposing of the Eberhard Center into "Blue Dot Lab":
"The university plans to demolish a portion of the academic building, which opened in 1988, and construct a new addition in its place, increasing the building’s square footage to 175,000 square feet. Construction could take three years, according to GVSU’s most recent capital outlay plan. " - Link
Looking at the rendering, I'm a little confused where / what this looks like on the plat of land.
- Double student housing on the downtown campus (from 400 to 800) in 2 new buildings
- New student center and dining building - four or five stories tall near U.S.-131, Fulton Street and the riverwalk.
- Turn the Mount Vernon parking lot (in from the the William Seidman Center) into green space
- Start to convert other lots into ramps or buildings (future)
My assumption would be that they plan on replacing the two sections along Fulton. I can’t imagine they would tear down the 9 story building.
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10 hours ago, joeDowntown said:
Interesting article about a 600 house development in the suburbs. Developer sued to get it built. I bet this will be common for the foreseeable future as developers clash with townships, etc to add density:
Kendall is an apartment builder. I wonder if they’re just opening the housing lots up for local builders to build on or if they plan on actually offering a single family home portfolio for buyers.
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Pretty wild that Michigan continues to shrink despite a stable economy and a climate that is trending toward Michigan being a refuge state. I mean, I would love to live in a warmer state, but the climate situation of the south becoming increasingly intolerable isn’t just some far off theory; we’re already starting to see it play out. For that reason alone, I’ve decided to stay. Maybe the average American doesn’t have that type of foresight though.
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I noticed today that the old auto mechanic place on Monroe, butting up to the highway, is being torn down. I know MSU owns the land in the area. Makes me wonder if they have any plans for it other than more surface parking.
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Spectrum - Monroe North Campus
in Grand Rapids
Posted
Well the city granted them the right to rename it. Not that I ever thought they wouldn’t.
Imagine if Corewell spent as much time working to improve employee morale and overall strategy as they spent on thinking of cheesy names and renaming streets. Their priorities are backwards.