EastCoaster93

Besides being a new development in GR, can anyone give me a reason as to how this is an improvement to the former Grand Rapids Press Building? These buildings remind me of a suburban office project rather than a project that injects new life into a former “dead” part of downtown. What a let down...

Perfect, I’m glad the GR Metro is finally getting the much needed improvements to its road infrastructure! Thanks @Raildude's dad for the quick response!

Quick question about improvements being done to Interstate 196. Is it in the plans for MDOT to widen the Interstate to 3 lanes both ways between Fuller Ave and the new 96/196/EB Interchange? Increasingly, I was wondering why the new(ish) overpass of Fuller Ave over 196 was built with only 4 lanes and not 6 lanes in mind? Seems like a lack over foresight to build a new overpass in that spot without expansion of another lane for each first direction in the plans. I know this is the best place to come for questions like this so I appreciate the insight. Happy Holidays to everyone in this community by the way!

So this is just a proposed list by Major League Baseball on their effort to eliminate some minor league teams in the system. One of those teams is the Double A Erie Seawolves, an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. https://ballparkdigest.com/2019/11/18/more-details-emerge-on-mlbs-assault-on-hometown-baseball/ (Here is the proposed list of all teams on the chopping block) This relates to West Michigan and the Whitecaps because the team could be in line to move up to Double A baseball. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2019/11/18/tigers-could-lose-two-minor-league-affiliates-including-erie-mlb-reorganization-plan/4228666002/ Again this is all just a proposal and far from a final list but the Whitecaps would possibly move up a division under these plans. Considering West Michigan is one of the best minor league markets, this sounds very plausible. In 2018, the Whitecaps had an attendance of 386,609, which would place them 2nd in all of Single A baseball teams behind Dayton. For now, minor league baseballs restructuring is still in its infancy, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye out for.

Good infill for a place in that corridor of the metro. Nothing Game Changing, but a solid improvement in comparison to an empty lot. This is what The Grand Castle developer should have built. I guarantee anyone that they would have made way more profit by taking this approach.

The JC Penny at Woodland Mall looks like it has been frozen in time since the late 1960s. It is in major need of a facelift. Granted, I don’t know how much longer JC Penny as a company can stay in business.

It’s great to see the owners of Woodland Mall continue to pump money into the development. It’s beneficial for Grand Rapids to continue to offer more options so people aren’t traveling to Chicago or Detroit for certain products or stores. However, even traveling long distances to stores has largely become obsolete with the complete takeover by Amazon and the online retail industry. I still believe no matter how much money money is invested, malls and local areas will continue to struggle in attracting and retaining profitable retailers. I’m in heavy favor of a large tax of out of state online retailers who continue to put a burden on the local retail economy. But that’s a topic for another day.

I’m surprised I haven’t come across a construction cam for this project. Would be really cool to see it rise that way.

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/10/spectrum-health-to-construct-new-downtown-building-consolidate-office-space.html this gives the 2 addresses that Spectrum Health is looking at in the North Monroe area.

I mean the name sounds like “Tryst” which essentially means a secret rendezvous between lovers at a certain place and time ..... hahahahaha. I’m 100% certain there were better names available.

The fact that a consultant company (InterBrand) was hired and paid a substantial amount of money to pick this half-ass/botched name is a major disgrace for soon to be one of the largest banks in the US. Leaves a lot to be desired when names like BB&T and SunTrust are classy and Truist sounds like contrived BS.... cannot believe this was approved.

Dematic has chosen a permanent “Global Headquarters” in Atlanta. Grand Rapids is still listed as their North American Headquarters, but it seems easy to speculate (from the article) that the company might be transferring at least some of their white collar workforce to Atlanta from GR. I don’t have any concrete evidence that this is the case, but I felt that it at least warrants a post about it. Does anyone else have insight about this? https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2019/04/10/supply-chain-company-shifting-global-hq-to-midtown.html

The Whole Foods “365” concept is over. https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2019/01/15/report-whole-foods-new-365-stores-in-atlanta-will.amp.html Amazon will keep the 365 stores in the areas that they have already opened, but no new 365 stores will open in the future. However, I do think Whole Foods can work in Grand Rapids but not in the Ada downtown area. They usually looks for high traffic “big box store” areas and I tend to believe the intersection of East Beltline and 28th Street makes the most sense being centrally located to their type of clientele in GR. The parking lot where Von Maur is currently being built would be great for a stand alone Whole Foods if there is enough space, in my opinion. I truly think it would thrive. Amazon/Whole Foods would bring much needed competition and new blood to the grocer market in GR area that tends to be gobbled up between Meijer and Spartan Stores.

The project looks great. So much better than some of the value engineered hotels and apartments that are springing up in GR and across the country. I tend to think it fits that lot way more than a 40+ story tower would. However, I’m still perplexed that Hinman wouldn’t renovate the parking garage to make it look a little more asthetically pleasing. The skywalk going towards that structure just looks odd. Hopefully that parking garage gets demolished soon for another development. It’s a perfect area in that rapidly expanding part of town.

There really isn’t a great option or even an adequate one for the Grand Rapids area to have a higher class minor league than Single A ball. While the GR area could support at least a double AA team, the logistics don’t make sense. Single A Advanced teams are in Florida, The Southeast and California. There aren’t any AA teams in the Midwest besides Akron and the next closest being the Tigers AA team in Erie,PA. Both of those teams play most of there games in northeastern cities like Hartford and Manchester, NH. A AAA team is feasible but I think this area and team management like having the affiliation with the Detroit Tigers. It helps attract WhiteCap attendance especially when top Tiger prospects play in West Michigan or a Tiger makes a rehab start in West Michigan. There’s almost zero chance the Toledo Mud Huns leave their downtown ballpark and come here. Plus West Michigan would have to fund a new downtown stadium to be an attractive option for another AAA team and it’s affiliate considering most if not all new AAA parks are built downtown ie Charlotte and Nashville. I honestly believe Single A works in West Michigan really well. They have great attendance, local rivalries with Lansing and South Bend and most importantly the Tigers affiliation. Just my two cents

I don’t know if this was already mentioned earlier in the chat, but does anyone have any insight into why 131 was built as a raised highway and not built below ground level? Especially south of downtown, building below ground would have seemed to make way more sense and more appropriate for the density in that part of GR.

I can never understand why they build parking ramps in West Michigan without a roof on the top level especially for a buildings downtown. The airport got it right and added a roof thankfully.

I agree with the posts above, reminds me of a suburban corporate campus rather than a well designed development in a prime location. If anyone wants to check out any interesting ideas for large scale developments, http://www.urby.com. They have been really well received in the NYC Metro area.