mpchicago

Bureaucratic red tape holding up official use, or the county miscalculated, and it turns out they won't need for another 5 years?

On occasion, after Sunday night mass at the Catholic Information Center, my Grandma and I would stop and have ice cream there back in the early 1980's. Don't recall the name of the shop.... It would be nice to see a cafe open there. Its a quaint spot. The lead developer Brian Pake, tells the Press that "This project is happening." While I'm not in love with the rendering, it's not bad (as long as I'm not looking at EFIS). Cross fingers that it happens. https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2020/01/75m-mixed-use-building-proposed-in-grand-rapids-creston-neighborhood.html

Derek Coppess is back, partnering with others to bring 36 unit one-bedroom market-rate apartments and 7k square feet of ground floor retail to this property. Neighborhood organization is skeptical, and in addition wants mixed income. https://mibiz.com/sections/real-estate-development/partners-plan-mixed-use-project-in-gr-s-creston-neighborhood-but-questions-remain

The master plan for this project includes a apartment tower that is suppose to sit on top of the parking garage, directly behind this office building. I taller Asrisure building here would block the views of apartment building.

Thought this might be the best place to put this.... It's basically just a rant. MDOT has gotten better in the last few years, but it's always bugged me that they would shorten Grand Rapids' name on freeway signs. This is a glaring example on I-96 westbound just past Lansing where there is obviously enough room to spell it out.

55 Ionia Partners, an LLC of RDV Corp, wants to open high end boutique hotel on 3 floors of The Morton. I say go for it if it will help fill the empty ground floor space. https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/12/devos-affiliated-company-eyes-32-room-high-end-hotel-in-downtown-grand-rapids.html https://www.themortongr.com/

The DDA is giving rent support to 2 new downtown restaurants and one new shop through its retail innovation and incubation grant. https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/12/new-wine-bar-caribbean-restaurant-gift-shop-in-downtown-grand-rapids-get-rent-support.html - GRNoir Wine & Jazz will open in the ground floor space of the new SIBSCO apartment building at 35 D. Division. https://www.facebook.com/grnoirwinebar/ - Art Caribbean Fusion Cuisine will share space with the Grand Central Market at 57 Monroe Center. - Oh, Hello Co, a gift shop specializing in products by Grand Rapids- based artists at 40 Monroe Center. https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/now-open-oh-hello-touts-grand-rapids-gifts-artists/

That's been painted for as long as I can recall. Maybe it's been repainted recently, but been painted for a long while.

Yes, $2 billion doesn't sound right.

The developer of Metro Health Village says they are planning over $2 billion in work in the next 2 years, including residential buildings and a "food hall" component. https://www.grbj.com/articles/94790-granger-eyes-55m-project-next-year

Thanks Joe, appreciate the update! Sure, the building could be taller, but they got the proportions right. That's one of the things that bugs me about the Warner building. I feel like the entrance to that building is squat. like you are going into a cave. It should have a grand 2 story entrance like all tall...er buildings should.

Awesome thanks GVSUChris and Joe! What happened to the concrete??!!

This fell off page 1, and has been a whole 3 weeks since I've seen an updated pic! Can someone take a nice couple of pics for me here in Chicago?

Thanks Joe. I prefer this darker siding over the beige siding on the renderings.

Rendering looks sharp! It will be a nice addition to the neighborhood.

Just to have someone come in and clean up the place would be a plus. I can't imagine that they would run any kind of restaurant out of that space, but an update similar to Creston market would be nice.

I think he's talking about this one before they renovated this plaza sometime in the late 80s or early 90s. There is a person in white and yellow walking near it in the below postcard.

Does 5/3rd still have a branch along the street there, and if so wonder if it's apart of this project?

Does it look better in person?

In addition to the new building Brann's has planned on Leonard, they are putting $1 million into renovating their restaurant just down the block. It looks like they will also clean up the front facade, fully opening up the windows to the street. https://www.grbj.com/articles/94547-west-side-restaurant-plans-1m-renovation

Joe - Answer to your question. New bar called IDC https://www.idontcaregr.com/ https://www.grbj.com/articles/94559-balcony-bar-opens-downtown

Doug Meijer's name will be atop the new medical innovation building on Michigan as he and the the Meijer Foundation donate nearly $20mm to the project. https://mibiz.com/sections/health-care/meijer-family-donates-19-5-million-for-new-msu-facility-in-downtown-grand-rapids

Not a fan of the design of the proposed buildings either, but your comments about west Leonard are a bit harsh.

I would tend to agree with that. I guess we will see what happens.

It would make sense for CWD to partner on this project, since the are right next door. They are the company that previously had an agreement to purchase the property to build an 8 story office building. Maybe this go around, partnering with the city on the property would make it work? https://www.grbj.com/articles/75931-cwd-real-estate-investment-plans-eight-story-building-downtown