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Looks like Founders will be changing its menu come March. https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/restaurants-1/founders-brewing-co-hits-reset-button-with-updates-to-menu-taproom/

Ya'll are good at this. https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/devos-backed-entity-set-to-demolish-former-charleys-crab-restaurant-downtown/

Owned since 1995 by ARATH III INC. The parcel report has the address as 201 Cottage Grove SE, which is Azzar Store Equipment, butcher equipment supplies and wholesale.

No, we don't raze a NRHP building in this city. There was a plan in 2017 to renovate it into apartments. Obviously that hasn't materialized. But the link that walker has posted does have a recent 2023 date for some plans. It's certainly something to keep an eye on in the coming months on the planning commission agenda.

Forgot to make this a separate post An addiction and recovery center is coming to the west side off Walker and Valley. https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/health-care/nonprofit-our-hope-plans-new-addiction-recovery-center/

I totally understand why JBZ needs more parking. They are always busy, which is a great "problem" to have if we want to call it that. I don't think they should pave over green space in the park just for cars. The best option to me is to study the financial needs of a parking garage where the current parking lot is. I understand that commuter lots are not ideal for a zoo, but you're in a downtown location. Maybe study other zoos near the city center and see how they are handling their parking needs. It's really quite odd that they haven't studied that yet. Clearly the neighbors, myself included, don't want another parking lot. I really am glad to see more civic engagement from neighbors, whether you like this or not. The more involved we get, the more we have a voice in our own community.

Mangiamo returns! https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/restaurants-1/italian-restaurant-mangiamo-returning-to-former-east-hills-location/

Why is that the only thing preventing 131 from becoming an interstate? Are there other factors?

If it is put on that site, Summer will be gone for sure from Lake Michigan to Douglas. Winter will likely still stay. I would think the stadium would be too wide to fit between two streets and rather needs to fit two "city blocks" wide.

Agreed. I used to drive this daily before I moved to the west side. An overpass above Wealthy is EXACTLY what needs to be done. It allows walkability to be cohesive. Please let this be the one they choose.

Groundbreaking for the soccer stadium looks to be sometime next year. Also more developers are expecting developments to be a result of this, such as taller buildings and more housing and parking. https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/economic-development/developer-hopes-to-break-ground-next-year-on-grand-rapids-soccer-stadium/

Ok, this is a fun rumor. The apartment/condo tower to me is much more significant than a hotel, but that is also quite exciting. Are we talking like on the amphitheater site or the site that's on Fulton and Market/Monroe? I would think if it's the amphitheater site, it's south of the project, more toward Wealthy than 131.

Broad Leaf is adding a pickleball court in its Kentwood taproom. Interesting. https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/restaurants-1/brewery-seizing-pickleball-trend-with-indoor-court-at-kentwood-taproom/

Here's a story from Crain's on the updated renderings on the stadium. https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/renderings-show-new-glimpse-of-grand-rapids-soccer-stadium/

Wahlburgers replacement is a Social Misfits branded pizza joint. https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/social-misfits-sibling-to-replace-wahlburgers-in-downtown-gr/

An update on the Eberhard Center expansion. Looks like funding got approved from the state. "The funding for GVSU’s Blue Dot Lab was included in a $625 million budget supplemental that lawmakers in the state House and Senate approved Thursday on mostly party-line votes and sent to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The Blue Dot Lab is a $140 million project that will revamp the Eberhard Center at GVSU’s downtown Grand Rapids Pew campus to house computer science, data science and transdisciplinary degrees in business, computing and the humanities." https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/technology/state-lawmakers-approve-30m-for-grand-valleys-downtown-grand-rapids-tech-center/

More affordable housing being proposed in the Madison area, on Madison and Adams. It's an ICCF project. https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/iccf-eyes-vacant-properties-on-grand-rapids-southeast-side-for-45-apartments/

Not super significant but the Walker Avenue Laundry on Walker and Lincoln across from Dairy Queen has permanently closed. I was told it used to be a 7-Eleven back in the day. I recently moved to the area, down the street from this location and my hopes are high for something better than a laundromat. I hope that space doesn't stay vacant for long and becomes a coffee shop or something similar.

I think what I've gathered from this thread is that we are fully against parking lots, especially when it comes to tearing down buildings for parking lots. It's realistic to know that parking will need to be part of the project, but plan for it, build it so it's more cohesive to a neighborhood instead of an office park in the suburbs. In this case, it would make sense to put a parking garage on those lots but on top should be residential with ground floor retail.

You are correct, SLC is about our size, both in terms of city population and metro population. However, expansion for MLS will ONLY look at large metros. There are so many other cities that league will prioritize before GR. They'll be at 30 teams in two years and other cities were on the radar in 2020: Indianapolis, Vegas, Detroit and Phoenix. So was San Diego which is already getting a team. I appreciate your optimism, but it'll never happen here. As a side note, I'm a Detroit City FC investor and supporter. I hope it's USL Championship so I can cheer on my team when they come here. I think the USL Championship fits perfectly for a city of our size.

Wow, couldn't be much more negative, huh? MLS will not expand to a city of our size. If you want big-leagues, this isn't the city to be in. GR will always have the lower tier professional teams and sports, that's just reality.

Crain's has a story this morning about how fast houses are selling in our market. I thought this was particularly interesting. "But she said affordability remains a challenge for many first-time homebuyers, who are shelling out a lot in monthly rent and not seeing wages keep pace with inflation. As a result, most of the sales she’s seeing right now are among people who already own homes and are moving laterally within the metro area." https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/grand-rapids-ranks-2nd-nationally-for-speedy-home-sales-in-september/

Here's a story from MLive on the decision to table it. “I see this as a progression,” Shannon said. “I don’t see it as these are going to be surface parking lots forever. However, planning commissioner Laurel Joseph — who described Corewell’s request as “extreme” — countered Shannon’s point, saying, “they could be if we approve this.” Love that the commissioners stood up against Corewell and surface lots. Let's hope they come back with something better. https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2023/10/this-request-is-extreme-corewell-health-proposal-to-demolish-buildings-for-parking-lots-tabled.html

Shinola it is. https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/retail/shinola-to-open-downtown-grand-rapids-store/

I'm not an expert in urban planning whatsoever, but looking at the parcel, there's no way to exit west toward Covell, so the city can't lay a grid there and if it's private property, not city-owned, then the developer can lay it out how they want. Looking at the buffer zone, it leaves space for a subdivision-type development, not single family homes, and more green space. I'd love to see the street grid continue, but that doesn't seem like it makes sense based on the layout of the properties surrounding this site. We need housing so this is great, but I also would've preferred a park there for residents to use. Not many open spaces remain on that side of town that can be turned into a green space park.