terra firma

I had a long, lengthy, and overly academic explanation typed up That seems to be your style... As a developer, I don't expect you to know any of this, Yes, developers don't know what basic architectural fundamentals are. Obviously. When we go to developer school, they teach us to ignore these principles. unless you're also a historic preservation aficionado. Yes, I have a few historic preservation projects in my past. . You want traditional you call Dixon Architects in Ada, Finally we agree on something. I've done numerous historic renovation projects with Ken Dixon. For various reasons, I used Metz on this one and I could not be more impressed by their ability to help me "get away with" this design, per your earlier comment. They really are great to work with--- I'd say the same about Dixon of course. Both firms are awesome, for different reasons. Have you ever worked with either on any of your projects ? Next time around, don't be afraid to try something like that. Next time around, it sounds like I should just call you for permission on whatever I'm thinking about, since developers aren't "expected to know any of this" and such. Some of us are busy doing projects, others are busy 'instructing' from keyboards on the internet. The styling of this building reflects what we wanted, what the community said they wanted, what our architects designed, and what the HPC could / would approve. I'm pretty surprised the HPC didn't call you to ask what you thought !

there’s always the argument that ‘enough money’ can fix it— but not here. this building was bad even before the fire. and since that time, much of the upper floor found its way downstairs, it is dangerous to walk through and cannot and should not be saved— one guy’s opinion here but with a bit of experience. a new 2-story retail down / office up or residential upstairs is the obvious answer.. I am nominating X99 and GRdadof3 !

Hi Joe---thanks for your kind words... you've been around here many years so your opinion matters a lot, same for GRdad and many others here. We will continue our mission of trying to secure street-level retail, local business Tenants. We said no to a bunch with our previous buildings in that area--- chains, big cell phone shops with all their neon lights and stuff. We really want the same thing that (what I perceive as) everyone here wants to see. We are having conversations with boutique style clothing shops, local food operators some quasi-retail-office users, a residential design studio.... we have nobody secured it's purely a 'take the risk' scenario and we hope it'll be leased before we're done building it. I'm pretty busy with some industrial projects (easier, less drama, better returns, etc) so Andy will again be running this job along with architect Greg Metz and with McGraw Construction, it really is a dream team and as much as I like my industrial buildings its super fun to see these neighborhood projects and what they do as well. Very exciting. Who's got a vision for the Wild Bunch project ? Who's gonna buy that and do something cool ? What about 710 Wealthy ? These seem to be the glaring issues in the 'hood at the moment, at least to me... love to see the progress, and anxious to see what Paul Lee has up his sleeve here fairly soon as well -- as the pioneer of this neighborhood 10+ years ago, we need to support him too, we hear he's got some really cool ideas coming up ! thanks for your interest. eric wynsma, terra firma development llc

Pretty tough crowd around here---- for the record, the buildings we've done in that neighborhood recently had been for sale a long time...... some of you guys shoulda bought them and done it *your way*. Lots of armchair developers around here. The design brief called for maximizing square footage, without need for any variances under the zoning code, with some off-street parking as outlined by the City in this zone. Architecturally, I personally like to respect the past with proper restoration (650 wealthy, 619 wealthy) while blending in some new and fun -clean-modern looks. The new project at 620 is intentionally not trying to pretend to be an old building. It is new. Our architects did a great job meeting my requirements while building what made sense economically, with plenty of input from SEVEN different neighborhood associations. It takes several months to get through all that process--- it's hardly efficient -- the building you see rendered is the result of all of these inputs. And it's gonna look a whole lot better than the unused surface lot next to a derelict house that's been vacant for years ! Not everyone is going to like what we do--- maybe you'll come around after it's a completed project, contributing vibrancy to the street and helping clean up what is currently a mess. eric

Pardon my absence here---- YES we received approval from the HPC on wednesday evening to construct the retail building you see above (thanks for posting those, grdad) and will be moving forward without delay. Greg Metz will have to wrap up final drawings now that we are approved, Andy Molesta from Terra Firma will oversee the project, which will be built by McGraw Construction as we have a lengthy and favorable relationship there. Site work and demo of the existing structure hopefully in September, then we'll get right into it. Building overall is around 3,100 Sq. Ft, and is divisible for 1-3 Tenants but our experience in this market area suggests we'll likely end up with two Tenants @ 1,550 each. It's nice to have some flexibility though. We have no Tenants secured for this, but several inquiries from various retail users both in and out of our existing market area. As we've learned about the Wealthy St corridor, 'if we build it, they will come.' It's been fun--- looking forward to getting this one started this fall ! Many thanks to this online community and the neighbors and neighborhood associations for the overwhelming letters of support for this important corner.

Friends of Wealthy Street--- This afternoon, we are hosting a small party to introduce our concept and drawings for a proposed new project at 620 Wealthy St. SE (existing surface lot at the corner of Wealthy and James). Our gathering is very informal, and is being hosted by Wealthy St. Studios, in our newly-renovated project at 619 Wealthy St. Light appetizers, beer and wine while supplies last ! We'd love your input on our proposed development, and a chance to show you some of our other work in the neighborhood. Today (tuesday, June 26) from 4:00 - 6:00 pm Hope to see some of you there ! eric wynsma / terra firma development llc

Anxious to see what happens with this one, awesome spot with a garage and parking area behind it: http://signatureassociates.catylist.com/listing/30216151/710-Wealthy-St-SE-Grand-Rapids-MI-49503

Dixon has done many projects for us over many years. 180 Monroe (now owned by CWD) was built to a concept originally drawn by VIA design- the rest of the planning and architectural work was indeed done by Dixon.-- I still use VIA and Dixon both quite a lot. OK--- back to Wealthy Street...

Thanks for your kind words and--- it actually goes back to the mid 90-s, , a few small projects and then the Brass Works project in 1998 We do hope to have an announcement here soon about more retail on Wealthy, on land we already own but will need some community support and municipal approvals; should have some renderings soon for you guys to look at / vote on. A local / home-brew juice bar / smoothie place indicating some interest in the last suite at 619 Wealthy- fingers crossed ! -eric

We have secured a couple Tenants for 619 Wealthy. Fox Naturals (skin care etc) taking the east end, and a photography / art group taking the two west units. We have an offer from a florist for a center suite, and thus have 800 SF left for Lease.... We tried hard to push for local, street retail Tenants, and couldn't be happier with the mix that appears to be coming together. -eric

Well, it wasn't quite that simple. They did 'stabilize' the east wall, and there was a new roof put on but---- they forgot to put insulation down first so we're going to peel the entire roof and start over. Shame on the previous roof contractor; it's unconscionably wasteful. Full interior demolition started the day we closed, and was followed by interior demising walls which needed much structural help, the floor load capacity was too low for any retail or assembly use so we ended up pouring all new footings in the basement and adding load-bearing walls to carry the floors. From there, new OSB floors to get things 'level' and we are retaining the open ceiling structure. Interior walls will be drywalled (or masonry repaired) except for the exterior 'character' walls which are clay tile and being left as-is in a tip of the hat to the raw character of the structure. All new utilities were brought in, as the building had zero functioning anything. Gas, electric, water, sewer..... starting over. New electrical, new HVAC, etc... Obviously all the windows and doors and storefronts are new, and the result is a very satisfying clean, bright appearance inside the building. Despite having done dozens of renovations like it, there's never a way to anticipate everything so it has gotten a bit expensive but---- it was a fun challenge and we're glad we did it ! Andy Molesta from our shop (and partner in the building) expertly managed the re-birth of this one in less than 70 days since our november acquisition---- we're not done yet but will start handing stores over to Tenants for their final finishes sometime in March. This one went more smoothly than our 650 Wealthy project, although slightly more costly in terms of $ per sq. foot. I will try to snap some pics and post them here shortly. We have some other ideas for the neighborhood, of course we'll continue to share them here first. -eric wynsma, terra firma development llc

4,000 SF.

619 Wealthy is next up for renovation, with HPC approval in hand, request in place for OPRA tax incentives and fresh ink on the Deed just hours ago. Our mission is to carry out the vision of our friends from the Bakery who have done a great job getting things in place for an expedited rehab. We won’t be doing the earlier proposed residential component here though- it’s a straightforward reno for 1-4 retail users. Do you like it better with awnings or without? Images courtesy Lott3Metz architecture / Greg Metz who makes this process look much easier than it is.

just stepped outta the time machine after reading this post- here are a couple recent pictures. the building is structurally gone- it needs to get put in the box and cannot / should not be renovated. upstairs had small rooms, with kid size beds and clothing on the floor— no idea what the official use of this place was before the fire but i felt bad seeing it. I’d love a reason to tear it down and start fresh here. A couple crappy cell phone pics:

Confirmed, they are not coming (I don't think they looked at it) but we have a different retailer that is. Women's fashion / accessories, they are a mid-sized midwestern group of stores based largely in college towns, very hip and trendy brand. Deal is negotiated but not formally signed. I'll announce it here first, once the Lease document is formalized. We also bought two other buildings in the uptown area, one last month and the other closing next week, details coming soon.

Well, we were open to that too of course---and we had a great offer from an established operator. The retail stores were ready to go tho, and a simpler buildout.... and based on what the neighborhood association said they wanted, it just made life easy so we hit the button.

Updated pics--- share your input ! The sample looked good but it came out kinda "orange" as you can see in the photo. Not exactly as I'd hoped, but improvement over the original storefront for sure.. Which one of you designers has a good recovery plan for us to consider ? Until the stain soaks in, we probably can't re-stain or paint just yet. Other news: we have secured two different retail Tenants. I don't dare announce their names before asking, Leases are being signed this week. Both will be a great fit for this block, with lots of synergy with other (existing) business already in the neighborhood. These are retail shops, not bars. Names coming soon-- hope to be operational by November. -eric

Yes, we are finally gaining some traction. This was kind of a 'fill in' project, but as time has freed up a bit we are once again marching forward. We ran into some unforeseeable structural issues which are now remedied, including demo and replacement of some structural components inside the building. It slowed us down a bunch not to mention taming our enthusiasm as well.. We have three decent prospects but to answer the question posed above, no lease has been signed. We're not 'on the market' yet and won't even try until the facade is buttoned up. Most interest to date includes restaraunt-bar concepts. What would you guys like to see here ? Ideas ? We will certainly share details as soon as we have something solid to report, and thanks for the interest ! Some of you around here remember when we used to do luncheon walk-thru tours at other downtown buildings we were renovating (180 monroe, 72 grandville, 200 block of grandville etc) --- when this one is cleaned up I'll try to set one of those up again, perhaps one of my neighbors can cater it. In the past those events seemed to drive a lot of neighborhood interest, and was a fun way to get plugged into the neighborhood and neighbors. Should look like a building- instead of a job site - in a few more weeks. Standby for updates..

I had a signed lease w Starbucks for a new store there, but was laughed out of the ZBA meeting, 0-11 vote! This after being encouraged by city staff to proceed with the plan$. Would that not be better than the 6 crack houses there at the time? Is it not next to a McDonald's and across from a bagel beanery?, on a street that dead ends into a power station? Deep breath urbanites, I know you want mixed use and hate drive thru's and I get it. But this one was bad. I left the meeting with both middle fingers extended and yearning for the old days when the city was begging responsible, community minded developers -and offering us incentives- to replace blight with tax base, jobs, and vibrancy. My neighbor Kameel bought me out-- I don't think he's in any hurry to do anything.

Regarding 650 Wealthy yes, you are right--- too many projects on the plate and so this one has not had our full attention. We've actually done all the interior demo (removed all the office improvements) so it's a bare shell at the moment. In past years, there had been a couple of fires which significantly weakened the floor structure. We see it as an opportunity to demo the entire floor system, and re-install a new floor at grade with the sidewalk. This serves two purposes: eliminates steps going 'up' into the space, and resolves A.D.A. access at the same time--- in addition to getting us a safer, and better floor-load rating in case we end up with an "assembly use" (higher density of people). The architectural and engineering work is done, permits are in hand, HPC approval several months ago--- we just gotta get our contractors fired up and get after it. One reason for the delay, we have been approached by a Buyer who would potentially take it as-is and finish it according to their own requirements, if that doesn't come to fruition soon then we'll tool up and get after it ourselves...as was the original plan... and look for a Tenant.

Here's one for the "wow what a mess" department. 650 Wealthy after some light interior demo. Now that we've exposed what's there, the engineers will consult on how to get rid of that messy load-bearing (?) wall. I'd love a chance to interview the guy who designed this structural mess. So now we'll pause while we await final construction drawings, structural plans and a building permit before we can do more. These things always look worse before they can get better...

Here's a first whack at one potential storefront, from the pen of Brian B. at Via Design.. Note the entry door is purposely located at the east end of the building so that we can use the width of the bldg. to address the need for an indoor handicap ramp right from the start. It also is recessed / turned to prevent much of the air transfer every time the door opens or closes. Probably not miles from what we'll end up with, still defining some finishes and such.

@ Joe, we have looked at it but frankly the ADA requirements, elevator cost, etc. probably don't quite justify it. At this point, we don't even have a game plan it's just kinda "lets see what happens" so I'm interested in a moderate-cost project here. Here's an idea, Winchester next door could rent the roof for a simple rooftop beer garden :-) I'd personally love to see another restaraunt/bar here. It requires more HVAC and electrical stuff but we're happy to do it for the right user. @ Lighthouse Dave, I"m pretty sure we're going to keep this a single-tenant situation. While it would split fairly easy, AND there are already 2 existing handicap-capable bathrooms, (one on each 'side') it does get more complicated to split utilities, add a demising wall, have two different storefronts..... it's not difficult it's mostly about cost AND the practical matter of having spaces in the most popular tenant sizes for the neighborhood. At 3,000 sq ft., we feel like this is appropriate for many of the uses you guys mentioned above: restaurant / bar / brewpub / yoga-fitness of some sort, any number of retail uses, sit-down restaurant or perhaps just office. It's pretty versatile as a single-tenant space I appreciate the open discussion here so keep the ideas coming. It's so much nicer than when I got roasted around here for my proposed Starbucks store on medical mile :-)

Not exactly but not too far away. We will be beginning a renovation of the building @ 650 Wealthy at some point this week. No plans for it, so we're not in a hurry--- it looks like a good winter project. This was the Ron Love law firm up until a couple days ago. What would you guys like to see go in there ? We are looking for ideas (read: Tenant) for this location, and looking forward to a renovation project ! - eric