localtalent

The next stage of development downtown is primarily as an event/entertainment/restaurant district. The periphery will have major regional employers but don’t be surprised to see substantial evolution of the current ‘Class A’ office environment in the city into other uses.

It's not gambling related. The tribes wouldn't want to pull traffic from their existing properties in the area.

It's a complicated deal. 'On hold' doesn't mean 'fell apart'.

My understanding is AHC will operate the hotel, not own it and LiveNation will continue to operate 20 Monroe.

As of TODAY, all the windows are now in on this project. I can't imagine the pro forma blood bath going on with this deal. Hope everyone survives.

Apologies if this has already been mentioned, but it looks like Meritage’s new breakfast/brunch concept is coming into the old Esquire hair salon on Bridge St. I suspect they will do very well there. https://morningbellebrunch.com/locations/another-location/

Was just about to comment that the pace here has picked up significantly in the past couple weeks. Good sign.

I admit to having the same reaction when I saw those 4th floor panels, @joeDowntown

I don't have any specifics, but if you consider that this new development would be done by the owner(s) of the parking ramp, options may become more clear.

Insert blind squirrel/nut joke here.

This would not be good for my health.

Such a great looking addition to the city. I'm glad they took the time to do this right. It would have been easy to put an underwhelming 4 story triangle of condos in there.....

Drywall has been hung....even in units that have no windows installled. It really is a train wreck.

Anyone questioning whether there are problems with this project should realize that this photo is from July 1. It is now September 4. You could take an identical photo today. Yes, a small number of people poke around each day. No, it is not closed to the weather. I can't imagine any serious developer is going to take this disaster over. They'd need to gut the interior.

I suspect certain things are already paid for, and so they are progressing. Slowly. I'm no expert, but it seems unlikely to be good building practice to install drywall in a project that has not yet been sealed from the elements. Multiple window openings are still unfinished and not even covered to protect the interior from rain. I'm sure the storms we've had over the past couple of weeks have brought water into the units without windows. Many of those units have drywall hung. My understanding was that a small crew remained with the task of 'securing' the project. They've also been hanging cheap plastic in window and door openings, presumably to try to protect the interior from the elements. Trust me, this project is a disaster.

Anyone hear rumblings of a reboot of the old Jade Pig condo project? I've seen recent mentions in private correspondence of a $30 million deal being considered for EGR...

Yes.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, @joeDowntown. I can't reveal the specifics of the conversation or claim 100% confidence, but the information came from someone who would reasonably have knowledge of the situation. Also, there's a chance that the Dadd's parcels get snatched up pretty quickly. But don't get too excited even if it does happen. Several of the West Side projects are...waiting anxiously for full absorption...to put it politely.

I heard confirmation of my suspicions. The Red Lion project is stalled. Restaurant is no longer planned. Apparently the partners are not committing any more money to the project and it is in jeopardy of being abandoned. Also - Dadd's Magic Bus properties are officially listed for sale.

Anyone know what's going on with the old Red Lion site? Progress has slowed to a crawl at best. Most days no one is on site.

Wzzm is a joke. This project is still going to be a terrific addition to Grand Rapids. To anyone panicking about where this leaves us, I’ll just say... We’ve solved the major problem, which was people not wanting to LIVE downtown. That’s what changes the environment. It’s going to take a minute (probably a full economic cycle) for office to be doable. But we’re getting there.

Destruction!

That's a REALLY long haul for an RJ. But I love this announcement. Hopefully they're so jammed they switch to 737s.

Dunno, there’s probably enough meat on that bone to get close. $30-40k/single family site would do it. Lol. This parcel reeks of suburbia. No way it turns into a sea of 2 to 5 story buildings. But that does beg the question. This parcel, where it is, current economy...what’s the best use? I’d love to hear opinions from folks on UP.