Wealthy Street Mega Thread

[Pattmost20]

1 hour ago, GVSUChris said:

There's some great renderings in this month's HPC for the proposed project at Wealthy and Fuller. Let's just get something vita build there please! 

Available online?

 

Edit: Never mind, I found it. http://grandrapidscitymi.iqm2.com/Citizens/Board/1009-Historic-Preservation-Commission

The renderings do look great. Hope it moves forward.

Edited May 8, 2019 by Pattmost20

[MJLO]

It's on page 274 of the agenda packet for the May 15 meeting for those that don't want to  take the 20 minutes of sleuthing to find it.   I think this would be a great addition to that intersection.  It could help bridge the 4 block gap between the East Hills and Eastown.

http://grandrapidscitymi.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=3943&Inline=True

 

 

[ctpgr34]

2 hours ago, GVSUChris said:

There's some great renderings in this month's HPC for the proposed project at Wealthy and Fuller. Let's just get something vita build there please! 

Grocery, banquet, and condos are the hope 

[mpchicago]

1 minute ago, ctpgr34 said:

Grocery, banquet, and condos are the hope 

Wonder if they have someone in mind for the grocery.  Move an expanded Art of the Table down the street?   The document says Metric Structures is the applicant.  I think they did Hancock reno?  

https://www.metricstructures.com/

[gunnerdouzi]

On 5/2/2019 at 3:18 PM, mpchicago said:

I know some are down on the HPC requiring preservation of these gas stations, but I think Hancock turned out particularly well. I love the neon reminiscent of service station signs.   These properties allow for a ton of outdoor dining/activity space.  It's going to be great if the weather ever cooperates. 

 

Love love love the look of Hancock as well... However, I heard they are changing their business model next week to being a full service restaurant with waiters/waitresses so they can lower their labor costs below minimum wage (implying that tipping will now be expected)... but no plans to lower the menu prices... All so they can push more wine sales (they apparently have one of the largest wine selections in town? Who knew.)... Not a fan anymore.  Who drinks a nice Merlot with fried chicken anyways?  Really strange move for a restaurant that seemed to have great momentum behind their opening.  I wish them the best, but feels like a money grab type move that will drive customers away in the long run.

38 minutes ago, mpchicago said:

Wonder if they have someone in mind for the grocery.  Move an expanded Art of the Table down the street?   The document says Metric Structures is the applicant.  I think they did Hancock reno?  

https://www.metricstructures.com/

Imagine if the grocery there were something similar to Bridge Street Market... maybe I am just dreaming 

Edited May 8, 2019 by AyersRock

[thebeerqueer]

1 hour ago, AyersRock said:

Love love love the look of Hancock as well... However, I heard they are changing their business model next week to being a full service restaurant with waiters/waitresses so they can lower their labor costs below minimum wage (implying that tipping will now be expected)... but no plans to lower the menu prices... All so they can push more wine sales (they apparently have one of the largest wine selections in town? Who knew.)... Not a fan anymore.  Who drinks a nice Merlot with fried chicken anyways?  Really strange move for a restaurant that seemed to have great momentum behind their opening.  I wish them the best, but feels like a money grab type move that will drive customers away in the long run.

I seem to recall their original concept was 'Birds and Bubbles', so delicious fried chicken and champagne/sparkling wine. As long as the fried chicken stays delicious, I down. I'd love a slightly expanded beer list but oh well. 

[GRDadof3]

3 hours ago, AyersRock said:

Love love love the look of Hancock as well... However, I heard they are changing their business model next week to being a full service restaurant with waiters/waitresses so they can lower their labor costs below minimum wage (implying that tipping will now be expected)... but no plans to lower the menu prices... All so they can push more wine sales (they apparently have one of the largest wine selections in town? Who knew.)... Not a fan anymore.  Who drinks a nice Merlot with fried chicken anyways?  Really strange move for a restaurant that seemed to have great momentum behind their opening.  I wish them the best, but feels like a money grab type move that will drive customers away in the long run.

Imagine if the grocery there were something similar to Bridge Street Market... maybe I am just dreaming 

It's not nearly as big as Bridge Street Market. It's more like Martha's Vineyard size. 

 

 

 

 

 

[GR_Urbanist]

This? This I like.

 

Something prominent, and useful for the intersection that bridges the gap between Wealthy and Eastown. Maybe this (what has to be the 5th proposal in 10 years) will finally take!

 

Meijer(s) should totally get on this and do a tiny BSM convenience store concept.

[GRDadof3]

1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

It's not nearly as big as Bridge Street Market. It's more like Martha's Vineyard size. 

 

 

 

 

 

I wonder if it's Russo's? They sold their location on 29th Street to a marijuana company, but I don't believe they're retiring or anything. It would make sense since this concept hardly looks like a money maker if you were going to rent it out to random commercial tenants. The previous developer couldn't even make it work with 4 floors on it (residential with retail on the 1st). 

[MJLO]

1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

I wonder if it's Russo's? They sold their location on 29th Street to a marijuana company, but I don't believe they're retiring or anything. It would make sense since this concept hardly looks like a money maker if you were going to rent it out to random commercial tenants. The previous developer couldn't even make it work with 4 floors on it (residential with retail on the 1st). 

I would think there would be parking concerns for a grocery/convenience store concept no?  With residential on the top  I can't imagine the site would be able to accommodate any customer parking.  That intersection is pretty busy too, and fairly inaccessible to street parking.  I'm not saying they'd need a lot of it, even Martha's has *some immediate parking.  Seems like it could be a hinderance to longer term viability as people further out from the neighborhoods find it inconvenient.

[GRDadof3]

11 hours ago, MJLO said:

I would think there would be parking concerns for a grocery/convenience store concept no?  With residential on the top  I can't imagine the site would be able to accommodate any customer parking.  That intersection is pretty busy too, and fairly inaccessible to street parking.  I'm not saying they'd need a lot of it, even Martha's has *some immediate parking.  Seems like it could be a hinderance to longer term viability as people further out from the neighborhoods find it inconvenient.

Did you look at the floorplans? There isn't any residential on the top floor, it's denoted as an event space and then "Unit A" which they mention could be commercial or residential (probably 1 unit by the looks of it), with its own (1) private terrace.

The plan shows 10 parking spaces in the back too. 

To me that sounds like one user for the whole building...   ie grocery/bar main floor, event space (private parties, wine pairings, etc.) upstairs. 

My guess: someone in town with a lot of bank who works in the food and beverage industry is proposing this whole project for their own little idea.

Edit: it's NOT the Art of the Table/Apertivo people. 

[mpchicago]

40 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

Did you look at the floorplans? There isn't any residential on the top floor, it's denoted as an event space and then "Unit A" which they mention could be commercial or residential (probably 1 unit by the looks of it), with its own (1) private terrace.

The plan shows 10 parking spaces in the back too. 

To me that sounds like one user for the whole building...   ie grocery/bar main floor, event space (private parties, wine pairings, etc.) upstairs. 

My guess: someone in town with a lot of bank who works in the food and beverage industry is proposing this whole project for their own little idea.

Edit: it's NOT the Art of the Table/Apertivo people. 

Thank you for clarifying that it will not bo Art of the Table folks.   The renderings you posted look a little different than what I saw in the HPC packet.   I think I like the above renders a little bit better.

[GRDadof3]

5 minutes ago, mpchicago said:

Thank you for clarifying that it will not bo Art of the Table folks.   The renderings you posted look a little different than what I saw in the HPC packet.   I think I like the above renders a little bit better.

I pulled those out of the HPC packet.  

There was also this new plan for 706 Wealthy. Not sure how much has changed? 

[walker]

14 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

 

 

This still looks suspiciously like the shipping container plan to me:

 

[GR_Urbanist]

Minor observation, but the little green building at the corner of Wealthy and Barth is almost done with its renovation, and is going to house a plant store, which is the hot trend for 2019-2020.

[x99]

9 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

I pulled those out of the HPC packet.  

There was also this new plan for 706 Wealthy. Not sure how much has changed? 

Very different.  More of less all of the disaster is changed.  It's pretty much what I posted a month or two should be fixed.  They scrapped the weird Hardiboard fill between brick "columns" on each edge, added window hoods, and put a better cornice on it.  The whole "what in the world were they thinking" factor is remediated.  Personally, I prefer more distinctive, interesting designs that show a better understanding of good traditional architecture, which this is not (but neither was the old Wild Bunch, in fairness).  What I prefer, though, is always risky because most architects are entirely incapable of doing it well.  It's tough for a lot of them to pin down an old building by decade, and walk through the myriad styles that were prevalent from, say, 1870 through 1910.  For better or worse, that body of knowledge isn't often taught, which makes it difficult to work within those styles to come up with something new, yet still inventive and appropriate.   Still, there is no reason for this not to sail through.  It's basic--more basic even than what is replaces--and a very "safe" design, but it doesn't detract at all from the historic buildings around it.   That still puts it above 90% of the proposals you see in historic districts.   

EDIT:  Time flies.  I posted suggestions for this building back in November.  They pretty much followed them to a tee.  They should have just asked me first and saved 8 months... 

That design at 1201 annoys me.  They're showing some good chops with the right half of the building.  That's actually a really, really nice piece of work for this historic district.   I'm assuming here that the shadow lines over the windows are developed from four or five layers of brick recesses, and not just colored materials.  If they actually did that, actually came up with something that for all the world looks like a load-bearing facade with a heavy window recess, in a very coherent design, my hat's off to them.  It borrows from buildings about 4 decades after my favorite "new historical" construction next to Martha's Vineyard, but it's every bit as good as that one. Then there's that ... thing ... on the left.  WHY?!  Why not just give us two great buildings?  Why insist on ruining it with a building that pays respect to and uses for inspiration precisely nothing in the entire district?  Put up a Victorian corner confection there... clock tower, turret, or something, and contrast that against the building on the right and the gas stations.   Take a long, hard stare at the Jeffrey Richard Salon building and some historic photos of corner buildings.  Architects love the "contrast" bit, but there are ways to do it nicely in a historic district other than a glass wall.

Edited May 9, 2019 by x99

[uncus]

11 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

Minor observation, but the little green building at the corner of Wealthy and Barth is almost done with its renovation, and is going to house a plant store, which is the hot trend for 2019-2020.

Please tell us that the Plant Parlor across the street is just moving, and there is not going to be two plant stores within a couple hundred feet of each other.

[GVSUChris]

5 minutes ago, uncus said:

Please tell us that the Plant Parlor across the street is just moving, and there is not going to be two plant stores within a couple hundred feet of each other.

Lol nope... definitely two  plant shops in the same spot 

[kwl]

On 5/8/2019 at 2:43 PM, AyersRock said:

Love love love the look of Hancock as well... However, I heard they are changing their business model next week to being a full service restaurant with waiters/waitresses so they can lower their labor costs below minimum wage (implying that tipping will now be expected)... but no plans to lower the menu prices... All so they can push more wine sales (they apparently have one of the largest wine selections in town? Who knew.)... Not a fan anymore.  Who drinks a nice Merlot with fried chicken anyways?  Really strange move for a restaurant that seemed to have great momentum behind their opening.  I wish them the best, but feels like a money grab type move that will drive customers away in the long run.

Imagine if the grocery there were something similar to Bridge Street Market... maybe I am just dreaming 

Hancock is such a half baked...err...fried concept. There are better places to get fried chicken in town without having to drop $36 on a lunch. 

[Pattmost20]

3 hours ago, kwl said:

Hancock is such a half baked...err...fried concept. There are better places to get fried chicken in town without having to drop $36 on a lunch. 

The Chicken Sandwich is $8. Wing and Thigh meal is $6. How are you dropping $36...

[GRDadof3]

Caught this interesting stat in this article:

"Grand Rapids has 19 breweries per 100,000 people. Lansing has fewer than 8.5 per 100,000 people, according MSU agricultural economist Trey Malone. "

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2019/05/15/craft-beer-worth-state-michigan-state-economy-msu/1166262001/

[Pattmost20]

1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

"Grand Rapids has 19 breweries per 100,000 people.

No we don't. That is just flat out wrong no matter how you measure it. That would either mean that we have around 40 breweries in the city limits (we don't) or that we have just shy of 200 breweries in the metro area (once again, we don't). The only thing I can think they did was take breweries in the metro area and divide by people in the city proper. Experience GR lists 42 breweries on their Ale Trail, that factored into GR's city population would get you to approximately the 19 figure quoted here. 

[MJLO]

On 5/9/2019 at 8:56 AM, walker said:

This still looks suspiciously like the shipping container plan to me:

 

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/05/grand-rapids-shipping-container-development-dropped-in-favor-of-neighborhood-grocery-concept.html

Sounds like both the neighborhoods and the HPC had positive things to say about this project.  I don't know why I have the "Mikey liked it"  line from the life cereal commercials in my head. 

[gunnerdouzi]

3 hours ago, MJLO said:

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/05/grand-rapids-shipping-container-development-dropped-in-favor-of-neighborhood-grocery-concept.html

Sounds like both the neighborhoods and the HPC had positive things to say about this project.  I don't know why I have the "Mikey liked it"  line from the life cereal commercials in my head. 

Glad to hear this proposal is looking promising.  A grocery store would really be perfect for that corner, just what the neighborhood is missing.

[joeDowntown]

I heard Abe Lincoln was the lead on this research project. And everything he says (especially online) is true.