Soccer Stadium

[Zads]

17 hours ago, gvsusean said:

So, some insider info…. One of my clients is working on this project….. they work for the MLS. They are apparently still exploring the team being in the MLS…

I have a hard time believing this. The stadium would be last in the league in seating capacity (even if expanded) and would be the smallest city population wise. I expect nothing higher than USL.

[Pattmost20]

MLS isn't happy with their current agreement with USL to host their farm teams. They created MLS Next Pro as a 3rd tier league for farm teams, however they've made it no secret that they want to expand and have a 2nd tier MLS Next Pro league. They've already lured some USL teams over. They are not looking at Grand Rapids for an MLS team, they are looking at us for an MLS Next Pro team. 

[Herefortherumors]

Agree. USL or Next Pro seems the only logical direction given the public plans thus far. That said, I’m still going to spend the day daydreaming about a scenario where someone has a much larger-scale plan up their sleeve  .

[gvsusean]

5 hours ago, Pattmost20 said:

MLS isn't happy with their current agreement with USL to host their farm teams. They created MLS Next Pro as a 3rd tier league for farm teams, however they've made it no secret that they want to expand and have a 2nd tier MLS Next Pro league. They've already lured some USL teams over. They are not looking at Grand Rapids for an MLS team, they are looking at us for an MLS Next Pro team.

 

that makes more sense. He didnt delve into too many details. 
the only parts of my conversation that still make me go “hmmmmm” were:

1) looking at a much larger stadium than originally planned 

2) they were doing studies about tv feasibility 

3) MLS major concerns was parking/market size and that they would want to build a massive ramp near the YMCA.

 

maybe that stuff would be requirements for this new league?

[Khorasaurus1]

Honestly, USL Championship seems right to me. Here are the cities in it - this list reminds me a lot of the Arena Football League.

• Louisville
• Detroit
• Hartford
• Charleston
• Birmingham
• Tampa
• Raleigh-Durham
• Miami
• Northern Virginia
• Indianapolis
• Providence
• Pittsburgh
• Orange County
• Sacramento
• Albuquerque
• Las Vegas
• San Antonio
• Monterey
• Phoenix
• Tulsa
• Oakland
• Memphis
• El Paso
• Colorado Springs

 

[joeDowntown]

I’d much rather watch a match between Detroit, Indy or Louisville than LA Galaxy 2 or Orlando City B (can’t believe those are the actual team names). Can’t imagine there’s a huge organic fan base. I saw that Chattanooga plays in MLS Next and was kind of surprised by it. Great fan base. Would rather play against similar sized cities with a good fan base than a true farm team for MLS. 

the Detroit FC matches against GRFC were so much fun. We should basically follow that club wherever they go for the rivalry. And MLS Next is tier 3, so a level lower than we’re likely to get. 

Joe

[RiversideGR]

4 hours ago, gvsusean said:

 

that makes more sense. He didnt delve into too many details. 
the only parts of my conversation that still make me go “hmmmmm” were:

1) looking at a much larger stadium than originally planned 

2) they were doing studies about tv feasibility 

3) MLS major concerns was parking/market size and that they would want to build a massive ramp near the YMCA.

 

maybe that stuff would be requirements for this new league?

I’m trying to imagine the meltdown in some of those west side neighborhood facebook groups if they came back and announced that it would actually be twice the size of the initial proposal  

[Pattmost20]

5 hours ago, gvsusean said:

 

that makes more sense. He didnt delve into too many details. 
the only parts of my conversation that still make me go “hmmmmm” were:

1) looking at a much larger stadium than originally planned 

2) they were doing studies about tv feasibility 

3) MLS major concerns was parking/market size and that they would want to build a massive ramp near the YMCA.

 

maybe that stuff would be requirements for this new league?

The former owner of GRFC was working for the Jacksonville USL club a few years back when they decided to move to MLS Next Pro. Rumor was that one of the Devos's was at a MLSNP conference gathering information around the same time. 

[RegalTDP]

1 hour ago, joeDowntown said:

I’d much rather watch a match between Detroit, Indy or Louisville than LA Galaxy 2 or Orlando City B (can’t believe those are the actual team names).

Not only are those dumb names for sports teams, they also make life more confusing!  I once wound up going to an LA Galaxy II game because our friends bought the wrong tickets by accident.  It's an easy mistake to make when purchasing your tickets online, especially if you don't know about the farm system.

[Zads]

13 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

I’d much rather watch a match between Detroit, Indy or Louisville than LA Galaxy 2 or Orlando City B (can’t believe those are the actual team names). Can’t imagine there’s a huge organic fan base. I saw that Chattanooga plays in MLS Next and was kind of surprised by it. Great fan base. Would rather play against similar sized cities with a good fan base than a true farm team for MLS. 

the Detroit FC matches against GRFC were so much fun. We should basically follow that club wherever they go for the rivalry. And MLS Next is tier 3, so a level lower than we’re likely to get. 

Joe

As a fan and "one share owner" of DCFC, the passion that the fans bring to those games are electric. It's so much fun. I hope GR can replicate it here, whether they're in the same league or not.

[joeDowntown]

1 hour ago, Zads said:

As a fan and "one share owner" of DCFC, the passion that the fans bring to those games are electric. It's so much fun. I hope GR can replicate it here, whether they're in the same league or not.

Even better, if GR can build a rabid base, and Detroit FC's crowd travels well (which they do), it'll be such an awesome atmosphere. Loved when DCFC played GRFC and they had more supporters than GR. The drums, chants, etc. was such a cool vibe. My favorite part (even though I was a GRFC fan) was when they introduced the Grand Rapids players and the whole DCFC fan base turned their backs to the players with middle fingers in the air. It was epic!  And educational for the children in attendance. Haha

Joe

[GRDadof3]

On 4/9/2024 at 10:26 AM, joeDowntown said:

Even better, if GR can build a rabid base, and Detroit FC's crowd travels well (which they do), it'll be such an awesome atmosphere. Loved when DCFC played GRFC and they had more supporters than GR. The drums, chants, etc. was such a cool vibe. My favorite part (even though I was a GRFC fan) was when they introduced the Grand Rapids players and the whole DCFC fan base turned their backs to the players with middle fingers in the air. It was epic!  And educational for the children in attendance. Haha

Joe

I think the Broadleaf space would be a great spot for a "soccer bar", to host the parades to the stadium like Bob's Bar did. The party could start on the decks out back. 

Sort of like how SpeakEZ caters to European expats. Have that concept on Bridge Street. 

[RiversideGR]

Grand Action 2.0 has a booklet posted on their website that had some renderings I hadn't seen before....

Grand+Rapids+Soccer+Stadium+Full+Case+For+Support.pdf (squarespace.com)

[Pattmost20]

13 minutes ago, RiversideGR said:

Grand Action 2.0 has a booklet posted on their website that had some renderings I hadn't seen before....

Grand+Rapids+Soccer+Stadium+Full+Case+For+Support.pdf (squarespace.com)

I cannot wait to walk down to Bridge Street on a nice spring day, bar hop, and then cap off the evening with a soccer match. 

[Khorasaurus1]

First look at the Soccer Stadium Tower...and a parking garage next to it?

Is the north side of the stadium Blumrich Street? So that entrance in the top rendering is the corner of Blumrich and Winter? Will Blumrich be extended to Mt. Vernon?

I'm very curious about what that corridor will look like - how will the first floors of the residential tower and parking garage (?) be activated?

[joeDowntown]

5 hours ago, Khorasaurus1 said:

First look at the Soccer Stadium Tower...and a parking garage next to it?

Is the north side of the stadium Blumrich Street? So that entrance in the top rendering is the corner of Blumrich and Winter? Will Blumrich be extended to Mt. Vernon?

I'm very curious about what that corridor will look like - how will the first floors of the residential tower and parking garage (?) be activated?

Yep, that is Blumrich ad Winter. I haven't seen anything indicating that they'll extend Blumrich to Mt. Vernon, but it does seem like it would help alleviate traffic on Bridge Street after games (especially once the Stadium tower is up and 300+ cars are trying to exit the ramp onto Bridge.

Joe

[GRDadof3]

On 4/25/2024 at 4:36 PM, joeDowntown said:

Yep, that is Blumrich ad Winter. I haven't seen anything indicating that they'll extend Blumrich to Mt. Vernon, but it does seem like it would help alleviate traffic on Bridge Street after games (especially once the Stadium tower is up and 300+ cars are trying to exit the ramp onto Bridge.

Joe

This site plan shows a bit more of what streets they envision keeping. 

On 4/25/2024 at 9:29 AM, RiversideGR said:

Grand Action 2.0 has a booklet posted on their website that had some renderings I hadn't seen before....

Grand+Rapids+Soccer+Stadium+Full+Case+For+Support.pdf (squarespace.com)

That's pretty exciting. Will be cool to see the stadium lit up at night. 

This image shows the proposed tower at the end of the stadium.

 

 

 

And more detail. They envision the fire station gone from Bridge Street and a parking ramp/liner building. 

[Khorasaurus1]

Interesting! I'm not a huge fan of the massing or implied architecture, but I love the land use, which could definitely just have been a parking garage.  The liner building on the south will face a pedestrian walkway, which is interesting. I wonder if they'll try to put restaurants/bars there. Could end up being kind of a boom/bust thing, and might have to be inside the ticket gates in order to make sense. 

Interesting that all the light industrial buildings on the block bounded by Summer/Winter/Douglas/Blumrich are still standing in this picture. Generally with stadiums/arenas, anything like that nearby gets knocked down for parking/"future development." We'll see if those businesses stay in place.

The housing along Seward would be great, but seems likely to be separate and not on the same timetable as the stadium. The fire station garage/liner building I could see happening quickly though, assuming the city will agree to move that fire station.

Edited April 30 by Khorasaurus1

[cstonesparty]

1 hour ago, Khorasaurus1 said:

Interesting that all the light industrial buildings on the block bounded by Summer/Winter/Douglas/Blumrich are still standing in this picture. Generally with stadiums/arenas, anything like that nearby gets knocked down for parking/"future development." We'll see if those businesses stay in place.

I'd wager significant amounts that those properties are being hotly pursued by same party who acquired Big Boy...

[joeDowntown]

1 hour ago, cstonesparty said:

I'd wager significant amounts that those properties are being hotly pursued by same party who acquired Big Boy...

I bet they are being hotly pursued by many parties. Walked by the Taikwondo place next to Gin Gin's the other day. It's a tired old building but was pretty cool to see as they had the garage doors open. I think a lot of these buildings days are numbered. Hope they creep some of the gritty brick buildings though. They could be great renovations, but might end up being too small depending on who buys them up (and at what price).

There's also a good chance they were bought several years ago as most are owned by very generically owned LLCs.

Joe

5 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

And more detail. They envision the fire station gone from Bridge Street and a parking ramp/liner building. 

I had seen a very similar rendering to this (w/out the stadium) a while back. It showed similar sizes developments along Seward, the fire station gone, and also had labeled the Stadium tower as  "office (medical) / residential". Wonder if they've had an office tenant in mind for a while? Or if this is completely different.

Joe

[Cookin_peacocks]

2 minutes ago, joeDowntown said:

I bet they are being hotly pursued by many parties. Walked by the Taikwondo place next to Gin Gin's the other day. It's a tired old building but was pretty cool to see as they had the garage doors open. I think a lot of these buildings days are numbered. Hope they creep some of the gritty brick buildings though. They could be great renovations, but might end up being too small depending on who buys them up (and at what price).

There's also a good chance they were bought several years ago as most are owned by very generically owned LLCs.

Joe

I'd have to imagine with the way Bridge St was trending before the stadium news, and the subsequent stadium and highrise development, that Bridge will see some significant density built and soon. I think anything East of Seward will basically be part of downtown (I consider downtown to end at either the river or 131, depending on the day) but what I mean is it will grow in height and density. 

[Pattmost20]

JBAN and SWAN are considering a parking permit plan for their neighborhoods because they are concerned about game day traffic. The idea was brought up at the planning commission meeting after the developers told the neighborhood reps that they could not enforce parking as they are not the police or department of transportation. Some people (at least on reddit) are losing their mind over this, blaming the stadium developers and the city, even though it is the neighborhood association who is behind the whole plan. I would think if you are truly afraid of losing your on street parking, under $3 a month is a deal to have an almost guaranteed spot. Plus you could make that money back reselling day passes to stadium goers. 

[demhem]

15 minutes ago, Pattmost20 said:

JBAN and SWAN are considering a parking permit plan for their neighborhoods because they are concerned about game day traffic. The idea was brought up at the planning commission meeting after the developers told the neighborhood reps that they could not enforce parking as they are not the police or department of transportation. Some people (at least on reddit) are losing their mind over this, blaming the stadium developers and the city, even though it is the neighborhood association who is behind the whole plan. I would think if you are truly afraid of losing your on street parking, under $3 a month is a deal to have an almost guaranteed spot. Plus you could make that money back reselling day passes to stadium goers. 

JBAN is not behind this, MobileGR is. MobileGR approached the JBAN Board as part of their required public engagement after doing a city-wide parking analysis/study. JBAN is asking the neighborhood whether or not it should be supported so they can communicate that to MobileGR. There are other neighborhoods where this is being proposed as well. 

Edited May 1 by demhem
more context

[Zads]

24 minutes ago, Pattmost20 said:

JBAN and SWAN are considering a parking permit plan for their neighborhoods because they are concerned about game day traffic. The idea was brought up at the planning commission meeting after the developers told the neighborhood reps that they could not enforce parking as they are not the police or department of transportation. Some people (at least on reddit) are losing their mind over this, blaming the stadium developers and the city, even though it is the neighborhood association who is behind the whole plan. I would think if you are truly afraid of losing your on street parking, under $3 a month is a deal to have an almost guaranteed spot. Plus you could make that money back reselling day passes to stadium goers. 

Same for Facebook folks, they are totally up in arms over this. I would say that this is a city response to a concern raised by neighbors and the neighborhood association.

Objectively, a permit program is great because it'll guarantee a spot on the street, maybe not in front of your house, but maybe on your street, for a fee. I think the fee can be debated, for sure, but the idea seems like a good one, at least in my opinion.

[GR8scott]

very minor architectural detail but the extra covering on the south side and not the north side doesn't make sense to me. I've noticed this in several other projects that end of shading the south side of a street and not the north and with what little sun/heat there can be here at times, it seems counterintuitive not to reverse that and cover the north (non sun but wind blocking side) and have the south end open for more sun?