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Orchard Park Development

OneSweetWorld

By OneSweetWorld
in Grand Rapids

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  • 2 months later...

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DwntwnGeo Hamlet

DwntwnGeo

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Just an update from the Fox News at 10 last night. Sounds like Wyoming and Walker are willing to work together to get the developement started.

"A big development planned for Walker is getting a boost from the city of Wyoming.

An "Act 425 Agreement" would transfer the land for the project to the city of Wyoming for Brownfield redevelopment financing, funds that Walker can't get on it's own.

Here's how financing would work. Wyoming would hold the property under an Act 425 Agreement with Walker. The developer would pay taxes to Wyoming at that city's rate of 10.67 mills. Walker would get 1.3 mills from that, as well as income taxes.

City manager Vander Meulen says the financing could encourage the developer to move forward."

I didn't know that farm land could have brownfield credits :dontknow:

The complete story can be read here:

http://fox17.trb.com/news/051007-wxmi-fina...oll=wxmi-home-2

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Am I reading this article correctly in that the developer is looking for the city of Wyoming (through the land swap 425) to pick up $46 Million in development costs (that the developer would normally pay for)? And if so, is this amount exclusive of any tax incentives that Cabela's is going to be looking for?

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6509469

Anyone know how much Wyoming contributed to the Metro Health village?

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DwntwnGeo Hamlet

DwntwnGeo

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Update from yesterday's meeting:

"Developers want to build Orchard Park on Walker Avenue near I-96 on the city's west side. As originally proposed, Orchard Park would have homes, condos, and retail shopping in a "town center"-style development.

However, during a public meeting Monday night, developer Northland Holdings proposed a change in the plan. It's proposing building the retail portion of the development first, adding the residential area in phase two. The developer also announced it has a "letter of intent" by sporting goods superstore Cabela's in becoming the retail anchor for the development. Northland Holding says it is in the middle of contract negotiations."

The article also mentioned that because of the "change in plans" that both the City of Walker and Wyoming will review the new phases and decide about "joint financing plan" at the June meeting.

The complete article can be read on the WZZM13 website here:

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=75259

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suydam Hamlet

suydam

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Update from yesterday's meeting:

"Developers want to build Orchard Park on Walker Avenue near I-96 on the city's west side. As originally proposed, Orchard Park would have homes, condos, and retail shopping in a "town center"-style development.

However, during a public meeting Monday night, developer Northland Holdings proposed a change in the plan. It's proposing building the retail portion of the development first, adding the residential area in phase two. The developer also announced it has a "letter of intent" by sporting goods superstore Cabela's in becoming the retail anchor for the development. Northland Holding says it is in the middle of contract negotiations."

The article also mentioned that because of the "change in plans" that both the City of Walker and Wyoming will review the new phases and decide about "joint financing plan" at the June meeting.

The complete article can be read on the WZZM13 website here:

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=75259

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Mark Miller Whistle-Stop

Mark Miller

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The plan is essentially two different things. There is an arterial boulevard cutting through the site. On one side there is a very very conventional type development, with a Cabelas and a power center. These two uses have an incredible amount of parking and are sited as conventional as you can get. There will be no confusing this part of the development with a town or even a lifestyle center.

The other half is the lifestyle center, which has been marketed to this point as a mixed use venue. I am not sure if the plan is to have true mixed use buildings or just a mix of uses on the site -- a big distinction. One integrates uses vertically and one integrates them via pods - again not much different than conventional suburban development.

In any case, even if the lifestyle center can pull of looking like a real main street town, is anyone going to be fooled into thinking it is an authentic town? Look at the context.

This whole deal stinks. Is it really true that they want to use brownfield tax credits for an orchard!!? What next, to develop wetlands and state parks?

This seems to be a mis-use of core city status and brownfield credits.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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The plan is essentially two different things. There is an arterial boulevard cutting through the site. On one side there is a very very conventional type development, with a Cabelas and a power center. These two uses have an incredible amount of parking and are sited as conventional as you can get. There will be no confusing this part of the development with a town or even a lifestyle center.

The other half is the lifestyle center, which has been marketed to this point as a mixed use venue. I am not sure if the plan is to have true mixed use buildings or just a mix of uses on the site -- a big distinction. One integrates uses vertically and one integrates them via pods - again not much different than conventional suburban development.

In any case, even if the lifestyle center can pull of looking like a real main street town, is anyone going to be fooled into thinking it is an authentic town? Look at the context.

This whole deal stinks. Is it really true that they want to use brownfield tax credits for an orchard!!? What next, to develop wetlands and state parks?

This seems to be a mis-use of core city status and brownfield credits.

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WOT Whistle-Stop

WOT

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Wyoming really should not be involve in this deal what so ever i mean they have turned there city into a suburban wasteland theres still some hope for walker and those brownfield credits should be going to areas that really need it not farm land.
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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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OK, this story is making a bit more sense now (leave it up to the Business Journal to get it straight):

- Phase I, which includes Cabela's and a number of outlot strip centers at the Southeast corner of the development would be built first

- It would also include a hotel waterpark

- The "lifestyle village" would be in Phase II, and would not start construction until 2009 and not be finished until probably 2010/11

- The townhomes/residential portion would come after 2011/12

There's also this:

Levin responded that he could not deliver the town center first because the partners are in a battle with a development site on the east side of town for tenant commitments. He said they could not get the tenant commitments or the anchor store commitments to make the town center happen today.

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  • 5 weeks later...
DwntwnGeo Hamlet

DwntwnGeo

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Per the Fox News at 10 there was a Walker City Meeting tonight about this developement. They are reporting that Cabela's has signed an "intent to build" document with the developer. They are hoping to have it built by Fall of 2009. They also reported that the developer has an option to buy another 60 acres across Bristol along I-96 for a new Hotel Water Park. The new proposal has to go before the Walker Planning Commission on July 18 or so. They reported that the members seemed to be pleased with the new plans. I don't have any new site plans to show though :(

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Per the Fox News at 10 there was a Walker City Meeting tonight about this developement. They are reporting that Cabela's has signed an "intent to build" document with the developer. They are hoping to have it built by Fall of 2009. They also reported that the developer has an option to buy another 60 acres across Bristol along I-96 for a new Hotel Water Park. The new proposal has to go before the Walker Planning Commission on July 18 or so. They reported that the members seemed to be pleased with the new plans. I don't have any new site plans to show though :(
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AlexPKeaton Burg

AlexPKeaton

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Just what we need, more strip malls littering the highway, paving over some of the best fruit growing land in the country. I'm sure we won't regret this when gas costs $5/gallon and we can't cost-effectively import fruit from South American countries anymore.

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suydam Hamlet

suydam

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Just what we need, more strip malls littering the highway, paving over some of the best fruit growing land in the country. I'm sure we won't regret this when gas costs $5/gallon and we can't cost-effectively import fruit from South American countries anymore.
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