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Massive Riverfront Project

GRDadof3

By GRDadof3
in Grand Rapids

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eagle Whistle-Stop

eagle

Posted
Posted

Holy crap!! I miss the forum for a few days and now I'm scrambling to keep up!

Doesn't sound like any of you actually did any work at your jobs today. Thank God I'm just working a standby at the synchronized ice-skating event rather than working the street tonight. Gives me plenty of time to catch up...believe me, the forum is more exciting. I'm burning out the screen on my Treo though...(Blueman you really need on of these to keep up during your tour.)

As far as airport expansion no airlines are expanding service to GR. my wife was laid off recently as US Air closed shop here. It seems that if a project this big required support from the airlines they'd be holding out and expanding rather than leaving.

By the way, we've been throwing "millions" and "billions" around quite a bit. As you know there's a huge difference. If you took $1000 bills and stacked them up to equal a million you'd have about a 14 inch stack. To reach a billion dollars that stack would stretch over the top of the Washington Monument!

If one guy were to develop a GR version of Chicago's Magnificent Mile wouldn't that look kind of cartoonish? One guy building all the buildings? Isn't it all the variety that makes an area like that exciting?

You guys are awesome...keep up the digging. Now as long as one of these ice skaters doesn't get hurt I can keep catching up with you guys.

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Rizzo City

Rizzo

Posted
Posted

I suspect not, but that might have been a stipulation in her contract. Maybe she was given a nod from all parties invovled because that was a big question in the community... Something like a casino without anyone's knowledge would stir a lot of feathers. Enough feathers to derail any development.

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MiGuyz Whistle-Stop

MiGuyz

Posted
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Thank you... Powell Goldstein is also strongly linked with the administration with several members also being appointed by Bush on international trade, transition teams and as big donors... (Google and Yahoo searches)

Many deals happen because of who you know... the question is who do the developers know in Grand Rapids? Why us?

Has anyone realized the JW Marriott, a very prestigous brand, going up downtown is going to be one of only about 20 in the world? http://marriott.com/jwmarriott/locations.mi

GR is suddenly going upscale condo crazy, upsacle hotel, many new developments that would impress even larger cities.... Are these movers and shakers in the know and working together to prepare the city for what they have been confidentially told is coming?

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jayblogger Whistle-Stop

jayblogger

Posted
Posted

If one guy were to develop a GR version of Chicago's Magnificent Mile wouldn't that look kind of cartoonish? One guy building all the buildings? Isn't it all the variety that makes an area like that exciting?

what would be amazing is if it actually had that feel.

we have a nice long strip of retail in GR on Monroe Center right now... and the "feel" of that street has improved over the years, but it still has a long ways to go.

and I hear many in here complain about how developers in GR are afraid to commit to large ground-level retail in downtown GR... well, this project would have a whole big bunch of ground level retail if it's gonna be a scaled down Mag Mile.

so this will be a "cool destination spot" that people will "go downtown to check out" from far away places --- yeah, the same was said about City Center 20 years ago, ha ha ha --- that worked out great didn't it?

sorry for all the sarcasm and doubt in this rant, I just want people to understand that just because this might get built, it doesn't solve all of the development and planning issues in this town.

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GRJunkie4Life Unincorporated Area

GRJunkie4Life

Posted
Posted

From JW Marriott Website (http://marriott.com/jwmarriott/locations.mi):

"You will find the welcoming and distinctive environments of JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts located in the great gateway city centers and upscale resort locations of the world."

So which is Grand Rapids, a "great gateway city center" or an "upscale resort location."

I would vote that this mystery and the hotel are related.

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Rizzo City

Rizzo

Posted
Posted

Id rather be the Great Gateway city center....

Oh and to add to the list of why Grand Raipids?:

We must have the demographics. You can't just dump billions on 30 ancres, there was thorough investigation before anyone made decisions to even remotly consider GR. There is good reason for Grand Rapids.

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MiGuyz Whistle-Stop

MiGuyz

Posted
Posted

It may be wishful thinking, but I think we are on the right track with my earlier posts (i.e. energy/tech connection, JW Marriott, overwhelming condo developments).

Did you notice that Shurlow answered some questions, but not others, very directly. When asked if it is national she hedged - I think in an effort to keep people off track.

A contact of mine in the business who knew the GRBJ article would be coming out was told in advance that it would have some misleading information to keep the real development confidential.

I think it is national in scope and includes a government / corporation angle with R&D focus.

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GRguy Hamlet

GRguy

Posted
Posted

I bet Birgit over at Right Place knows all about this. I just read the wood TV recap and worry (my natural tendancy) that a $1B entertainment development could end up cliche and embarassing. The Miracle Mile idea is nice, but we don't have the people to fill the buildings. We have way too much vacant retail space as it is and a big sucking sound would be heard if retail is what this is. It would suck the life out of the rest of downtown, much like a Walmart in a small town.

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Rizzo City

Rizzo

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What it be sucking if it brought people here that otherwise would have no reason to be downtown in the first place? I just don't think there will be misleading if there wasn't anything leaked as according to DSchoon. How could you mislead if you haven't even formally entered the market yet? This developer to me dosen't even exhists until they come to us, the citizens via a commision meeting and expres their intent. I still don't know why a developer would get on the the side of his next investment location and put out information that he/she knows is nothing but misleading... Why risk the possible backlash from the community?

There's a certain demographic they are looking for and its probably only going to grow after that. Plus, being this a national developer, most likely with cloat, there might be tenants lined up.

If the price of a tower grows exponetially as height increase, it would only be natural for these bloated figures. Lets not think in terms of billions buying something that fits on 30 acres with just one or two stoires, but something that fits on 30 acres and goes up higher then expected. The price maybe so high because of something that will be built in and around the city? What if someone just happen to recognise that we as a community want rapid transit, maybe they see that demand and are fullfilling it as a supporting investment for their development? Sounds really off, yes, but who knows? Not me or anyone else except Dave's source.

The city knows what its getting into, remember what Heartwell wants on that parcel: height, jobs, residential, and retail. By the way that is what the doctor has ordered, but with a twist.

So many questions

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chieflenny Unincorporated Area

chieflenny

Posted
Posted

I think DeVos and VanAndel know about this. Remember when the original announcement was made for the new hotel? It was going to be a Marriott...period. Then a few months later it's announced that GR is getting a very prestigious and rare JW Marriott... Why here??? Coincidence? Or was DeVos in the know and decided to up the anty?

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