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MJLO

By MJLO
in Grand Rapids

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BigPlayJ Unincorporated Area

BigPlayJ

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Busy week for me, but a few observations, opinions, thoughts, random musings.....

Does anyone else find it odd that there is absolutely zero information, relatively speaking, regarding Faust on the web? I can't help but think he is simply acquainted with the real individuals behind this and is effectively the straw man for the entire deal. If I understand what ESNA is/was, it was a residential mortgage brokerage firm. There is money to be made in that line of work and a $1mm home in Atlanta is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but it is really not that substantial, especially in Atlanta or LA. It strikes me that there should be someone with more clout/experience fronting a $2 Billion deal. Will the real "developer" please stand up?!

Is anyone else concerned that, at least as of right now, there does not appear to be a real strong local connection? What happens if midway through Faust (or whoever is really involved) bails out on the whole deal and leaves GR with a 41acre mess? There are only so many times the Van Andels and DeVos' of the world can bail this city out.

I still believe that for this to be the "entertainment hub" of the midwest, or whatever it is being dubbed at this point, there must be a professional sports angle, and it will not be the NBA. If it is, indeed, the NBA, then that team whether it is the Magic or someone else, is going to be playing at the Van Andel. They are not going to buldoze the 10 year old Van Andel for a shiny new stadium. My money is on the NFL and a retractable roof venue that can host other larger events. That to me would be the ultimate anchor in this whole project and would justify all the other things being mentioned here and elsewhere.

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civitas Burg

civitas

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So I just watched the video from WOOD. They mention the local connection, but never say what it is. Did I miss something?

Or do I have to wait until 24 Hour News 8 at 11:00? :huh:

Here's a wild coincidence...last week Kevin Matthews (WLAV mornings) asked local bands of all genres to send him demo cd's because he was working on a way to get exposure for new music talent. He didn't offer much detail, but said he was working on a way to expose new talent who maybe have not yet signed with a publisher (air play of unpublish work may be stolen).

Friday of last week Kev was off the air on some kind of suspension. He still isn't back on the air as of this morning. Maybe WLAV had no knowledge of his on-air solicitation for cd's and is not a party to whatever Kev is up to. That may explain his absence. Does anyone know why he was suspended?

Kev is from Grand Rapids, worked in Chicago for 10 or 12 years and I believe he has a California agent. He is very well connected in entertainment and music circles.

Of all the suspects in town, Kev has recently moved back from the big city and has the national contacts to possibly be a "local connection."

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Rizzo City

Rizzo

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From my memory of the piece at six. Brian Sterling of Wood called the developer to ask about a local connection. While Mr. Sterling was calling, the Developer was on the phone with the local connection at the moment. the Developer refered Mr. Sterling to the local connection and the connection quickly shied away, I gather. The local connection is DeLain Roberts.

http://woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4694500

EDIT: Nevermind, replace developer with Kevin Black, who is the national urban field director at Interscope Records in Los Angeles

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civitas Burg

civitas

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Busy week for me, but a few observations, opinions, thoughts, random musings.....

IMy money is on the NFL and a retractable roof venue that can host other larger events. That to me would be the ultimate anchor in this whole project and would justify all the other things being mentioned here and elsewhere.

NFL? West Michigan will never abandon the great Lions. :rofl:

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tringr Whistle-Stop

tringr

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Concerned? Hmm.... If Faust is just the cutout, no. A real powerful developer has NO need to spill the beans until They are ready. Once the city has the proposals and discusses them publicly, they will be known.

They couldn't care less if people are concerned about Faust's liens; IF, IF, IF they are BIGTIME, they will overcome a multitude of sins with a multitude of buck$!

If Faust is trying to pull all of this together on his own, then that duck won't swim.

I would still be concerned if there is no real job creation. Not just retail, service crap.

"would you like your room turned down, sir?

" Thank you for the tip!

"May I wax your Yacht?

"Can I gift wrap that for you?

That's all that has been "confirmed" so far.

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MJLO City

MJLO

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NFL? West Michigan will never abandon the great Lions. :rofl:

Point of order, I don't see how the NFL would expand here, there is a team in Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay, go a little Farther out, you have Cleveland and Indianapolis. Can you say Market Saturation. Of all the major league sports associations, the NFL requires the largest market, the MINIMUM NFL venue seats around 60k. I know there has been alot of adamant talk about Western Michigan being able to support a major league team. I however think that of all the major leagues, the NFL would be least likely to consider West Michigan, You have 10k people on a good day at a griffins game. Now multiply that by at least five, and tell me how you fill an NFL venue!

My question on River Grand is this, it will "employ" 10,000 people. 10,000 people doing what? selling concessions? Working at a marina? They cannot possibly be functioning on the if they build it policy, the ONLY way they would get local companies to relocate their offices there, is if it were just a bit more expensive than FREE. So I'll bite, I'm trying to figure out the "who". Part. I know there has been talk about the Financial side of Michigans economy. Perhaps Bank of America is going to finally get deeper into the Michigan Market, and they are going to use Grand Rapids as there base of opps. Now that's probabally got a .001 percent chance of being it, but i'm using it as an example. We're being fed bits and peices here kids to keep us calm while they work things out. There has to be a major player. Because, if all we have is a small time developer from L. A. using fuzzy math to build an empty 41 acre complex. It will never happen.

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GRGyp Whistle-Stop

GRGyp

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My money is on the NFL and a retractable roof venue that can host other larger events. That to me would be the ultimate anchor in this whole project and would justify all the other things being mentioned here and elsewhere.

I think NFL has pretty much stated that expansion will not occur, and that if any team is going to move it will be to LA first. Also, if it's an NFL stadium, that will swallow up those 40 acres quickly and not allow for anything the likes of Canary Warf, or Baltimore's Inner Harbor that the developer(s) indicates they are aiming for.

For comparison, Ford Field takes up a 25 acre footprint in Downtown Detroit. Now try and add in a marina, a million sq ft mall, 1500 condos and town houses, state of the art cinema, an indoor/outdoor concert venue, plus the restaurants and commercial space they want on the remaining 15 acres.

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dbrok Hamlet

dbrok

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What still isn't clear is the national/international significance of this project. Someone mentioned an American Idol type venue that perhaps would host local talent shows on TV, maybe stations like Fox. So maybe that creates some national recognition. But what about international? Are they hoping to draw people from Windsor to the "Entertainment Hub of the Midwest"? Just appealing to Canadians in Ontario does not make it international.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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What still isn't clear is the national/international significance of this project. Someone mentioned an American Idol type venue that perhaps would host local talent shows on TV, maybe stations like Fox. So maybe that creates some national recognition. But what about international? Are they hoping to draw people from Windsor to the "Entertainment Hub of the Midwest"? Just appealing to Canadians in Ontario does not make it international.

Do we know who used the words "international" signficance? Was it in the original Geha/Shurlow interview? That might help explain it depending on who said it and whether it was confirmed? :dontknow:

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Phizzy Hamlet

Phizzy

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Do we know who used the words "international" signficance? Was it in the original Geha/Shurlow interview? That might help explain it depending on who said it and whether it was confirmed? :dontknow:

Langlois said something to that affect here.

Langlois says it's his understanding the developers have secured enough property to make this happen. He told 24 Hour News 8 the uniqueness of this project will put Grand Rapids on the international map. It will also help people view the city in a new way.
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NorthEnder Hamlet

NorthEnder

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If a 138 acre mixed-use development can happen in Atlanta, why would a similar 41 acre mixed-use development (less than 1/3 the size) in Grand Rapids be "to good to be true"?

dhr, your cryptic use of the "a-team" leads me to think, Atlanta team, due to your extensive knowledge of the Atlanta project.

Thinks for the clues!

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tringr Whistle-Stop

tringr

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If a 138 acre mixed-use development can happen in Atlanta, why would a similar 41 acre mixed-use development (less than 1/3 the size) in Grand Rapids be "to good to be true"?

Does GR have a real viable DT yet? Not enough critical mass in DT residents to sustain a basic mixed use situation. IMO.

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JDrew Unincorporated Area

JDrew

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i have said this before and i will say it again...this whole project got leaked prematurely and got everyones hopes and expectations up. the key word in this whole situation i believe is "patience". everyone wants to know everything NOW NOW NOW. Things dont just happen overnight. In my opinion, we have learned a wealth of information over the past month about what this project involves and it seems we learn at least one new thing about it every single day. They have said that in the next few weeks we will know much more, so shouldn't we just be patient about it and wait to see what unfolds, without being negative and saying that it is never going to happen based on the very limited information we have about any of the parties involved?

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francishsu Hamlet

francishsu

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i have said this before and i will say it again...this whole project got leaked prematurely and got everyones hopes and expectations up. the key word in this whole situation i believe is "patience". everyone wants to know everything NOW NOW NOW. Things dont just happen overnight. In my opinion, we have learned a wealth of information over the past month about what this project involves and it seems we learn at least one new thing about it every single day. They have said that in the next few weeks we will know much more, so shouldn't we just be patient about it and wait to see what unfolds, without being negative and saying that it is never going to happen based on the very limited information we have about any of the parties involved?

It's better that the information got leaked prematurely, in my opinion. If it was on their timetable, everyone would have gotten their hopes up at seeing the "polished" proposal, which is apparantly going to call for even more money than the leaked one. Then there would have been the same scrutiny of Duane Faust, but there would have been less time to do so under their timetable. I see no reason to stop digging for more information and putting them under the microscope.

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