WEST MICHIGAN | General Developments
This thread is dedicated to all general developments in West Michigan. For organizational purposes, "West Michigan" includes all of the light purple counties highlighted below (note, the Grand Rapids / dark purple and Kalamazoo-Portage-Battle Creek / pink areas each have their own dedicated threads).
This is a large area, and for the purposes of this thread, the focus will stay on the principal "large" cities (8,000 + pop.) of the western region of the state - places like Muskegon, Holland, Norton Shores, Coldwater, Ionia, Niles, Grand Haven, Sturgis, Big Rapids, Benton Harbor, Albion, and St. Joseph. Smaller tourist destinations & other smaller places with stuff happening may be mentioned occasionally - The municipalities highlighted below are organized by population and are arranged from largest to smallest - Code:
Muskegon - Muskegon County |
Project Rundown
Unless noted otherwise, all projects for each location are arranged first by status, then by cost, if known (most to least expensive).
Status Order:
Muskegon Code:
Adelaide Pointe, Phase 1 under construction ($250 million) Code:
Hudsonville Ice Cream Expansion, under construction ($51 million) Code:
Eastowne Centre, proposed (~ $30+ million?) Code:
Branch County Jail & Sheriff's Office, completed October 2021 ($22 million) (reserved) Niles Code:
Post Office Apartments, completed early 2021 ($16 million) Code:
Robinson Landing, under construction ($7.5 million) Code:
The Watershed, proposed (~ $4 million?) Big Rapids Code:
Ferris State University Center for Virtual Learning, under construction ($29.5 million) Code:
Benton Harbor Flats rehabilitation, under construction ($4.5 million) Code:
Albion College Body and Soul Center, under construction ($48 million) Code:
Krasl Art Center Gateway Project, completed late 2018 ($1.7 million) Code:
Metro @ Maple Lane, completed July 2021 (~ $2 million?) Code:
Hudsonville Public Schools 2019 Bond, approved ($140 million) Code:
Affordable Housing Project, proposed / on-hold due to arson at Royal Coach building Code:
Ford BlueOval Battery Park Megasite, under construction ($3.5 billion) Code:
Hotel Rose, proposed (~ $14 million?) Code:
Dowagiac District Library Expansion, completed May 2021 ($7.5+ million) Code:
Gentex Expansion, proposed ($300 million) Code:
Downtown Hampton Inn, proposed (~ $10 million?) Code:
Bay Logistics Cold Distribution Center, proposed (~ $60 million?) Code:
Bronson Wound Center & Surgical Services, under construction (~ $3 million?) Code:
Gun Lake Casino Phase 5 Expansion (Resort Hotel), under construction ($300 million) (reserved) Middleville Code:
Middleville Main, proposed ($2.8 million) Code:
Gilmore American Muscle Car Museum, proposed (~ $4.5 million?) Whitehall Code:
Tannery Bay, under construction (multi-phase) Code:
Tanglefoot Park renovation, proposed ($3.5 million) Code:
Village Improvements, ongoing ($20+ million) Code:
The Harbor Grand Hotel Reconstruction, completed 2020 (~ $7 million?) Code:
BSPS Arts and Athletic Center (AAC), completed July 2022 ($19.7 million) (reserved) Centreville Code:
Glen Oaks Community College Grand Concourse Remodel, completed 2020 ($3 million) Code:
St. Peter Catholic Church Remodel & Addition, under construction (~ $6 million?) Code:
Saugatuck Public Schools Bond Projects, multi-phase; ongoing ($35.6 million) |
Holland (Township) -
Three new hotels are under construction or in the planning stages in Holland Township - Quote:
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Holland -
^ These three new hotels are following in the wake of the Cityflats Hotel, and the 98,600 SF Courtyard by Marriott that opened in downtown Holland a few years ago (Butler Rosenbury & Partners was the Architect). The Marriott added 142 rooms to the region - Quote:
Source: Butler, Rosenbury & Partners https://6thyhq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: WZZM Here is a photo of the Cityflats Hotel, also recently opened - https://3zhyhq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: www.booking.com |
Holland -
Holland has also been working on a new, mixed-development that will bring a movie theater downtown. Demolition has begun already, and the project is expected to be completed by Spring 2019. This will be a three-story, $8 million, 42,000+ SF building that will also include restaurants and retail space, at Eighth Street and Pine Avenue. This is across from the police department and district court, right near the Farmer's Market and the Civic Center, which is being remodeled currently. It is intended to better bridge the gap between the downtown retail core and the Civic Center / Macatawa waterfront. The development will also include a new parking deck - Quote:
https://5je9eq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: Holland Sentinel (Contributed) |
Holland -
Another big development in Holland - 44 W. Eighth St. - is nearing completion. This 4-story, 45,000 SF building is a mixed-use development featuring ground floor retail, two floors of apartments, and a fourth floor of five condos. This is being built by GDK, the same developer for the Theater project mentioned above - Quote:
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Holland -
The Civic Center in Holland has been undergoing an extensive, $14 million renovation - Quote:
https://5te9eq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: Holland Sentinel | Courtesy Rendering Sadly, there was a construction-relate fatality on the jobsite last year, when a portion of floor that was being demolished collapsed, causing two workers to fall and one of them to die on the scene - Quote:
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Holland -
Have to include this one. The Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts on Hope College's campus was completed in 2015. It is a truly beautiful venue, well-detailed with amazing acoustics. And it is a huge contribution to the local arts scene. 64,000 SF, with an 800-seat main auditorium and smaller recital hall along with instructional spaces, rehearsal rooms, and faculty studios. It attained LEED Silver certification. There are some great photos of this project on the College's website. Here' just a few highlights - Exterior by night - https://6de9eq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Main Lobby - https://6te9eq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Main Auditorium - https://6ze9eq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: Hope College |
Wow, I don't know much about Holland, but that's a nice array of projects. Does Holland have many commuters to Grand Rapids? Look forward to more.
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Muskegon -
Let's jump over to Muskegon, a city that has had its fair share of tough times, but one that is making a serious effort at a renaissance. 'Urban Renewal' was not limited to big cities, and Muskegon followed the model set by bigger municipalities. As a result, the entire downtown was basically obliterated. Starting in the 1950s, much of the city's downtown building stock was demolished and replaced with parking lots. In the 1960s, a suburban-style mall took the place of Western venue, in an ill-fated, cringe-worthy attempt to attract shoppers downtown. The economy continued to falter and downtown suffered severe blows that were hard to overcome for decades. That mall has since been demolished, and the city has reinstated the historic, pedestrian-oriented street grid, which has helped encourage new interest in developing downtown. This article from the Institute for Quality Communities, out of the University of Oklahoma, does a good brief summary of the changes, and has some shocking before / after comparison photos with a slide bar (brace yourself) - Downtown Aerial View - 1953 - Note the dense urban fabric, few surface lots - https://5jfejq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Downtown - Same Aerial View, but in 1968 - Notice the extensive surface lots and loss of historic blocks - https://5dfejq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Aerial View - 2002 - The suburban-style Muskegon Mall has caused even further degradation of downtown core, killing more local businesses and bringing more surface lots - https://5zfejq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Downtown Aerial View - 2013 - With the mall fully-demolished in the early 2000's and the street grid reconstructed, new developments are seen occurring - https://5tfejq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none It's not all sunshine and flowers, of course, but...wow! What progress has been made is incredible and commendable and there is so much more in the works. A recent rough estimate shows that about $1 billion is currently being invested in the city. There is a demand for new housing downtown that hasn't existed since the 1950s, and businesses are either returning to downtown or opening there for the first time. |
Muskegon -
Nearly 200 residential units are currently under development in Muskegon's downtown core, and one of the biggest projects happening in Muskegon right now is Highpoint Flats, consisting of 47 market rate apartments in a remodeled tower - the former Hackley Union National Bank building, a.k.a. "Muskegon's first skyscraper." Built in 1918, it somehow managed to survive the urban renewal process and now, after years of delay, has new life as a prime downtown living spot. Construction on this $9 million project began late last Spring and is expected to wrap up around May of this year. Still Muskegon's tallest, the tower features a rooftop deck and clubhouse, and a ground floor fitness center. All of the units have a view of Muskegon Lake. The first two floors have up to 10,000 SF available for commercial / retail tenants. The leasing office is open, a model unit available for tours, and demand is high - Quote:
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It is exciting to see all of this development happening on Michigan's west side! |
Muskegon -
MLive did a neat video recently, a driving tour that captures some of the new developments happening downtown. I will break these down a bit more, development by development, but you can get a quick sense of how the scars in the urban fabric have been healing over with new investments. Muskegon has a sense of place that was gone / forgotten for decades. I doubt a visitor to the area 30 years ago would even recognize this as the same place today - |
Muskegon -
Here are some of the other substantial residential / mixed-use projects underway in Muskegon, in order of budget, including - Berkshire Muskegon - An 84-unit, affordable-housing community under construction at 275 W. Clay Avenue, geared towards those 55 years of age and older. The three-story development represents a $16 million investment by General Capital Group (Chicago, Milwaukee) and includes underground parking and 5,000 SF of ground-floor retail. It is scheduled to open this Spring - https://5jhdsa-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: General Capital Group Terrace Point Landing - This is a 70-lot residential development right on Muskegon Lake. Started in 2013, development has been picking up steam with purchase and development of many of the lots. Valued at $10.25 million in total, this new community is by Parkland Development - https://6dhdsa-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: Terrrace Point Landing Lake View Lofts - This new six-story mixed-use development recently broke ground at 351 W. Western Ave. (between 2nd and 3rd Streets). It will include commercial / retail space on the bottom three floors and 20 apartment units on the top three. Development partners Chris Benedict and Josh Canale are leading the $7 million effort to create this new building that will prominently anchor the corner lot where it is being built - https://5zhdsa-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: MLive Liberty Building Renovation - Located right behind the Highpoint Flats development and across from Berkshire, the long-vacant liberty building (corner of Clay Ave. and 1st Street) is being converted to mixed-use, with plans for commercial / retail use on the first three floors, and apartments on floors 4 and 5. This project is estimated to cost $7 million - https://5dhdsa-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: MLive | Courtesy Port City Construction Heritage Square Commons / Townhomes - The multi-phase Heritage Square development has brought much needed, medium-density residential housing downtown, and with pretty good architectural design. The latest round of townhomes were recently completed, and now work is substantially underway on a 2 story, mixed-use portion at the corner of Clay Ave. and 2nd Street. It will feature ground-floor retail with apartments above, and bring a finished-sense of density to this corner. Construction cost is estimated at $2 million and work is expected to be complete this summer - Here's an earlier phase of completed townhomes (nice, right?) - https://5thdsa-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: Heritage Square And a rendering of the current project, the Commons - https://6jhdsa-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: MLive | Courtesy Port City Construction Terrace Flats Apartments - This $1.7 million project at 316 Morris St. involves a conversion of the top two floors of an office building into 20 market-rate apartment units. Phase one was completed in December - https://6thdsa-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: The Hinman Company |
Muskegon -
In commercial development, the world's largest manufacturer of kayaks and other outdoor sporting equipment - KL Outdoors - recently moved its global headquarters to downtown Muskegon. The company spent over $9 million to renovate the former SPX Corp. pyramid, located at 700 Terrace Point. The move brings an expected increase of 150 jobs to the company and to the area - https://3jhdsa-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: Twitter |
Muskegon -
In healthcare, Mercy Health broke ground in Fall 2016 on a massive new expansion to its existing campus near US-31 and E Sherman Blvd. in Muskegon. The project, costing an estimated $271 million, is considered to be the single-most expensive project in the history of the entire county. At the center of the expansion is a new 10-story tower that will add 267 new, private beds to its current operations, along with new surgery space and a new emergency department. The existing facilities will receive extensive renovations as well. Mercy Health is the largest employer in the county, with about 4,100 employees. The new hospital is expected to be complete in 2019 - Renderings - several more stories were added during design development - https://tl2ojw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none https://s72ojw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none https://3zhdsa-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: WZZM The new 10-story tower topped out in October 2017 - https://sb2ojw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: Mercy Health News |
Muskegon -
In other healthcare development news on Muskegon's Northside, Spectrum Health opened a new integrated patient care facility in December 2016 at 2009 Holton Road. The $13.8 million project includes a 30,000 SF facility to link lakeshore residents to Spectrum's massive facilities in Grand Rapids. Spectrum has been aggressive in its growth, and is trying to directly compete with Mercy - https://t72ojw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: Spectrum Health Mercy, in turn, is responding by erecting its own $12 million, 30,000 SF patient care facility directly across the street from Spectrum's, at 2006 Holton Road. Both facilities offer primary care, X-ray services, labs, and pharmacy services. Mercy's facility consolidates three primary care offices in the area, and is expected to open in November - https://sr2ojw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: MLive | Courtesy Mercy Health |
Muskegon -
Here's another big one for Muskegon, with a lot of moving parts involved - Last August, the city announced its plan for a $15 million downtown convention center, to be located adjacent to the LC Arena and Holiday Inn. This will be a joint public / private venture, with the city, the county, and the hotel owner working as partners on the development. Under the current arrangement, the city will own the center and arrange financing, but the actual money to pay off the debt and for operating expenses will come from Muskegon County and the hotel owner, Parkland Properties (Jon Rooks). Muskegon County would provide the guarantee on the bond payments. The city and county came up with a clever way to secure the financing. By passing a decision to levy a new tax on hotel rooms only within the city of Muskegon, the only yes vote needed to approve the 4% assessment was from Jon Rooks, because he is the only hotel owner in the city. The Center will be built on land donated by Rooks behind his hotel, and is estimated to be between 40,000 and 50,000 SF. It is estimated to break ground in 2019 and to be open by 2021. The idea of a downtown convention center has been discussed for decades, and, after a 2014 feasibility study, those involved now believe that they have the demand and finances in order, and are ready to start design work. This is evidenced by the recent news that a local Architect has now been awarded the contract for design services - Progressive AE, out of Grand Rapids - Quote:
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https://s73zsg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: IHG / Holiday Inn And in another small, related development, a new restaurant, Rad Dad's Taco & Tequila Bar, is being built and will be connected to the LC Arena - https://ul2ojw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: MLive |
Wow, thanks for the updates!
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Muskegon - Here's one more big one for Muskegon - Muskegon Community College Downtown Center celebrated its grand opening last month. It occupies the former Muskegon Chronicle press building and former Masonic Temple building, located downtown at 388 W. Clay Ave. and was completed at a cost of almost $15 million. The campus, now formally known as the Carolyn I. and Peter Sturrus Technology Center, offers courses in applied technology programs and entrepreneurial studies. It also features a welding shop, prototyping labs with 3D printing and laser cutters, campus store, and credit union. Project Renderings - https://tr3eea-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none https://q73eea-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none https://rl3eea-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: MLive | Courtesy C2AE / MMA architects Photos from the Grand Opening, January 2018 - https://t73eea-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none https://s70pna-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Automotion Lab - https://ul3eea-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Machine Shop - https://tb3eea-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none Source: MLive | Joel Bissel |
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