Some pretty significant upgrades are planned for LMCU Ballpark, located just north of Grand Rapids (home to the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers) -
COMSTOCK PARK — West Michigan Whitecaps executives have announced a five-year, multi-phase plan to upgrade their home facilities at LMCU Ballpark.
Phase one of the overhaul will begin this spring and should be completed by opening day in 2024. Changes include upgraded player facilities, a new playing surface with reconfigured field dimensions, new stadium lights, and group hospitality areas where lawn seating currently exists in right and left fields.
Phase two would start construction in 2025 and include a new stadium entrance, exterior and beautification projects to accommodate other events, and a 360-degree concourse that would allow fans to walk completely around the field...
The $110 million expansion of Concourse A at Gerald R. Ford International Airport kicked off in late 2021 and is expected to wrap up June of this year. This is a major piece of a larger multi-phase effort to expand & modernize one of the fastest-growing airports in the country -
Northern Michigan developer plans Grand Rapids' first permanent food truck court
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David Meikle, owner of The Back Lot food truck courts in Petoskey and Charlevoix, will go before the Grand Rapids City Planning Commission on Feb. 23 to seek special land use approval, including for the sale or consumption of alcohol, for a location at 648 Bridge St. NW and 345 Lexington Ave. NW. The location at the site of the former Duthler's Family Foods grocery store would be his fourth; another is underway in Marquette.
The plans also call for an onsite restaurant and bar with indoor and outdoor seating.
According to city property tax records and documents filed with the planning commission, Linda Pestka owns the property. It was unclear whether a sale is underway, but the planning commission documents show Pestka signed off on Meikle's proposal.
With all the growth in Grand Rapids, I expect the number of multifamily projects to increase big time. Especially in light of this report showing that the demand for housing has jumped 56% and that 34,000 new housing units will be needed in Kent County by 2025.
Housing demand jumps 56% in Grand Rapids, Kent County as officials brace for growth
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The housing gap in Grand Rapids and Kent County has jumped 56%, with an estimated 34,699 new units needed by 2027 to meet projected population growth, a new study released by the group Housing Next shows.
Demand is strong in both the rental and for-sale markets, and it can be seen among residents in all income groups, the study shows. However, the need is biggest among residents whose income falls between 81% and 120% or more of the county’s area median income.
Affordable housing developers plan second 52-unit project in GR’s Belknap Lookout neighborhood
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A group of affordable housing developers plan to construct a three-story, 52-unit apartment building next to the Union Suites on Coit housing project that is currently under construction in Grand Rapids’ Belknap Lookout neighborhood.
Not big development news, but a new business incubator space - located on the fourth floor of the Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building - just celebrated its opening. The first three tenants are already confirmed -
I stayed at the Amway Grand Plaza for a conference this week. I upgraded my room to a higher floor, river view, and was able to get some photos of the Studio Park Tower. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty crappy, so this is the best I could get. From the 23rd floor -
The developers of the Factory Yards project in Grand Rapids are seeking up to $103 million in Transformational Brownfield Tax Credits to develop their mixed-used project. This a relatively new tax credit in Michigan and so far, only the Dan Gilbert projects in Downtown Detroit and the District Detroit development have received them.
Metro Detroit developers to seek up to $103 million in state tax credits for Grand Rapids project
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Developers behind Factory Yards, a 467-unit mixed-use redevelopment plan that was pitched to city officials earlier this year, plan to seek up to $103 million through the state's Transformational Brownfield Plans program.
Adopted in 2017 and amended in late 2021 to support more projects, TBPs have been approved for just two projects in Michigan: Dan Gilbert-backed developments in downtown Detroit and the redevelopment of a defunct paper mill in Vicksburg. State officials are considering a $616 million transformational brownfield incentives request for proposed District Detroit projects spearheaded by the Ilitch family and billionaire developer Stephen Ross.
Three metro Detroit-based developers — Ben Smith, Scott Magaluk and Dennis Griffin — are behind the Factory Yards project. The development team on Tuesday presented its tax incentives plan to the city's Economic Development Committee. The developers intend to apply for transformational brownfield credits, $20 million in traditional brownfield credits and Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act incentives. The developers are communicating with city officials as well as the Michigan Economic Development Corp. as they compile a TBP application. They have not yet officially applied for the incentive plan.
In addition to the $20 million in traditional brownfield credits, the developers could qualify for up to $103 million more in transformational brownfield credits, which would reimburse eligible costs including building renovations, alterations, and other construction costs.
This was from a week ago looking down Michigan Ave., and the core has jumped since then. You can see the core to the left of the crane. Untitled by kratzrob, on Flickr
This was from a week ago looking down Michigan Ave., and the core has jumped since then. You can see the core to the left of the crane. Untitled by kratzrob, on Flickr
GVSU is planning a major expansion to their downtown campus that will include new student housing and a $140 million tech center. This will have a big impact on downtown.
Grand Valley vision would bring thousands more students downtown
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Pew campus-specific projects in the latest master plan include transforming the Eberhard Center into a tech hub, constructing a new student center, adding 400 beds of student housing, replacing the Mount Vernon parking lot with active green space, and adding parking structures after existing surface lots are converted over time into new buildings or green space.
The new student center and dining building would be four or five stories tall near U.S.-131, Fulton Street and the riverwalk.
The renovated Eberhard Center included in the master plan would house Blue Dot Lab as well as a school of computing. Blue Dot would be an interdisciplinary tech center that is meant to be used by students and people from the community. GVSU’s plan to create a digital learning and tech center downtown was included just over a year ago in The Right Place Inc.’s list of 12 projects that could be transformational for Grand Rapids. The roughly 175,000-square-foot Blue Dot Lab adaptive reuse project would cost roughly $140 million to transform the Eberhard Center over three years, according to GVSU’s most recent capital outlay plan. University officials are requesting $35 million in state funding support for the project.
The “Pew Green” open green space included in the master plan would be located at the site of the existing Mount Vernon parking lot. There would be opportunities to host events and live performances on Pew Green, but it would also connect various adjacent campus buildings to the riverwalk and Laker Line bus stop, according to the plan.
Local officials say GVSU’s ongoing downtown investments have the potential to rebrand Grand Rapids as a college town.
“Grand Rapids in general has quite a few universities here, but it’s never really been viewed as a college town,” said Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. President and CEO Tim Kelly. “Finding ways to underline the university culture here is a benefit for everyone and I think Grand Valley is really taking the lead on that.”
Another massive residential development is being proposed for the Creston neighborhood. This would involve tearing down the old Display Pack factory and building 526 apartments and a 627-space parking deck.
Developer plans 526 apartments at massive Grand Rapids factory redevelopment
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Franklin Partners LLC unveiled plans on Wednesday night to demolish the long-vacant former Display Pack Inc. building and build a mixed-use development with 526 apartment units, making it one of the largest housing proposals in Grand Rapids in recent years.
The 307,000-square-foot structure is located between Creston’s business district and the Grand River on the city’s north side.The Oak Brook, Ill.-based commercial real estate investor plans to build two separate, four-story structures on the north and south end of the site at 1340 Monroe Ave. NW. Plans also call for a 627-space parking deck in the middle of the property between the two apartment buildings.
Don Shoemaker, principal at Franklin Partners, and Tom Tooley, executive vice president at Grand Rapids-based architecture firm Ghafari Associates LLC, presented the development plan on Wednesday night at a Creston Neighborhood Association meeting.
“We think this is a great opportunity to turn an empty lot into a vibrant community that’s going to add residents to the Creston Neighborhood and help support the businesses there,” Shoemaker said.
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