Archives
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
Partnership Looks to Grow Greenspace
/in Grand Rapids /by Tracy WillisA partnership between the city of Grand Rapids and Kent County Drain Commissioner Ken Yonker is focused on developing some much needed greenspace on the city’s Southeast Side. Located at 1516 S Division Ave., the property and an adjacent parcel are two of 11 properties the Grand Rapids City Commission will move forward on. The other nine properties are along Carrier Creek on the city’s Northeast Side. The city plans to turn them into park spaces, while maintaining the storm water management functions that are in place. The parks will focus on recreation opportunities like walking trails, overlooks and benches.
I
Amway Grand Plaza’s Renovation Completed
/in Grand Rapids /by Tracy WillisThe $40 million renovation of the Amway Grand Plaza’s 29-story tower is complete. Renovations began in January 2019 and outfitted the tower with new glass that provides guest rooms and the restaurant, MDRD, with floor-to-ceiling views of the city. Prior to the renovations, the 285 tower rooms had windows that started at knee level. According to the chairman and CEO of Van Andel Institute, the tower’s original glass was at the end of its useful life. The new glass is expected to save 10% in energy costs. The tower’s crown was outfitted with new LED lighting. The hotel was received new metal cladding, a backlit crown logo, and updated balcony rooms.
Novel Financing Helps With Inadequate Housing Issues
/in Grand Rapids, Northern Michigan, SE Michigan, Western Michigan /by Tracy WillisAn inadequate supply of housing is creating problems for businesses and crippling economic development in many communities. As a result, some communities are turning to tax increment financing. Tax increment financing (TIF) enables a developer to regain some of the upfront costs for a project by securing an increase in property taxes for a period of years and diverting them until the spending is repaid. Once the agreed-upon costs are paid off, the higher tax increment goes to local government. TIF has been around for a while but using it to allow new housing to be built that would be affordable to residents is a novel idea. It’s being used where labor and supply costs wouldn’t otherwise allow affordability.