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Developer Plans 250-Unit Project For Grand Rapids’ Celebration Village

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Victory Development Group is planning a 250-unit mixed use project in Grand Rapids’ Celebration Village. The developer is seeking a planned redevelopment district amendment for Celebration Apartments, a mixed-use apartment project it is proposing. The Grand Rapids City Planning Commission will hear the request on January 12. Victory Development group will ask for a change in use or character of the development, an increase in residential density, and an increase to five stories from the maximum allowable building height of four stories. The project would be located on the only remaining vacant parcel in the Celebration Village commercial development. Victory Development Group is the firm behind the 280 Ann and Victory on Leonard apartment projects on Grand Rapids’ northwest side.

 

Developer Pitches 57-Apartment Plan For Downtown Grand Rapids

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W&S Development LLC, a Bazzani Building Company affiliate, is pursuing tax incentives for a proposed mixed-use development in downtown Grand Rapids. The Grand Rapids City Commission set a public meeting for January 24 to hear feedback on the application for a Brownfield Plan Amendment and a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone. The developer plans to build two new five-story buildings on the vacant lot at 415 Sheldon Ave. SE. The buildings will include retail space and 57 market-rate apartments. The project is called Wealthy & Sheldon Lofts, with one of the buildings facing Wealthy Street SE, and the other facing Sheldon Avenue SE. The Wealthy Street building will also host 1,800 square feet of commercial space. The 57 new apartments will be divided between the two buildings.

 

Grand Rapids Booms With New Projects

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Grand Rapids is close to a achieving a record number of new developments. Despite supply chain issues, inflated costs and interest rates, and labor shortages, the city reported big numbers for new private investment in 2021. According the Grand Rapid’s Economic Development Director, it’s set to outpace 2021’s record again this year. Although its 2022 outcomes won’t be reported until the first quarter of 2023, the data is obvious. Although the city wants to retain the companies that have found their home in Grand Rapids and attract new ones, its biggest issue is an a housing shortage across all price points. Nine projects are in the works for 2023, promising to bolster Grand Rapids’ economy. They include business incubators, a community kitchen, co-working and retail spaces, a healthcare facility and a few affordable housing projects.

 

Grand Rapids and Grand Haven Receive State Funding For Contamination Cleanup

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The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has awarded a $1.73 million brownfield cleanup grant to Grand Rapids and Grand Haven. The monies will be used for three residential and mixed-use projects on properties contaminated by gas and oil. Grand Rapids’ Boston Square Together is one of the projects that will benefit from the grant, enabling the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to address the environmental contamination on the site. The monies will also be used for future commercial condominiums in Grand Haven and a planned residential development in northeast Grand Rapids.

 

Switch Expands Former Steelcase Pyramid Site

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The former Steelcase Pyramid site south of Grand Rapids is facing a major expansion. Switch, the Las Vegas-based data storage company, is excavating at the Steelcase Pyramid campus in Gaines Township.  It’s building a 312,000-square-foot building separate from the Pyramid.  The project includes a 1,000-square-foot pump house.  Work on the expansion site began in the spring, with the concrete foundations expected to be poured before the snow flies. The cost of the project, its contractor and completion date have yet to be disclosed. According to Switch’s second-quarter earnings report, it allocated $800,000 toward site preparation.

 

Grand Rapids Planning Commission Approves Plans For Multi-Use Development

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The Grand Rapids City Planning Commission approved plans for The McConnell, a 432-unit apartment, restaurant and retail building south of downtown Grand Rapids. The project plans will reuse an existing industrial building in addition to new construction. The commission unanimously approved special land use and optional  plan review requests for the project. The special land use request was for a reduction in required parking, alcohol sales and consumption, live entertainment, banquet functions and outdoor seating. The developers of the project include Chicago-based Krika Development, Boston-based Spire Investment Properties and Suitepeople, based in McLean, Virginia.

 

 

Indiana-Based Developer Plans Multifamily Townhome Development in Grand Rapids

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Thompson Thrift Residential, based in Terra Haute, Indiana, is planning a 344-unit multifamily luxury townhome rental community in Wyoming, a Grand Rapids suburb. The developer spent $5.4 million on 28.5 acres in July. The development will be comprised of one- to four-bedroom  townhome apartments, some with attached garages and private yards.  The complex will include resort-style common areas including a clubhouse, swimming pool, gym, pickle ball courts and a dog park. Thompson Thrift Residential is motivated by the shortage of multifamily development, ;last year’s double-digit employment growth and the 40% increase in home values that have outpriced many first-time home buyers.

 

Detroit Developer Revamps Plans For Grand Rapids’ Furniture Company Property

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Detroit developer, Sturgeon Bay Partners is revamping its plan for a huge apartment complex southwest of downtown Grand Rapids. The previously announced plan was to convert the historic Sligh Furniture property into a mixed-use development with residential, retail and commercial spaces. The project’s current price tag is at $100 million due to rising construction costs and interest rates. The developer is revising its plans for the concept design and mix of incentives. The original plan was to create a mixed-use devlopment with 753 apartmes, a five-story parking garage and ground-floor retail space.

 

Nonprofit Tackles Grand Rapids’ Homelessness Issue

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Mel Trotter Ministries is targeting Grand Rapids’ homelessness issue. The city planning commission recently granted approval to the nonprofit’s plans to rezone three industrial lots on Garden St. SE into a planned redevelopment district. Mel Trotter Ministries plans to build a mixed-use tiny home development called Hope Village. It will include 16 detached tiny homes and the redevelopment of a vacant two-story industrial building to add 10 workforce apartments upstairs. The ground level will be used for amenities, social services and offices and space for light industrial tenants. They tiny home will be 240 to 480 square feet. They will be available to tenants who make 20 to 40 percent of the area median income. They will also come with a path to ownership.

Grand Rapids Office Market Continues to Sputter

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The Grand Rapids third quarter office market vacancy rate hit 13.1 percent. The vacancy rate has been increasing since the pandemic as employees move between work-from-home and in-office situations. According to the real estate firm JLL, the market will continue its stops and starts for a while to come. Detroit’s General Motors is an example of the trend. The employer requested employees to come in three days a week only to rescind the request when employees pushed back. Grand Rapids suburban and central business district vacancy rates are one of the lowest in the U.S.