Displaying items tagged: Downtown Grand Rapids Inc

As consumers’ shopping habits change and the retail sector reacts to new technology-driven disruptions, retail industry watchers in West Michigan remain optimistic about the year to come. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Multiple organizations have partnered to assess how Grand Rapids can attract and retain retail across all parts of the city.

GRAND RAPIDS — The city of Grand Rapids is seeking development partners for a downtown mixed-use structure that includes retail, parking and possibly housing or commercial development. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Officials expect to begin the $45 million project to restore the rapids in the Grand River by July 2021, later than they had originally projected.

GRAND RAPIDS — Moving into a larger ground-floor space in the prominent Harris Building on South Division Avenue gave a boost to business at Little Space Studio LLC.

GRAND RAPIDS — The Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority has hired a consultant to lead the process of weighing concepts for developing a full-service hotel to serve the downtown convention center. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Legislation expected to be reintroduced this session could address the question of whether downtown residential property owners should help pay for the services currently funded only by assessments on commercial businesses. Although former Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed similar legislation, lawmakers could revive bills this year that would allow local taxing authorities to decide whether residential owners in business improvement districts should also pay the assessments that commercial property owners pay. 

Pioneer Construction Co. will serve as construction manager for the city’s renovation of VandenBerg Plaza, known commonly as Calder Plaza.

The proposed sale of a site on the west bank of the Grand River could offer the property’s next owner a chance to fulfill some community goals for the city’s waterfront.

Even with a number of large-scale projects being built, West Michigan developers say they’re still thinking big for 2019. Multiple real estate and construction executives say they see no sign of the industry slowing down in the new year, although many believe companies’ focus could shift away from market-rate housing in downtown Grand Rapids. 

Stakeholders in West Michigan’s commercial real estate, architecture and construction industries are coming off another big year for development and see few signs that indicate a significant slowdown in 2019. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Downtown could soon see its first African American-owned bar and restaurant in years.

GRAND RAPIDS — A broad group of stakeholders on Thursday unveiled conceptual plans for re-designing public spaces on both banks of the Grand River through downtown Grand Rapids.

Two arterial roads through the city’s central business district could go from one-way to two-way streets under a new plan being considered by the Downtown Development Authority.

MILWAUKEE — As a wide variety of stakeholders push forward with revitalizing the Grand River corridor through downtown Grand Rapids, they have no shortage of other cities they can look to for best practices.

In anticipation of a multifaceted effort to restore the Grand River through downtown Grand Rapids, numerous public and private partners are coming together to activate a number of key sites along the riverbanks.

GRAND RAPIDS — Efforts to restore the rapids in the Grand River might be a year or more away from launching, but stakeholders already have started thinking about opportunities the project will create throughout downtown.

GRAND RAPIDS — In offering increased transit service along one of West Michigan’s densest employment corridors, Grand Rapids officials hope to fulfill a goal of one of the city’s key urban planning documents.

GRAND RAPIDS — The old adage that development follows transit has proven slow to materialize along the Silver Line bus rapid transit (BRT) route through southern Kent County.

The nonprofit organization that administers the Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority and several downtown events has new leadership.

GRAND RAPIDS –– When developer Franklin Partners LLC brings its proposed seven-story downtown office tower to market in the coming years, it will offer tenants Class A office space that’s currently in short supply across the city.

GRAND RAPIDS — Planners and neighborhood stakeholders believe that investing in some basic infrastructure in downtown Grand Rapids’ Heartside district could help spur equitable economic development.

Tower cranes constructing offices, hotels and apartments dot the skyline in and around downtown Grand Rapids.

GRAND RAPIDS –– After a largely procedural vote striking down a resolution to boost the inventory of public parking in Grand Rapids, city commissioners will likely reconsider the idea now that it’s gone through the proper channels.

After a five-year tenure running Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., President and CEO Kris Larson plans to depart for a similar position in North Carolina.

GRAND RAPIDS — Officials from West Michigan acknowledge the region must overcome long odds in its bid to win the economic development sweepstakes for Amazon.com Inc.’s HQ2 project.

West Michigan economic developers plan to jump into an already crowded pool of contenders for Amazon.com Inc.’s proposed $5 billion second headquarters.

Grand Rapids may be known colloquially as Beer City, but visitors should plan to avoid walking between hip bars and eateries with a pint of local IPA, at least for the foreseeable future.

As the city of Grand Rapids considers selling publicly-owned land, it hopes to use a new method of engaging would-be developers looking to redevelop the parcels.

GRAND RAPIDS — Developers behind a $140 million movie theater and mixed-use district south of Van Andel Arena want to expand the project to include a new office tower and hotel, MiBiz has learned.