Developers plan new west side Grand Rapids office building

Developers plan new west side Grand Rapids office building

GRAND RAPIDS — A group of developers are positioning their proposed new Leonard Street office building as a gateway to Grand Rapids’ west side.

Leonard Street Partners LLC detailed plans today for a $5 million, three-story, mixed-used building at the corner of Leonard Street and Broadway Avenue. The partners hope the building will serve as a “rebirth of the historic business corridor.”

“Our vision is a multi-use business and retail area that will bring many new jobs to this area,” said project investor Johnny Brann Jr., the owner of Kitchen67, Brann’s Restaurants and Interphase Interiors. “More feet and faces will be part of this corridor moving forward.”

Developers are proposing to demolish three vacant buildings to construct the 23,000-square-foot office building that will have commercial offices on the second and third floors. They have secured architecture firm Paradigm Design Inc., which currently operates at 550 3 Mile Road NW, as the anchor tenant. The ground floor will serve as retail space and be announced in the coming weeks.

“We were getting to the point where we needed to reinvest in our space, and we thought rather than reinvest, we should be part of some of the revitalization that’s happening in some of the parts of Grand Rapids,” said Joe Greco, president of Paradigm Design. 

Johnny Brann LLC has owned the vacant building at 415 Leonard since 2006. The developers are seeking reimbursement from the city of Grand Rapids for brownfield-eligible activities totalling $458,464.

“This is a critical investment for the city of Grand Rapids,” said Kurt Reppart, first ward city commissioner. “The project will be a symbol of health and vitality in the West Grand neighborhood.”

Wolverine Building Group Inc. will serve as the construction manager on the project, which was designed by Grand Rapids-based Henrickson Architecture LLC.

Developers expect to break ground in early 2020, and Paradigm estimates it will move into the office next fall.

The announcement of the office building comes after the Brann family announced a more than $1 million renovation for the 10,000-square-foot building at 401 Leonard St. NW, which houses Brann’s Steakhouse. The ongoing renovations are expected to be completed by the end of March.