By: Deborah Johnson Wood
It started out as a warehouse to hold military uniforms needed during WWI. Then it became Grand Rapids Loose Leaf Printing Company. If approved by the Grand Rapids Historic Preservation Commission, it will soon be more than 30 market rate apartments, one of the few such offerings in the downtown area.
The three-story warehouse at 333 Commerce Street will undergo a proposed $3.5 million renovation that includes the two vacant lots next door at 349 and 351 Commerce—one will be developed into a four-story addition, the other a nine-space surface parking lot.
“The building’s going to be designed with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) requirements in mind,” said Curt Mulder of Fryling Construction, the designer and builder of the project. “Less parking will help us in terms of the urban redevelopment credits we can get. Very successful downtown areas have no residential parking, so instead of just creating more parking we figured we’d use up some of the parking that’s on the street.”
Property owner Kris Elliott hopes to have the properties designated as a Brownfield Redevelopment Zone.
“We’re going for Brownfield tax credits,” Mulder said. “We’re working with the Grand Rapids Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and they’re open to it, but it hasn’t been approved yet.”
Source: Curt Mulder, Fryling Construction
Deborah Johnson Wood is Development News Editor for Rapid Growth. She can be contacted at [email protected].
Photograph by Brian Kelly
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