Development News

The controversial former Margarita Grill at 25 Ottawa SW is undergoing a transformation to bring Grand Rapids what Steve Brechting describes as an "energetic casual" hotspot for eats and libations.

Brechting, 29, is an executive chef and owner of the proposed 25 Kitchen & Bar. When he was 20, he founded Chef Brech Catering; four years ago, he purchased Hub's Inn, 1645 Leonard. His vision for the new restaurant includes partnerships with the Van Andel Arena to capitalize on the restaurant's proximity – just across the street – to the popular sports and events venue.

"The upper part (entrance) will have flair bartenders and loud music, the lower level will be an interactive open kitchen," Brechting says. "Being 500 feet from the arena, people will come here to get hyped up and come here afterward to stay energized."

Brechting says he's initiated conversations with the marketing director of the Griffins to promote the new establishment through pre- and post-event parties and by distributing advertising handouts at arena events.

Interior demolition brought the space to white box. Going forward, the dining area will have exposed brick walls, rounded booths that seat four to six, and round tables for parties of 10.

The bar area will have a contemporary atmosphere with wood framing, metal fixtures and conversation tables and banquettes. The custom bar is horseshoe shaped and seats 35.

"We'll have international wood-fired pizzas and small plates," Brechting says of the menu offerings he's creating. "It will be casual but with a different twist you won't see anywhere downtown."

The drink menu features 25 beers on tap and 25 signature cocktails to play off the "25" in the pub's name. The venue will serve lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Source: Steve Brechting, 25 Kitchen & Bar

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.


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Some 2,500 square feet of fourth-story office space with window walls providing 180-degree views of Grand Rapids convinced David Eggerichs to follow up on his desire to open a downtown filmmaking studio for his company, Motivity Pictures.

After last month's relocation to the Custer Workplace Interiors building, 217 Grandville Avenue SW, Eggerichs took things even further by opening the studio space to other photographers and filmmakers who need a professional photography studio with lots of natural daylight. The space is available by the hour, day or week; lease amounts vary depending on usage needs.

"I have one photographer using the space for client meetings because she runs her business out of her home," Eggerichs says. "A downtown studio lends more credibility to any business. A lot of people do shoots outdoors, but we have winter here and they need a good indoor space to do good work."

Photographers will have access to professional lighting including strobes; black, white and green backdrop screens; and instant viewing on the studio's flat screen television. The studio, office, meeting area and TV viewing area are all one open space with casual seating and waxed concrete floors – but no dividers or cubicles to obstruct the natural daylight.

"My company is a film production company," Eggerichs says. "We locally do commercials, just finished one for RX Optical and have worked with the Rampage and the Griffins. We produce any type of visual media for TV and web. I was working out of my house and a part-time studio space. Clients would see my work and wanted to fly in and see my film studio, and now I have the space and clients come in and they love it."

Source: David Eggerichs, Motivity Pictures

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

Photos Courtesy of David Eggerichsread on…

After adding a new partner, three-year-old DVQ Studio moved into new downtown Grand Rapids digs and trained its focus entirely on communications and branding for nonprofit organizations and mission-driven companies.

Emily Stoddard Furrow, 25, a seasoned nonprofit professional joined DVQ Studio as partner with company owner Gretchen DeVault, 35. Both women have a passion for serving the nonprofit community and have years of experience working in the nonprofit arena – Furrow at the United Way, DeVault at the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce.

"We really think that our distinct take is a really holistic view of the nonprofit process," Furrow says. "Nonprofits are about a cause and a focus that brings about change, not just the bottom line. With (economic) resources being so tight right now, the communications investment has to be for the right thing, has to say the right thing to the right people."

All four employees worked from home offices, but the need to have a central location for collaborating with each other and with clients spurred them to relocate to 100 Grandville Avenue, Grand Rapids.

The company decked out the 1,200-square-foot space in earth tones. A client meeting space furnished with casual couches and tables promotes relaxation with a cup of coffee during work sessions, Furrow says.

"We look at the space as the physical extension of our brand and we didn't want our brand to be working out of our homes," Furrow adds. "Last week one client walked in and said, 'Don't take this wrong, but when I walk into your office I feel like I'm walking into your web site.' And that's the way we want it, for our office and our web site to have a very similar tone."

Source: Emily Stoddard Furrow, DVQ Studio

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

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Julius Houseman athletic field was back in the game last Thursday for a contest between Central and Union high schools after a $5.8 million dollar renovation upgraded the aging facility to 21st Century standards.

The field, which saw its first competitive sports in 1923, is home field for Grand Rapids Public Schools' Central, Creston, Ottawa and Union high schools. Grand Rapids Community College and Aquinas College also host sporting events on the facility's 11 acres.

Last December, GRPS put the renovation on a fast track using money left from the June 2004 bond proposal that paid for the renovation and construction of 11 GRPS schools.

"It happened right as the schools applied to get into the OK Conference, and [the conference leaders] came and reviewed the facilities and told us what needed to be replaced," says Ken Klomparens, executive director of facilities and operations. "There was a lot of structural deterioration of the bleachers, and the restrooms were horrendous. They hadn't been touched in 50 years."

New restrooms on the home and visitor's sides include four family-assist accommodations. Other improvements include new bleachers for home team spectators, locker rooms, entry gates with six-sided kiosks, field lighting, a new press box equipped with technology for laptops and television cameras and new concessions. GRPS invested $800,000 to replace the Astroturf with the same long fiber artificial turf used by colleges and the National Football League.

"We had traditional Astroturf and every Monday our facilities people had to repair it with fishing line and glue," Klomparens says.

The roof of the home team locker room forms an entry plaza giving spectators a bird's eye view from 30 feet above the field. A second platform is available for rent for parties and family gatherings during games.

Source: Kenneth Klomparens, Grand Rapids Public Schools

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.


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If the proposed $25 million Heart of the City Health Center becomes reality, the new Heartside-based complex could serve 17,000 low-income Kent County residents annually.

That's the prediction of Greg Dziadosz, president of Touchstone Innovaré. Touchstone, Cherry Street Health Services and Proaction Behavioral Health Alliance will combine their services at the new complex, which will be located in the 100 block of Cherry Street SE.

"The majority of healthcare costs seem to be going into chronic illnesses and we realized we were all treating chronic illnesses," Dziadosz says. "People with heart disease often are depressed or have other health problems. Our question is, is there a better way to treat chronic illnesses in general and to treat chronic co-diseases?"

Dziadosz describes the proposed development as a "health care mall" where low-income patients can receive medical, dental and vision care, mental health services, short-term outpatient care and substance abuse counseling. An onsite pharmacy adds an additional convenience for patients.

The health center will be strategically located a short walk from Saint Mary's Health Care and the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids, places where families in need can avail themselves of additional resources.  

The facility replaces the Cherry Tree Court Apartments and adjacent surface parking lot. Preservationist efforts by Rapid Growth's Jeff Hill and others to relocate the Perry Building section of the apartments have come to a standstill because, as Hill states, "There are too many challenges to making the move happen."

The City of Grand Rapids approved brownfield tax credits; Dziadosz says the Michigan Economic Development Corporation has yet to sign off. The development may also qualify for new market tax credits.

Dziadosz expects to break ground before Thanksgiving. He expects the completed facility to create 90 new healthcare jobs.

Design Plus is the architect. A construction manager has not been selected.

Source: Greg Dziadosz, Touchstone Innovaré; Jeff Hill, Rapid Growth

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

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With all the green building in the region, it's no wonder that the U.S. Green Building Council – West Michigan Chapter has grown to the point of requiring more office space. Since its founding in 2004, the nonprofit chapter has operated out of a space in the executive director's home. But last June it moved into Grand Rapids Community College's (GRCC) Tassell M-TEC, 622 Godfrey Avenue SW.

"We function always with an eye toward partnerships and collaborations," says Linda Frey, executive director. "One board member, Brian Shultz, is construction trades manager of GRCC's M-TEC and when he found there was support for us from GRCC to take a space, we decided to make the move."

Frey says the M-TEC (Michigan Technical Education Center) location is a good fit for the local chapter because of its involvement with Green Advantage construction trades program at GRCC.

"Right now we're hoping to establish a GRCC student chapter of the USGBC," Frey says. "They'd be autonomous but would be a partner with our chapter. We're hoping we can continue to be hands on with students, especially with the continuing efforts to green the buildings on campus."

The new space accommodates four workers when needed and provides access to any conference rooms in GRCC's buildings. Frey says five elements included in construction have green features: cradle-to-cradle Steelcase furnishings, re-use of used file cabinets and chairs, linoleum countertops made of earth-friendly linseed oil, access to public transit and setting up shop in an existing structure.

The chapter has 344 members – more than twice its membership two years ago. Members include builders, architects, landscape designers, schools and universities, government offices and environmental organizations.

Source: Linda Frey, U.S. Green Building Council – West Michigan
 
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.


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Muskegon is primed for a change in energy, says Warren Mosley, founder of the new Muskegon Yoga Center. But instead of energy efficient buildings or solar panels,  it's in the people who are getting their internal batteries re-charged through the practice of yoga, he says.

"Any physical changes have to be preceded by a mental change," Mosley says. "That is one of the things we offer – a change in energy. This is an opportunity for Muskegon residents to take control over their bodies and lives during a stressful economic time."

Muskegon Yoga Center, located downtown at 825 Western Avenue, offers instruction in the practice of several types of yoga, including Sivananda and Vinyasa Flow.

The center opened in May and features a 700-square-foot practice room with hardwood floors and plenty of natural light. The space includes a reception area, boutique for yoga equipment and locker rooms.

"It's a fairly significant investment," Mosley says. "But we didn't take out any loans. We've financed it with our own funds."

Mosley, a Muskegon resident, says he had never intended to open a yoga center. He had been away from Muskegon for several years and learned the practice and teaching of yoga. When he returned, he ran into the owner of the downtown building where the center is now located.

"It was rather serendipitous," he says, "and it was a prime location."

Two partners, Barb Badolati and Peter Violino, joined him in the venture.

The fall schedule offers 18 different classes per week, including lunch hour sessions. Badolati will host classes for women as well as health and wellness instruction. There are also classes for men, seniors, golfers, veterans and others.
    
An open house is planned for September 12.

Source: Warren Mosley, Muskegon Yoga Center

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

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The mixed-use development under construction at 38 Commerce has cleared some major milestones, according to the project manager leading the job for Pioneer Construction.

The $26 million project known simply as Thirty-Eight includes a $16 million LEED-certified building with 43 new residences, as well as commercial, retail and restaurant spaces, and an adjacent $10 million parking ramp.

Project manager Scott Veine says the construction team has completed topping out concrete for the Commerce Avenue side of the building and has started steel erection for the top two floors, as well as columns for the commercial space on the west end of the building.

Also complete is the framing out of all 35 apartments and eight condos, Veine says. Mechanical, engineering and plumbing systems are now being installed in those suites.

Locus Development is the owner and developer of the mixed use component. The attached city-owned parking deck provides parking for residents and patrons of Thirty-Eight. Veine says it is 100 percent erected in terms of precast for the deck, with pouring of floors now underway.

The parking decks are slated to be open and operational by December 15.

"By March 1, 2010, we’ll be completed with the [residences]," Veine says.

Veine also indicated that, even at this stage of the development, Thirty-Eight would meet LEED standards, an important goal of the project.

"If we would take everything on March 1 that we had on August 31, we would get a minimum of LEED certification, so we’re maintaining what our intent was as far as keeping it green."

Source: Scott Veine, Pioneer Construction; Locus Development

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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

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Mario Stevenson's new shoe store in downtown Muskegon sells just one kind of footwear: the kind that sells for $20 or less.

Stevenson is counting on that price point to generate a lot of foot traffic from the city's growing population of downtown dwellers and workers.

LaBrae's Shoes, 1144 Third St., offers a variety of shoes, boots and sandals for men, women and children. And Stevenson says it fills a need for a bargain shoe store close to where people work and live, so they don't have to drive to purchase products they use for walking.

"What's unique is the type of store it is for downtown," Stevenson says. "Most stores like this are a few miles out (of town)."

Before venturing into business ownership, Stevenson managed a mall shoe store, Tradehome Shoes. But he says he was tired of making money for someone else and wanted to become his own boss.

"I'm from this area, and I thought [downtown] would be a great place for my store," he says.

LaBrae's is located in the 600-square-foot former auto showroom of Betten Body Shop. Stevenson is taking it step-by-step when it comes to developing the store's atmosphere.

"It needs a renovation, but I'm going with it as-is," he says. He plans to make some changes to the store's interior in the future.

"You've got to crawl before you can walk," he says about his approach to starting his business.

Stevenson says the response from the community has been excellent. He hasn't spent money on advertising yet, so he's relying on word-of-mouth recommendations. His initial customers were from the nearby neighborhood, he says, but it's attracting customers from further away as word of the new shoe store spreads.

Source: Mario Stevenson, LeBrae's Shoes.

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

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The state of Michigan has acquired the land needed to connect two popular bike and walking trails between Marne and Muskegon. Proponents say the connection brings metro Grand Rapids to the lakeshore through recreational transportation.

According to excerpts from the story:

Two popular paved bike trails finally will be connected, allowing bicyclists and other users more areas to roam and bringing Muskegon's shoreline into reach to more people. After more than five years of trying to acquire the necessary railroad corridor to make the connection possible, state trail planners secured a deal to purchase the land for the connection between the city of Muskegon's Lakeshore Trail and the state's Musketawa Trail. The Natural Resources Commission approved the purchase last week. City and state officials expect construction on the connecting pathway to take place in the spring and recreational users to begin using the new stretch in June or July. The connecting pathway will extend from Muskegon to m Keating Avenue to the south along U.S. 31 before heading east along an inactive railroad bed to Black Creek Road, the western edge of the Musketawa Trail. With the two trails connected, more bicyclists and other trail users will be able to reach Muskegon from the east.

Read the complete story here.

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Two downtown Grand Rapids hotels will welcome visitors to rooms upgraded with new technology and rich interiors. One of the city's largest ballrooms and its adjacent public areas will see the biggest renovation in 28 years.
According to excerpts from the story:

Two more anchor hotels in downtown are set to get major makeovers during the next two years, despite a continued slowdown in the area's lodging market. Room and public space renovations at the Amway Grand Plaza, 187 Monroe Ave. NW, and Courtyard by Marriott, 11 Monroe Ave. NW, will represent a multimillion investment by owner and operator Amway Hotel Corp., President Joe Tomaselli said. Tomaselli said he could not provide precise figures, but the initial Courtyard and Amway Grand investments are expected to be "a couple million" each. Plans for the upgrades are taking place as the 175-room Days Hotel, 310 Pearl St. NW, prepares to change its flag to Holiday Inn later this year. "We're very, very fortunate that we have hotel properties that understand that, even in the toughest times, you need to do whatever possible to keep an edge on the competition," said Doug Small, president of the Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Work is slated to start in October on renovating all 214 rooms at the Courtyard inside the Plaza Towers complex to Marriott's Generation 5 room standard, integrating more technology, updated decor and other amenities.

Read the complete story here.

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Even though their store has only been open a few days in downtown Zeeland, Vi Weeks says she and her husband David already "feel that we really fit in" their women's fashion and accessories shop, Jumees World.

"It's going to be fun here," Vi Weeks says of her new store at 138 E. Main St.  

After starting Jumees World a couple of years ago as more of a crafts and gift store, Weeks' vision evolved into what is now a boutique-style clothing shop offering hand-carved and hand-painted fashion accessories from India, Thailand, Kenya and other countries.

The name Jumees World comes from Vi's nickname, Jumee. Jumee is a variation of the Laotian word jume, which describes the sound of a stone thrown into water.

The store was originally on Lakewood Boulevard in Holland, but Vi and David decided to move it to Zeeland after the city's marketing department asked if they'd like to relocate to downtown.

Though the new 1,000-square-foot shop has about the same amount of retail area as the old store, the Weeks had to give up some office space. Vi Weeks says it was a sacrifice she was willing to make because her shop gets more foot traffic than its previous location.

Inside, the store has a tropical feel with its displays of brightly colored clothing, handbags and jewelry. Weeks says she carries fair trade items, as well as some fashions made in the U.S.A., and the store caters to girls and women ages 13 and up.

Source: Vi Weeks, Jumees World

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.read on…

Thomas Davis may not be moving his jewelry store very far, but the changes will certainly be big. The downtown Holland jeweler is relocating his 20-year-old business, Thomas A. Davis Jewelers,  next door to the old Lokker Rutgers building, 39 E. Eighth St.

At 6,000 square feet, the new store comes in at nearly three times the size of the current space. So what will Davis do with all the extra room? He's adding to almost every section of his store – bridal jewelry, watches, silver and jewelry boxes – and creating a children's section.

"We were crowded in our old space," Davis says. "Now we're adding eight or nine showcases."

Having a vacant storefront right next door gave Davis the ideal opportunity to expand his business.

"This is our first major move to go larger," he says. "I don't know if we were planning to expand as much as we are, but when the opportunity came up, we took it. People can still find us and it gives us a lot of room for additions."

The new store, which will open by September, is undergoing a facelift inside and out.

"It's basically getting all new carpet and paint, and we're giving it better visibility with new signage out front," says Davis.

There will also be an expanded jewelry repair shop, an improved customer lounge and an office devoted entirely to computerized jewelry design.

Davis says that this year the shop landed the National Jewelers Network's America's Best Jewelers award for the second consecutive year in the independent jewelers division.

Source: Thomas Davis, Thomas A. Davis Jewelers; Kara Barney, Holland Principal
Shopping District

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.







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Rich Geldhof's vision for his Rogue River Tavern is to enhance its reputation for good drinks and live music by making it a lunch and dinner destination. He's starting with a healthier menu and an eye-catching new redwood facade.

Geldhof bought The Woodshed, 4 N. Main, in 2000. Six months later, he closed it and gutted it, then reopened in 2001 with an all-new interior and a new name. His $250,000 rehab included adding a game room, sound equipment and a new bar. Now it's the exterior's turn.

"I've wanted to redo the outside every since I bought the place, but the inside was more important," says Geldhof, 41. "I'm trying to attract more of a restaurant crowd and thought if I spruced up the outside I'd attract customers. It sure has attracted attention; people are stopping by while I'm out there working and asking about it, asking if it's real wood."

Geldhof says the redwood is real – he added a dark stain and a sealer to bring out the wood grain. Exterior lighting under the eaves illuminates the entire building. New awnings on all the windows will help set the tavern apart from the buildings around it. Geldhof plans to add an awning-covered ramp from the tavern to the adjacent city parking area for handicap and wheelchair accessibility. The changes add up to about $75,000.

"The new menu will be ready in a couple of weeks," Geldhof says. "We're keeping a lot of the favorites like our burgers, which are our number one seller, our sizzlers, burritos. We're removing some of the deep fried appetizers and adding healthier appetizers like crab stuffed shrimp and stuffed Portobello mushrooms."

Other menu additions are a Trotter steak, grilled salmon and a new kids' menu offering mini burgers and chicken sandwiches.

Source: Rich Geldhof, Rogue River Tavern

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.


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Developer Jon Rooks says downtown Muskegon's HighPoint Flats is halfway to opening the project's condominium model – a model with a view of Muskegon Lake and distant views of Lake Michigan.

Clifford Buck Construction Co. is building the model on the sixth level of the circa 1916 Hackley Bank building, 285 W. Western. Each of the model's two bedrooms includes an en suite bathroom with double sinks and a large walk-in shower. A surprise twist: each shower has a showerhead with built-in colored lights that illuminate the shower spray in a variety of hues.

The living area includes a future window wall overlooking the two lakes and downtown Muskegon.

"The window opening will be the size of a two-stall garage door and will open out to a balcony," says Rooks. "That will be added when we do the full rehab of the entire building. We'll rip off sections of the exterior wall and replace them with glass and sliders to each of the balconies."

The model will be open by October.

The project proposes construction of 70 condos, split between the nine-floor main building and a two-story addition yet to be constructed.

The main building will have a shared rooftop deck and hot tub; optional rooftop decks with hot tubs are available to residents of both buildings.

"Benefits from the Michigan tax package allow residents 13 years, if they move in in 2010, to pay no city income taxes, no property taxes and no Michigan income taxes," Rooks says. "There will be a lot of people who live (at High Point Flats) who will pay their mortgage payment with the taxes they save and will live there for free."

Rooks estimates that the completed development will have a gross value of $11 million.

Serve Studio is the architect. Tylor Devereaux is the interior designer.

Source: Jon Rooks, Parkland Properties

Related Articles
Muskegon’s $11M HighPoint Flats to open condo model, offer extended tax-free living

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

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