Development News

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

A family of restaurateurs who oversee 11 restaurant operations in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Mississippi are planning to bring their expertise to downtown Rockford. The Marco Cuellar family, who operate El Burrito Loco restaurants, has begun development of a new eatery dubbed Cinco de Mayo in Rockford's first LEED-certified structure -- a 4,800-square-foot building at 123 Courtland.

The building, completed last year, replaces a building that burned down some 18 months ago.

"Rockford is a cute town and there's a lot of loyalty from customers there. I looked at other locations and thought this would be good for the restaurant. It's a cool looking building and it's on one of the main streets where there will be pedestrian traffic."

The restaurant is a sister development to another new Cinco de Mayo, due to open this fall in downtown Grand Rapids.

Cuellar plans dining on both floors and an outdoor dining area. Karns says the artist who paints Mexican murals for each of Cuellar's restaurants will bring a Mexican motif to the interior.

Next Monday, the city of Rockford will vote on a proposed Class C liquor license for the enterprise. The restaurant opens this fall.

"This is a unique building," Karns says, "and I just think the restaurant will be fun for downtown Rockford."

Source: Diane Karns, CCIM, Prudential Callander Commercial; Suzette Garvey, Simply Genuine Communications

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

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

It's been nearly five years in the making, and last week the Grand Rapids City Commission voted unanimously to designate the Uptown area as the city's first Corridor Improvement District (CID).

The designation will allow Uptown -- consisting of the Eastown, East Hills, East Fulton and Wealthy Street business districts and their surrounding neighborhoods – to leverage what could be millions of dollars in tax increment financing and other funding for streetscaping and infrastructure, marketing, building enhancements and business recruitment.

"What has to happen now is the creation of a corridor improvement authority board," says Kimberly Van Dyk, executive director of Neighborhood Ventures. The organization was a driving force behind the CID development. "The city commission will appoint Uptown stakeholders to be on the board, and the board's first task will be to write the development plan and the increment financing plan for the district."

Those plans must survive a process involving a public hearings and a resolution to adopt, and then must be filed with the city and the state before Uptown can collect any tax increment financing or other funding, or undertake any CID-related improvements.

"I think the Uptown CID is going to be a model CID for the state of Michigan," Van Dyk adds. "I believe that because, first of all, the area has a really good base of forward momentum but yet there's still a lot of room for improvement. Secondly the group of volunteers has been the most impressive group of volunteers I've ever worked with and I know they're going to work hard to make it the best it can be."

To read the Uptown CID Proposal, click here.

Source: Kimberly Van Dyk, Neighborhood Ventures

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

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) officials were prepared to build a new $35 million facility for the college's health care program, but before they could break ground another opportunity came up – the opportunity to purchase Davenport University's former Grand Rapids campus for $9.5 million.

With 150,000 square feet and numerous buildings that front along Fulton Street from College to Prospect, GRCC now has plenty of space for its programs and an extraordinary opportunity to increase enrollment.

"We're place bound on the current campus and turned away over 1,000 students last year," says Anne Mulder, interim president. "This could give us the possibility to add 3,000 students between the Grand Rapids campuses and our locations throughout Kent and Ottawa counties. Given the economy and the times, this will be the college of choice for most families that can't afford more expensive colleges for the first two years."

Faculty and administration have yet to decide which programs will relocate to what Mulder calls the East Campus. After juggling departmental moves, she expects the downtown campus's Peter and Pat Cook Academic Hall's top four floors for an estimated $10 million. The college will ask the state to pay for half the cost, a path GRCC planned to take when the $35 million health care building was still on the table, thereby reducing the state's portion from $17.5 million to $5 million.

Some Davenport offices will remain in place for some months until its Caledonia campus can accommodate staff and programs. During that time the East Campus, an easy walk from GRCC's main campus, requires some renovation which will start immediately.

"It's in amazingly good shape," Mulder says. "The Cook administration building was completely renovated in 2005 and it's magnificent inside. The oldest building is probably Warren Hall and that was originally a furniture museum."

Source: Anne Mulder, Grand Rapids Community College

Photo:

Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) new East Campus.

Photos by Joshua Tyron -All Rights Reserved

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

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

The May 2 opening of the Fulton Street Farmers Market might be the perfect time for vendors and shoppers to think about what an updated, redesigned market might look like. A feasibility study conducted by New York-based Project for Public Spaces includes recommendations for site improvements to the property at 1145 E. Fulton Street, Grand Rapids, and year-round hours.

The study, presented to the Midtown Neighborhood Association and community last December, estimates the changes could run some $2.8 million.

"It will take about a year to raise that amount," says Christine Helms-Maletic, a nonprofit organizational consultant heading up the project.

"The study recommends construction of what they call a headhouse," Helms-Maletic says. "It would be about 3,000 square feet space, twice that if it's two stories, and would have about 12 vendor spaces for a year-round marketplace."

The building could also feature a coffee shop, butcher shop and a community gathering space. A suggested location is the southern end of the property, along Fulton Street.

Other recommendations include redesigning the layout of the existing open air market by locating vendor booths on either the north or south end of the property, covering them with a permanent canopy, and creating a parking area on the opposite end. If adopted, the shopping area would change from one main aisle to two.

"We'll spend several months doing design work with a designer and a group of vendors, the community, the city and the neighbors," says Helms-Maletic."Hopefully in 2010 we'll begin construction and open the new market in 2011."

The farmers market has over 120 vendors throughout the summer who sell locally-produced fruits, vegetables, baked goods, fresh and dried flowers, handcrafts and more. This year, for the first time, the market has the technology in place to accept food stamps.

Source: Christine Helms-Maletic,

Photo:

Fulton Street Farmers Market

Photo by Joshua Tyron -All Rights Reserved

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

The Red Jet Café plans to help patrons enjoy the great urban outdoors – on a new sidewalk patio where they can sample some new taste sensations and sip an adult beverage of choice.

The Red Jet, 1431 Plainfield, was formerly dubbed Red Ball Jet Café. Owners The Gilmore Collection dropped the "ball" due to copyright infringements involving Red Ball Jet sneakers, but they have not dropped the ball on anticipating what customers want.

"We've had people stop in for dinner and they assumed that because we're a Gilmore restaurant we served liquor," says Rick Sauber, manager. "When they found out we didn't, they'd get up and leave."

The café needed 100 seats to qualify for the liquor license, and the new 45-seat patio along the Coit Avenue side of the café brings seating up to 106. The patio, which opened last Friday, accommodates diners through three seasons – open air dining in warmer weather, and Plexiglas-enclosed, heated dining in cooler seasons.

Beginning next week, the cafe will offer twenty wines, six beers on tap including New Holland, Bell's and Founders, bottled beer and cocktails.

As a warm-up, the café launched a new menu this week, adding five appetizers, two new entrées and three desserts.

The appetizers, a first for Red Jet, include hummus with pita chips, and an arugula, spinach and artichoke dip with bagel chips. The entrées are a jerk-marinated pork chop and three-cheese ravioli in a pesto cream sauce.

And for dessert? How about Retro Tiramisu made with Twinkies, or cannoli filling laced with chocolate chips and wrapped in a sweet crepe?

"We've been trying to get the liquor license approved for two years through the liquor control commission," Sauber says. "We're really looking forward to these changes."

Source: Rick Sauber, Red Jet Café

Photo:

Red Jet Café

Photo by Joshua Tyron -All Rights Reserved

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

EarthTronics will be settling into its new global headquarters in downtown Muskegon by the end of the month.

Located on the third floor of the Hines Building, 380 Western Avenue, the 10,000-square-foot space will provide offices for administration, engineering, research and development and customer service.

EarthTronics owner and founder Reg Adams said he chose the Hines Building as a way to support the city’s redeveloping downtown.

“We like to think of it as an anchor for downtown Muskegon businesses,” Adams said.

EarthTronics develops energy efficient lighting and electronics for retail stores and commercial dealer distributors. Wind and solar energy products are next on the company’s list, according to Adams.

“We develop strictly high-end products,” he said. “If it comes with the EarthTronics name on it, it’s the latest in energy-saving technology.”

EarthTronics began at Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center’s economic development incubator in January 2007. Now, with its global headquarters anchored in West Michigan, the company is expanding its market to include North America and Europe.

Clifford Buck Construction Company of Muskegon built the LEED-certified Hines Building where EarthTronics is leasing the top floor.

Source: Reg Adams, EarthTronics

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

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Some $12.5 million in athletic facilities upgrades are well underway at three East Grand Rapids Public Schools locations. A 15-year bond extension approved by voters in November 2007 is the funding source for the improvements.

At East Grand Rapids High School, changes include:

• Replacing an outdated fitness center that accommodated 35 students with one that accommodates 120.
• A football stadium with new turf, a two-story structure with a new press box, Internet capabilities, locker rooms and restrooms, and a new scoreboard, lights and sound system.
• New track facilities including an electronic timing system, scoreboard and sound system.

Perhaps the biggest changes at the high school are a second gymnasium and a second balcony in the swimming pool area, bringing spectator seating to 900.

"We have six high school basketball teams and a wrestling team," says Scott Robertson, high school athletic director. "For years we had teams practicing at elementary schools at odd times of the night, and if we have a home wrestling match I have to find a place for six teams to practice."

The additional pool seating provides enough space to host state swim championships, something the school couldn't even petition for in the past.

At East Grand Rapids Middle School, Mehney Field now has a new sound system and artificial turf. At Canepa Tennis Center near Lakeside Elementary there is a new concession stand, and new restrooms replace the portable toilets the facility used to have.

"In planning the improvements, we were forward thinking, thinking about the multiplicity of different parts of our venue because we're so limited on space," Robertson says, "and we've been able to accomplish it pretty well."

URS Corporation designed the new facilities. Owen-Ames-Kimball is the general contractor.

The upgrades will be completed in August.

Source: Scott Robertson, East Grand Rapids Public Schools

Photograph by Joshua Tyron -All Rights Reserved

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

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

The $98 million overhaul and a 162,000-square-foot expansion of Blodgett Hospital at 1840 Wealthy Street SE is on schedule for a November 2010 opening.

When it's all done, 284 private patient rooms with family gathering space in each will bring a new dimension to patient care. The plan is to close existing patient beds in buildings built in 1916, the '50s and the '60s. To make up for that loss, the new five-story expansion includes 131 private patient rooms, as well as eight state-of-the-art operating rooms.

"The investment we're making here at Blodgett is a lot more than just the buildings and renovations," says Jim Wilson, president. "We are updating to state-of-the-art technologies all of the imaging modalities we have."

Those include two CT scanners installed last year, upgrades to nuclear medicine and fluoroscopy technologies, the addition of a second MRI machine, and an upgrade to digital mammography last year.

A renovation of the emergency room involves new patient care rooms, an already-reconstructed clinical core area, and renovation of the examination rooms.

All public spaces—lobbies, conference rooms, an auditorium, restrooms, kitchen/cafeteria—are also on the drawing board for upgrades.

Infrastructure revamps include ongoing improvements -- some began two years ago -- to the parking deck and replacement of all the elevators in the hospital's 11 elevator banks.

The Blodgett campus, part of the Spectrum Health system, provides 1,800 full-time-equivalent jobs just inside the East Grand Rapids city boundaries.

"We're excited to make this investment so Blodgett hospital continues to be a very viable part of the East Grand Rapids business community," Wilson says. "We take that commitment very seriously."

Source: Jim Wilson, Blodgett Hospital

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

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Last June a torrential downpour and poor drainage made for a bad combination at 1314 Division Avenue South. That's where the weight of the water drove 3,800 square feet of the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store's roof through two floors of the former 1920s furniture factory all the way to the basement.

"We lost 90 percent of our inventory," says Russ Broderick, operations manager.

Undaunted, the board of directors seized the opportunity to make the building ADA compliant.

The original entryway was 3.5 feet off the ground. Architects Tom Tooley and Andy Eckert, co-founders of Serve Studio, moved it from the west side of the building to the south side along La Belle Street, creating a ground-level entrance. Inside, they added a new staircase and passenger elevator to the second floor, where the store displays its furniture and appliances inventory.

"We had to replace two-thirds of the south wall because part of it fell down and some had to be taken down because it was unsafe," says Eckert. "To draw attention to the new entrance we created two concrete block piers that mimicked the piers of the existing building, lightened it up and introduced a standing seam metal panel to give a lot of shadow and depth to the elevation."

They also added a glass curtain wall to flood the interior with a lot of light. The design called for expanding the employee break room and relocating it from a windowless area to a location filled with daylight.

Insurance covered most of the $500,000 price tag.

"They did an enormous amount with a very old decrepit building to bring it into the 21^st century," Russ Broderick adds. "If you'd ever told me it could look this good I'da said you were crazy."

Source: Russ Broderick, St. Vincent de Paul Society; Tom Tooley, Andy Eckert, Serve Studio

Photograph by Joshua Tyron -All Rights Reserved

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

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

In February last year the historic Grand Rapids Bicycle Factory succumbed to fire, just three weeks after crews began renovations. Now a sleek structure occupies the property, and already commercial and residential tenants call it home.

The new five-story structure at Front and Butterworth offers three floors of commercial and office space. Above, a dozen 950-square-foot apartments each have two levels and a rooftop deck overlooking the city.

Key Sales and Systems occupies most of the main level. Grand Valley State University's Johnson Center for Philanthropy, Charter Schools and Pew Campus Operations occupy the second and third floors. Residential tenants have signed on for six of the apartments and began moving in this week.

The developers—Paul McGraw, Ken Grashuis, Parker Keane, Jeff Korte, and Louis Padnos Metals—invested some $1.8 million in the building. GVSU invested another $2.6 million in the buildout of its space.

"Building new was requiring so much in, with very little back, that we had to keep growing the building to get the money to make sense," McGraw says. "But GVSU and Key Impact stepped forward with offers to be our tenants and that helped us put it all together."

To lauch the project, developers proposed a complex marriage of federal and state historic tax credits, brownfield credits, a new market tax credit and a parking lease with GVSU. The new structure retained the brownfield and new market credits, losing only the historic credits.

"Returns on apartments are low, and downtown, the returns are negative unless the apartments are in huge buildings to make the numbers work," McGraw says. "In some instances it would take 20 years to break even. The tax credits put you on par with the properties in the suburbs, which are less expensive to develop."

McGraw expects the building will earn LEED Core and Shell certification.

Source: Paul McGraw, McGraw Construction; Scott Whisler, Grand Valley State University

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

Ottawa County’s brand new courthouse may look familiar to some of the area’s oldest residents.

The new courthouse rises next to the existing courthouse on Washington Avenue in Grand Haven. The building – a completely new structure more than two years in the making – is modeled after the county’s historic, turn-of-the-century courthouse that was demolished to make way for a new construction in the 1960s, according to the county’s project coordinator Mark Scheerhorn.

“It has a cupola on the top, and the woodwork gives it the historic feel,” Scheerhorn said. "It has that look of a traditional Michigan courthouse."

Ottawa County may have taken a cue from the past with some design features on the future courthouse, but many of the components are current and environmentally-friendly. From recycling construction scraps to the slate made of recycled rubber on the building’s exterior, Scheerhorn said the courthouse is on track to be LEED certified.

Modern security is a key feature of the new courthouse. Scheerhorn said there will be a secure holding facility for county jail inmates awaiting court appearances.

“They’ll never cross paths with the public or employees,” he said. There will also be security screening, similar to that found at airports, for people entering the courthouse.

The new building is 117,000 square feet, compared to the current 40-year-old courthouse’s 67,000 square feet. The county is financing the $22.5 million project with a $10 million bond and designated county funds.

Scheerhorn said construction on the courthouse began in June 2007, and is scheduled to be completed in October. County employees will move into the building in July. Demolition of the existing courthouse will take place once the project is complete.

Owen-Ames-Kimball is handling the construction. Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber is the architect.

Source: Mark Scheerhorn, Ottawa County Courthouse project coordinator

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

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

The ordinary looking Boland Building on the northwest corner of Lake Drive and Carlton has provided Eastown with office space since the 1950s. After purchasing and renovating the property, CWD Real Estate Investment has created 14,600 square feet of contemporary office space in a hip business district.

The first new tenant, Square One Design, signed up for 2,500 square feet on the upper floor of the two-story building and will relocate in May. Three additional bays ranging from 2,500 to 3,500 square feet are at white box stage and ready for lease by one large tenant or four or five smaller ones.

"When we bought it in December 2007, it was split into separate offices with a center hall on each floor," says Nick Koster, vice president of development. "It was home to several nonprofit organizations. All but one were planning to move out, and that one wasn’t paying the rent, so we decided that it was a good time to renovate."

Via Design designed the interior shared spaces in earthy greens and browns, including a first floor entryway featuring wood panels on the walls and ceiling. A wood and steel railing system defines the stairway between levels.

CWD expects to receive LEED Silver for Core and Shell certification. Lease rates range from $8 per square foot triple net to $11 per square foot triple net.

"There’s really nothing else like this building in Grand Rapids," Koster says. "It's a small sustainable office building for multiple tenants – most have been built for a specific user. This project was an attempt to do a LEED project that was sound business, and determine if we can do this on an ongoing basis."

Concept Design Group is the architect. Triangle Construction acted as general contractor.

Source: Nick Koster, CWD Real Estate Investment

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

119 E. Main in Zeeland has been a hair salon for more than 60 years. Most recently known as Studio 119, the salon got new owners about a month ago, a new image and a new name – Eden Salon and Day Spa.

Shandra Strowenjans, 25, and her fiancé Gerald Redwine, 29, bought the salon after Strowenjans worked there about a year as a stylist. Born and raised in Zeeland, Strowenjans attended college for a fine arts degree.

"I was an artist to start with, and it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do," she says. "I always wanted to do hair, and when I started it was exactly what I wanted to do. This opportunity came up and it was perfect timing. The salon needed some people who are really gung ho about following new trends and trying new things."

In addition to the standard salon offerings of cuts and color, Eden Salon offers manicures, pedicures, full service massage, reflexology, tanning, waxing and airbrush tanning.

"We added eyelash services; clients can get strip lashes or individual lashes that last about two weeks," Strowenjans says. "And we added a tea and relaxation room, which is more day-spa like."

She adds that the transformation of the salon is still in process. Plans include possibly removing the drop ceiling to add another seven feet to the room height, and replacing all the fluorescent lights with track lighting.

Repainting in earthy browns, greens and tans has created a relaxed ambience.

Strowenjans retained the salon's five existing stylists, including the former owner, and added two more. She also added a massage therapist and receptionist, and currently seeks another experienced stylist and a nail technician.

Source: Shandra Strowenjans, Eden Salon and Day Spa; Abigail deRoo, City of Zeeland

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

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

When asked about the fire that brought Little Mexico Cafe to its knees last September, owner Enrique Ayala’s smile leaves his face. He looks down and says, “I was very sad.”

After 11 years of owning the popular Grand Rapids eatery, Ayala wasn’t sure he had the heart to rebuild. But so many patrons asked him when he was going to reopen that he didn’t want to disappoint them.

Two two-story buildings housed the original restaurant, which occupied the main levels only. Construction crews will replace the building that was destroyed at Stocking and Bridge and will repair and rebuild the interior of the other.

But this time, the restaurant will feature barrier-free dining on both floors of both buildings, including a rooftop terrace. A small stage on the main level provides performance space for traditional mariachi bands. Ayala will offer a full bar service and an extensive menu of authentic Mexican cuisine.

“Our most popular dishes are our wet burrito and our chimichanga,” says Ayala, speaking through translator, Rosa Dull. “Our green enchiladas, red enchiladas and chile rellenos are our own recipe; the secret is in the sauce. We use special dried peppers.”

The recipes are family recipes from Ayala’s wife, Consuelo, who manages the restaurant.

“The foundations are done and we hope to open in August,” says Jeffrey Parker of Jeffrey Parker Architects. “The main level has a lobby area and three separate dining areas. There will be a full kitchen on both floors.”

The café’s expansion brings 15 additional jobs to the area, an increase from 32 employees to 47.

Ayala, a native of Mexico and a naturalized U.S. citizen, emigrated to the U.S. 40 years ago. He purchased Little Mexico in 1998 after founding and operating the Supermercado Mexico, 1160 Chicago Drive—the store he says was the area's first Mexican supermarket.

Source: Enrique Ayala, Little Mexico Café; Jeffrey Parker, Jeffrey Parker Architects

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

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

A grassroots movement dedicated to making Grand Rapids’ city parks vibrant and essential public spaces has become a nonprofit organization.

Friends of Grand Rapids Parks recently received its official 501(c)3 designation and hired an executive director, Steve Faber.

“We need to view our city’s parks through an economic development lens, a health and well-being lens, a quality-of-life lens,” Faber says. “It’s that whole stay-and-play idea; with all these talent attraction initiatives going on, when someone thinks about Grand Rapids as a place they want to move to and stay in they’re going to look at the parks.”

“Our parks are under-utilized assets that are deserving of some investment,” says Andy Guy, board president. “Green Grand Rapids has set strategies to start some of that work. But the plan far outstrips our community’s capacity to implement it.”

Guy and Faber agree that vibrant parks are essential to Grand Rapids’ economic competitiveness, environmental health and cultural well-being. But with more than 80 parks, the city doesn’t have enough resources to implement repairs, upgrades and maintenance.

The park system’s budget is about $6 million, down from $10 million a few years ago, Guy says. He adds that the Parks and Recreation Department lost half of its supervisory and administrative staff and 60 percent of its maintenance staff in recent years. Community programs have dwindled, and a philanthropic program funding the swimming pools will end after this summer.

“Our role is to identify park projects, mobilize people, and raise dollars to make the projects a reality,” Guy adds. “We’ll work alongside Green Grand Rapids to get that done, but we are an independent nonprofit.”

A public kickoff event at 3:30 p.m. April 16 at Richard App Gallery offers the opportunity to review Green Grand Rapids’ redevelopment plans for several city parks. Afterward, attendees can join the monthly gathering of Green Drinks at The Green Well.

Source: Steve Faber, Andy Guy, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks

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