After nine years of living in a suburban Forest Hills condo, Richard and Mary Ortega are movin' on up.
The couple is preparing to move into the 34-story River House Condominiums, slated for completion in 2008, where they will occupy an 8th floor flat with a bird's eye view of Grand Rapids' ongoing renaissance.
Nothing against the 'burbs, but the Ortegas eagerly anticipate being at the center of a reenergized city and its growing number of restaurants, theatrical performances, and other cultural activities all within walking distance of their front door.
"Personally, I like the downtown feel of things," said Richard Ortega, a GR native who has fond memories of a time when the central city served as his childhood stomping grounds.
Now at 54, Ortega looks forward to returning to the city. And he intends to stay there as long as possible. The next step, he said, is a retirement community. But for now, the sleek architecture, convenient location, and rare views of the city skyline offered at River House will do.
Four decades ago, crime, racism, and urban decay drove people away from central cities and into suburbs and exurbs, those low-density rapidly-growing, communities on the urban fringe. In fact, Grand Rapids today remains one of seven metropolitan areas in the nation that have at least one in five residents living in an exurb, according to a recent report by the Brookings Institution, a think tank based in Washington D.C.
Now people are coming back. While the stereotype of the unsafe and dirty city still persists today, the resurgence of Grand Rapids as an increasingly vibrant and inviting place is undeniable. Developers are investing hundreds of millions of dollars into new commercial and residential projects such as the Fitzgerald, the Icon on Bond, and River House.
And the market for downtown living is gaining considerable strength. But it’s not just the young and hip who are drawn to urban living. After years in the suburbs, mature adults are making their way into the city, too.
Survey Says…
In many ways, the city is an ideal place for older adults to live, with pedestrian-friendly streetscapes; close proximity between housing, healthcare, and recreation; and plenty of entertainment options, said Andrew Kochera, senior policy advisor with the American Association of Retired Persons in Washington, D.C.
A recent housing study confirmed the burgeoning market's presence in West Michigan. An October 2004 report commissioned by the Grand Valley Metro Council surveyed the residential market potential for town and neighborhood centers in Kent and Ottawa counties, including downtown Grand Rapids. At 23 percent, empty-nesters and retirees ranked the second-largest market segment, according to the report. Families ranked first, at 63 percent, and younger singles and childless couples came in third, at 14 percent.
At a national level, however, the net migration of the 50 and over set (and, for that matter, virtually every demographic) is out of the city.
The baby-boom generation shows a sharp disengagement from the residential aspects of city life, according to an article published in the summer 2000 edition of The Brookings Review.
“Early boomers—born between 1945 and 1955—will be making the transition from empty-nesters to pre-retirees. Many will retire from regular jobs. Some will leave their suburban homes. But most will ‘age in place’ or perhaps make a local move,” wrote author William Frey.
Frey noted that the aging of the nation's first suburban generation would increase substantially the number of households in their 50s and early 60s in the first decade of the millennium.
He also acknowledges observers have expressed hope that boomers might be a source for central-city revival. But the hope, he wrote, seems unrealistic, given the location of this "suburban generation." With the exception of Hispanics, he wrote, baby-boomers are less likely to reside in the city than both the elderly and adults in their 20's and early 30's.
“We know from our surveys that the vast majority of older people, 50 and older, don’t want to move," said the AARP's Andrew Kochera. "By the time you get up to 65 and older, 90 percent of respondents don’t want to move ever again – they want to maintain their social relationships and informal support networks,” said Kochera.
An Attractive Venture
Still, as the Ortegas and others illustrate, the potential for pre-retirees and retirees to invest downtown offers promise for Grand Rapids, and signify that maybe the city may entice buyers from a wide variety of age groups.
Ann Frantz, a realtor with Greenridge Realty in Grand Rapids, said that a number of older people living downtown that she knows don’t seem that psyched about it, mostly because the city continues to lack essential services such as modern mass transit and grocery stores.
However, with all of the new living options, she said, “hopefully that's all about to change.”
For buyers like Marshall Kindy, the onslaught of higher-end residential options was the factor that persuaded him into the city. Like the Ortegas, he purchased a condo at River House.
But the Wayland-area retiree isn’t necessarily planning to live there. Currently, he enjoys living near a lake in the country, but the rapid growth and development that Grand Rapids has experienced, he said, has made it a very appealing place to invest.
Kindy says that while he may end up spending a lot more time at the condo than he anticipates, initially it will be a second home, and a place to entertain guests.
Kindy grew up in Grand Rapids and lived in what is now the Heritage Hill Historic District in his early college days. He eventually moved away from the area and it wasn’t until four years ago, when he moved back to West Michigan, that he took notice of Grand Rapids.
“Seeing what’s changed is exciting. I’ve been re-introduced to the city,” he said, noting the Grand Rapids Ballet, the new Grand Rapids Art Museum, events at Van Andel Arena as attractive cultural amenities.
The urban getaway is just the opposite of what many people consider a weekend retreat, said Kindy: “Some people go to the country on the weekend – we’ll go to the city.”
Photographs:
Proposed aerial view from River House - courtesy of River House
Rendering of River House - courtesy of River House
A model at The Fitzgerald - photo by Brian Kelly
Dining room at The Fitzgerald - photo by Brian Kelly