Karl Tucker expects Grand Haven’s south channel to become a hot spot for kayakers and canoeists this summer.
Tucker, owner of Earth’s Edge in Grand Haven, recently moved his store from downtown to the new Grand Landing development at US-31 and Jackson St. Along with expanded floor-space and product selection, Tucker expects to open a boathouse on the riverfront this summer, offering kayak and canoe rentals and hosting paddle sports events.
“(The boathouse) will be in close proximity to our store, which is an ideal scenario,” Tucker says. “I really see this as a focal point for paddlers to meet other paddlers, to network.”
Building a boathouse is part of what made Grand Landing so appealing to Tucker. He looks forward to offering a service Grand Haven hasn’t had before – kayak and canoe rentals – as well as hosting manufacturers’ demonstrations, paddle-only fishing tournaments, kayak symposiums and other paddle sports events.
“Being here helps us get our word out a little easier,” Tucker says.
Earth’s Edge has been in Grand Haven for more than 14 years. Previously located on Washington Ave. in downtown Grand Haven, Tucker moved the store last November, and business has been booming ever since.
“We have been extremely pleased with the new location. There has been a super positive response,” Tucker says. “This opportunity has allowed us to stay in Grand Haven and expand our business.”
According to Craig Adams, president of Grand Landing, LLC, all of the businesses that have moved into Grand Landing have already experienced nearly record success. He says Earth’s Edge experienced its best Christmas season ever, Plantenga’s Cleaners has been adding new customers daily since opening in November, Culver’s Restaurant is consistently ranked number one or two in sales for the state of Michigan, and Jimmy Johns set a sales record for the chain during its opening week.
“This location is really second to none,” Adams says. “This intersection is the fourth highest traffic center in Michigan. That’s great from a commercial standpoint.”
A New Center
Significant growth is exactly what the city of Grand Haven had in mind when they started buying and cleaning up the property that would eventually become Grand Landing. According to City Manager Pat McGinnis, the purpose behind purchasing the property and spending $15 million to make it environmentally safe and add new infrastructure was to revitalize old industrial property and create a vibrant center of residential and commercial activity that would draw people right into the city.
“We wanted to see the property fully developed and used to its fullest residential and commercial potential,” he says.
And that’s where Adams comes in.
Adams has overseen the development of Grand Landing, a multi-phase mixed-use development, more than 60 percent of which is residential space. The project’s first phase, The Village, opened last fall when Earth’s Edge and Plantenga’s Cleaners moved in. The first resident of the The Village condominiums moved in mid-January, Adams says, and two more units are scheduled to close by the end of March.
“This really is a place to live, a place to shop, a place to work and a place to play,” Adams says. “We’re really happy with the way things have turned out.”
From Blight to People
Construction should begin this spring on a boardwalk that will connect Grand Landing with the downtown Grand Haven riverfront, linking to the existing boardwalk by Chinook Pier that runs to the lighthouse.
In addition, the Grand Landing boardwalk will feature an amphitheatre and park, which will be open for public use. According to Adams, the amphitheatre will feature outdoor concerts and other events in the summer and be frozen for public ice skating in the winter.
Eventually, the city of Grand Haven will run Adams Ave., which goes right through the center of Grand Landing, all the way to downtown, creating another direct route to the waterfront.
“We believe we’re going to be an economic engine for the community,” Adams says.
Grand Landing is already making an impact. In addition to the new business generated by storefronts and restaurants, Adams says the project has brought more than 700 new construction jobs to the area and estimates that about 600 jobs will be created with the new commercial business.
“Already the performance is exceeding our expectations,” says McGinnis.
Grand Landing is setting an example as something McGinnis and the city would eventually like to see all along the riverfront: abandoned, blighted industrial sites being rehabbed into residential developments. He doesn’t necessarily see condominiums or exclusive homes, but developments built for families and everyday people.
“We are planning to add urban residential areas, to redevelop old industrial properties for a local commercial and residential base,” he says. “People want to live near the water, so we would like to develop old industrial land. We’re slowly but surely getting a hold of them.”
Catalyzing Competitiveness
McGinnis says he sees other lakeshore towns trying to develop waterfront areas or even reach the waterfront, but he believes Grand Haven has a leg up on other lakeshore communities because its downtown is already located right on the Grand River.
“Everybody’s doing things to maintain a competitive edge on the rest of the world. Others are trying to connect to their waterfronts, but ours is already there,” he says.
As the city moves forward with its vision of a vibrant riverfront, Grand Landing is moving forward as the economic catalyst it is expected to be. Another long-time Grand Haven business, Sweet Temptations, will soon be moving from a location at US-31 and Taylor Ave. into new space in Grand Landing. Plus, according to Adams, Sunflower Gourmet, an upscale grocery store, should be opening soon. Construction also has begun on the next residential phase – the Adams Avenue Row Houses.
“Grand Landing is helping Grand Haven,” says Karl Tucker of Earth’s Edge. “The people that are invested in Grand Landing really care about this community. I mean, they live here. As it unfolds, people will see there’s a lot more here.”
Kali Steck is a freelance writer who lives in Allendale. She also serves as managing editor of the West Michigan Shoreline Guide.
Photos:
Karl Tucker and the VW
Kayaks for sale at Earth's Edge
Rendering of all phases
Phase one condominiums under construction
A new retail boulevard
Photographs by Brian Kelly - All Rights Reserved