by Deborah Johnson Wood
By the time Scott Jonkhoff bought the former Grand Rapids Calendar Company building at 906 South Division, it had been vacant for nearly a decade. Rain and snow poured through the roof so often Jonkhoff figured the wrecking ball was only a few years away.
Not anymore.
Jonkhoff, a builder and the owner of Jonkhoff LLC, is renovating the 8,000-square-foot second level into five 2-bedroom and one 1-bedroom loft apartments, plus a laundry facility. The main floor has another 8,000-square-feet of commercial space for retail or offices.
“The building had a valid structure and it was priced right,” Jonkhoff said. “It seemed that the medical and university investments going on downtown have created a lot of opportunities outside the central business district. I see opportunity for slightly below market-rate, quality housing close to downtown.”
A $3,000 Facade Improvement grant from Neighborhood Ventures, a nonprofit economic development organization, helped defray some of the cost of the building’s new exterior. On the main level, picture windows let in natural light where there once was only tongue-in-groove wood; glass panes in the upstairs window frames replace windows that were once broken out.
The apartments range in size from 900 to 1,000 square feet. Each has a high-efficiency heating and cooling system and water heater. Jonkhoff insulated the walls between the apartments for soundproofing. Eleven-foot ceilings with exposed spiral ductwork blend the new construction with the building’s architecture. The apartments were designed by Ken Dixon of Dixon Environmental Architecture.
Two of the apartments have been completed and leased. The other four will be completed by May 1. Rent is set at $700 a month.
A 14-space surface parking lot is on the structure’s south side. A rain garden between the parking area and the sidewalk along Division Avenue will serve double duty: it filters stormwater runoff and adds decorative landscaping. Several trees will be planted in the rain garden this spring.
Jonkhoff cites the proposed Bus Rapid Transit line and other business and residential development in the area as confirmation that South Division is once again becoming a viable and vibrant district.
“Right across the street the city is investing $13 million in the former Campau Commons, and the old Mr. Russell’s Barbershop has just been purchased and is being renovated.”
Source: Scott Jonkhoff, Jonkhoff LLC
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