221 replies to this topic

[GRDadof3]

Year-round downtown Grand Rapids market would complement Fulton Street Farmers Market
by Chris Knape | The Grand Rapids Press
Saturday June 13, 2009, 6:50 AM

GRAND RAPIDS -- A year-round downtown market, offering fresh produce, meats and other local goods, could be the next big thing from Grand Action, the group that brought the city its arena and convention center.

Grand Action, a nonprofit downtown development group led by area business leaders, has hired a nationally known expert in urban markets to explore the feasibility of such a facility.

Farmers, property owners, transit officials, leaders of existing markets in the region and others already have met with consultant Ted Spitzer, president of Portland, Maine-based Market Ventures Inc., to discuss the idea.

http://www.mlive.com...howcase_lo.html

According to the article, Grand Action envisions the year round market similar to a new $11 Million market in Milwaukee.





There are ten sites being considered downtown, including Market & Fulton and South of the arena.

[RegalTDP]

Quote

Among the potential sites are an Amway-owned riverfront parking lot at West Fulton Street and Market Avenue and DDA and city-owned lots south of Van Andel Arena.

Thank God.  Of all our parking lots, I really want to see these ones replaced with something useful.  I particularly hope they go with the Market Avenue site... This would be a great addition to that corner of town.

[GRDadof3]

RegalTDP, on Jun 13 2009, 09:57 AM, said:

Thank God.  Of all our parking lots, I really want to see these ones replaced with something useful.  I particularly hope they go with the Market Avenue site... This would be a great addition to that corner of town.

It would be cool though if they can work it into an old building, like Columbus' North Market (mentioned in the article):



Which old building would be a good question.  There aren't that many vacant ones left downtown.

[Prankster]

I have a bad feeling about using the Fulton/Monroe parking lot for this purpose.  A market would only use so many square feet.  So what happens to the rest of the area, more parking lots?  I'm sure they will be well manicured lots, but parking none the less.  Hopefully they are saving this prime location for a little bit of a more dense usage.

[GRDadof3]

Prankster, on Jun 13 2009, 10:35 AM, said:

I have a bad feeling about using the Fulton/Monroe parking lot for this purpose.  A market would only use so many square feet.  So what happens to the rest of the area, more parking lots?  I'm sure they will be well manicured lots, but parking none the less.  Hopefully they are saving this prime location for a little bit of a more dense usage.

I agree.  Actually, the old Custer Office/Macatawa site would be perfect.  Centrally located, near Monroe Center, close to the new BOB expansion and the arena, two parking ramps next door so no need to add parking.  Too bad they want $5 Million for it!

[GR Jackson]

Prankster, on Jun 13 2009, 10:35 AM, said:

I have a bad feeling about using the Fulton/Monroe parking lot for this purpose.  A market would only use so many square feet.  So what happens to the rest of the area, more parking lots?  I'm sure they will be well manicured lots, but parking none the less.  Hopefully they are saving this prime location for a little bit of a more dense usage.

Even if they did use it, something like this would probably spur more density.

[JoeSchmo]

I always imagined a tower going up at the corner of Fulton and Monroe due to its PRIME real estate.  Its right across from Plaza Towers - down the street from Amway and the JW.   Its connected to the skywalk and if the street car goes through - it will  be going by it.  There isnt a place for groceries or anything in the downtown area - so it definetly sounds good.  

This corner is begging for density and if a market was included than all the better  .

[RegalTDP]

JoeSchmo, on Jun 13 2009, 11:43 AM, said:

I always imagined a tower going up at the corner of Fulton and Monroe due to its PRIME real estate.  Its right across from Plaza Towers - down the street from Amway and the JW.   Its connected to the skywalk and if the street car goes through - it will  be going by it.  There isnt a place for groceries or anything in the downtown area - so it definetly sounds good.

I can see Grand Action not wanting to build there for that reason... They may want to save that space for the distant future when we eventually need another tower.

But I can see this project bringing people in downtown from all over the suburbs, and it might bring in more development on Market Ave.

I originally brought it up because I found it refreshing to see folks looking to build on our "Great Rift Valley of Parking" between the S-Curve and the rest of downtown.  I can understand reasons why this project might not fit, so if they decide against using those lots for this, hopefully they'll look again for their next project.

[GRDadof3]

What about Hinman's golden triangle at Fulton and Ionia?  Across from San Chez?   Ehh, probably not big enough.  

http://www.urbanplan...a...l&hl=hinman

[joeDowntown]

I was thinking the same thing. I don't think they would give up this prime parcel for just a year-round market. But it would make a great anchor to a larger development (looked at those old leaked Visbeen renderings for Market and Fulton and it would be a perfect fit in a larger project .

Joe

JoeSchmo, on Jun 13 2009, 11:43 AM, said:

I always imagined a tower going up at the corner of Fulton and Monroe due to its PRIME real estate.  Its right across from Plaza Towers - down the street from Amway and the JW.   Its connected to the skywalk and if the street car goes through - it will  be going by it.  There isnt a place for groceries or anything in the downtown area - so it definetly sounds good.  

This corner is begging for density and if a market was included than all the better  .

[gvsusean]

Why cant they build a tower and a farmers market on the same lot... kind of like the place in berlin (name escapes me) that combines stores, residential, and a movie theatre right downtown

[Rizzo]

Why not Heartside Park? Bring something more productive then what's already there.

[PR-15]

GRDadof3, on Jun 13 2009, 09:22 AM, said:

It would be cool though if they can work it into an old building, like Columbus' North Market (mentioned in the article):



Which old building would be a good question.  There aren't that many vacant ones left downtown.

I recently did some shooting inside this Columbus North Market...and I gotta say it's just about the perfect size/scale for GR...it was AWESOME. Bakeries, chocolatiers, fresh seafood, gourmet ICE CREAM...etc.

Every vendor there was hyper local and had permanent booth spaces...so think of Wealthy St. Bakery, Pallazolo's ice cream, Mary Ann's Chocolate, Art of the Table, Ginko Studios (florist), The Cheese Lady (from Muskegon) all having spaces there.

[John E]

Rizzo, on Jun 13 2009, 04:37 PM, said:

Why not Heartside Park? Bring something more productive then what's already there.

It took a WHOLE LOT OF HARD WORK to get Heatside Park. There is no way that Heartside would let anybody take it away from us. As you can see in this picture, it IS WELL USED!


http://www.flickr.co...57619077360583/

~John

[jbr12]

John E, on Jun 13 2009, 08:21 PM, said:

It took a WHOLE LOT OF HARD WORK to get Heatside Park. There is no way that Heartside would let anybody take it away from us. As you can see in this picture, it IS WELL USED!


http://www.flickr.co...57619077360583/

~John

I used to work in the building next to Heartside Park and I can tell you from my time working there, the park was RARELY used, especially not to the capacity that you are showing in your picture. Maybe a lot has changed in the 2 years since I worked there...

[Raildudes dad]

Anyone remember Heritage Landing in Muskegon or Union Terminal in Cincinnati? Same concept, however once the novelty wore off, both places turned into ghost towns.

[fotoman311]

Rizzo, on Jun 13 2009, 03:37 PM, said:

Why not Heartside Park? Bring something more productive then what's already there.

I think that downtown already has a dearth of great green spaces.  Heartside Park is on the outskirts, and may not be fully utilized at the moment, but I don't think we want to give up any of the downtown park space we have unless it's replaced somewhere else or is for a project that is a homerun gain for a vast swath of interest groups in the city.

[Veloise]

^^ Agreed. Use a parking lot up first. And design it so that it can be a market on the street level, and another use at a different elevation.

[droonus2000]

What about North Monroe? I think someone on UP  had an idea like this a while back. not exactly DT but, has some buildings or parking lots  that might work, it could also  spur for other development,

[GR_Urbanist]

fotoman311, on Jun 14 2009, 01:08 AM, said:

I think that downtown already has a dearth of great green spaces.  Heartside Park is on the outskirts, and may not be fully utilized at the moment, but I don't think we want to give up any of the downtown park space we have unless it's replaced somewhere else or is for a project that is a homerun gain for a vast swath of interest groups in the city.

There is a perfectly unused spot north of the park that was supposed to have been some sort of market. Instead of the city tearing the building down for a DASH lot, this would be a perfect fit, and can spur development in other unused properties in the area, expand the boundaries of DT south of Wealthy as well as complement that apartment project, and ICCF developments that would be nearby.