McGraw Tire - 141 Wealthy St SE- being turned into surface parking lot

[EastownLeo]

Looks like McGraw Tire is closing. They recently had an auction for much of the interior equipment.

http://www.auctionzip.com/Listings/2037442.html

 

The building has some very interesting details, not much has changed in many years.

 

Should be interesting to see what it might become. Or torn down for more medical/hospital expansion.

 

I remember reading an article about the building but not sure where it was now.

[GR_Urbanist]

Someone PLEASE buy this before St. Mary's gets their hands on it and turns it into a parking lot!

[EastownLeo]

Page 39 in this issue of GR Magazine.

http://issuu.com/grmag/docs/october2012

[Veloise]

Good. I stopped using them thanks to the time they decided to close early on a Friday, locked my car (yes I have one) up inside all weekend.

[joeDowntown]

Guaranteed parking lot. Anyone want to bet on this one?

Joe

[GRDadof3]

Page 39 in this issue of GR Magazine.

http://issuu.com/grmag/docs/october2012

 

Gawd, I hate those online flipbook things.

Guaranteed parking lot. Anyone want to bet on this one?

Joe

 

I would have guessed parking too Joe. Maybe with a rendering of a building that will come 20 years from now.

 

Edit: the property was purchased by Mary Free Bed on Feb 19th for $895,000. About 1/3 of an acre (assuming the building has no value to Mary Free Bed).

[x99]

Gawd, I hate Mary Free Bed! 

 

It would be nice to have some sort of commercial development on the edge of Heritage Hill, but with those cash-rich hospitals there paying ridiculous prices for anything their tentacles can touch, I fear it will never, ever happen.  I would rather have almost anything there other than those hospitals.  Even parking lots.  At least that would present some semblance of redevelopment opportunity.  By paying such outrageous prices, the hospitals completely preclude that. 

 

Do you hear me, hospitals?  You are NOT good neighbors.

 

 

Gawd, I hate those online flipbook things.

Edit: the property was purchased by Mary Free Bed on Feb 19th for $895,000. About 1/3 of an acre (assuming the building has no value to Mary Free Bed).

[joeDowntown]

I don't hate Mary Free Bed, but I do agree, they don't seem to make good neighbors. Walled fortresses are more like it. Anyone know of any examples of hospitals that blend into / enhance the urban environment around them?

 

It is pretty unfortunate. It's like the food court in Spectrum, it'd be nice if they would have tried to integrate this into the streetscape. But instead it is buried in the bowels of the building.

 

Joe

[GR_Urbanist]

 

Edit: the property was purchased by Mary Free Bed on Feb 19th for $895,000. About 1/3 of an acre (assuming the building has no value to Mary Free Bed).

 

Noooooooooooooooooooooo! 

 

These people are just killing this area! One of the most key parts of the central city is split between the Catholic church and St. Mary's/Free Bed, neither of which has demonstrated the ability to do anything but demolish buildings, make parking lots, and erect really cheap-looking bunkers.

 

This area could have served as the connector between DT, Heritage Hill, State Street, Heartside, and the emerging areas south of Wealthy. What a waste if this building goes down too. There simply cannot be that many people that need a parking spot!

[GRDadof3]

I don't hate Mary Free Bed, but I do agree, they don't seem to make good neighbors. Walled fortresses are more like it. Anyone know of any examples of hospitals that blend into / enhance the urban environment around them?

 

It is pretty unfortunate. It's like the food court in Spectrum, it'd be nice if they would have tried to integrate this into the streetscape. But instead it is buried in the bowels of the building.

 

Joe

 

The Children's Hospital at Northwestern University:

 

[joeDowntown]

I find the Northwestern Children's Hospital to be somewhat imposing as well. While it fits much nicer into the urban area, when we walked through that area it was still very much a ghost town of "hospital only" activities. Maybe it has changed since the last time I've been through?

 

Joe

[MiGuyz]

There is a Public Hearing Notice for September 13th, 2018 at the Planning Commission meeting for the Demolition of the building at 141 Wealthy and 348 La Grave Ave SE (old McGraw Tire) and a Special Land Use request for using the property for a Surface Parking Lot for 55 cars for Mary Free Bed. 

 

You can find details including site plan here: 141 Wealthy and 348 La Grave Ave SE

 

 

[joeDowntown]

1 minute ago, MiGuyz said:

There is a Public Hearing Notice for September 13th, 2018 at the Planning Commission meeting for the Demolition of the building at 141 Wealthy and 348 La Grave Ave SE (old McGraw Tire) and a Special Land Use request for using the property for a Surface Parking Lot for 55 cars for Mary Free Bed. 

 

You can find details including site plan here: 141 Wealthy and 348 La Grave Ave SE

 

 

That sucks. It's a cool building. Seems like they were a little short-sighted when they built the new Mary Free Bed. Frustrating as St. Mary's/Mary Free Bed love surface lots in lieu of building in their neighborhood.

[MiGuyz]

This is a good time to send letters and comments to the Planning Commission, or better yet show up for the hearing.  It would be sad to see another surface lot on that part of Wealthy St.

[x99]

4 hours ago, MiGuyz said:

This is a good time to send letters and comments to the Planning Commission, or better yet show up for the hearing.  It would be sad to see another surface lot on that part of Wealthy St.

... It's almost comical.  Read the application.  They bought an operating, maintained building FOUR YEARS AGO for almost a MILLION dollars, did nothing with it, never tried to lease it, and let it get run down and crappy looking.  Their application kinda sorta forgets to mention all that.  Now they say they can improve things and "add life" or something by bulldozing an abandoned, empty run down building.      That takes some real brass ones, right there...  If I were on the PC, I would happily tell them to go pound sand and hand them a paint brush.  Then I would call my buddies in code enforcement to start slapping them with fines.  Screw that sort of behavior.  They can build a ramp on one of their numerous giant parking lots.

[GR_Urbanist]

On 9/7/2018 at 9:56 AM, MiGuyz said:

There is a Public Hearing Notice for September 13th, 2018 at the Planning Commission meeting for the Demolition of the building at 141 Wealthy and 348 La Grave Ave SE (old McGraw Tire) and a Special Land Use request for using the property for a Surface Parking Lot for 55 cars for Mary Free Bed. 

 

You can find details including site plan here: 141 Wealthy and 348 La Grave Ave SE

 

 

The city has GOT to reject this. Just tell St. Mary's to shove off to the burbs if this is what's going to make or break their parking needs.

Quote

The long-term plan of Mary Free Bed for these parcels is to accommodate future campus expansion, including the possibility for mixed-use development that features retail, housing, and outpatient facilities.

And ask them what happened to all of that development they promised, that they were obviously lying about, from the past 10 years! They have no plans, and they are lying about not being able to build ramps!

 

They keep getting away with this and it needs to STOP.

[joeDowntown]

Another thing that annoys me is that my mom is actually in Mary Free Bed at this moment (broken hip). I visit her at different times of day, during the week and weekends. And I’ve NEVER had to park more than 6 spots from the door in the covered lot. 

The first time I went there, I had no clue what I was doing and parked at one of many open meters on Lafayette (also close to the entrance).

Its a solution looking for a problem. And I’m annoyed to lose another one of these old, barrel vaulted ceiling buildings. It could be really cool, it’s not a building that needs to see the wrecking ball. Grrrr. 

Joe

[GRDadof3]

Mary Free Bed should be told to "look for other alternatives" regarding their parking woes. It's not like they're going to get mad and move to the suburbs after that huge investment they made. Unfortunately MFB and Saint Mary's always seem to get whatever they want in that area. 

[Guest]

Wow, who has more surface lots?. St. Mary's or GVSU?  At least GVSU is more likely to expand.  Both entities need to consolidate and build more ramps, but that will never happen.  The area by St. Marys could have some great development, but looks like some crap suburban sprawl hospital with acres of parking.

[GR_Urbanist]

Is there a particular address that one would seen an email in opposition?  There are a few names listed, but only three people with contact info:

 

Board Liaison
Suzanne Schulz
Director of Design, Development, and Community Engagement
[email protected]

Primary Staff Contact
Elizabeth Zeller
Senior Planner
[email protected]

Secondary Staff Contact
Landon Bartley
Senior Planner
[email protected]

 

I think I've managed to string together a coherent letter, that I still have to edit. This issue is one that really is motivating me!

[organsnyder]

Those are all good contacts. Send it to [email protected] also.

[x99]

Maybe we just need to get creative.  If memory serves, they were going to have some sort of "valet" parking.  That ought to open up an ability to use a rotating parking "car carousel".  I posted pictures of one of those things before (just Google it).  Maybe one of those surface lots would be a good spot for one.   In any case, flood the Planning Dept.  Enough is enough.  

[ProtoSapien]

[mpchicago]

Planning commission finally says no to St. Marys. 

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2018/09/planning_commission_rejects_ma.html

[GR_Urbanist]

OMG! We did it!

Holy cow! This is incredible!

 

And I swear Mlive posters are some of the most....sigh.  Bless their little hearts.