Boston Square development

[Khorasaurus1]

So what happens to Modern Hardware? I love that place.

Edited December 31, 2019 by Khorasaurus1

[GVSUChris]

16 hours ago, Khorasaurus1 said:

So what happens to Modern Hardware? I love that place.

In one rendering I studied it was actually relocated in the ground floor of a new mixed building across Kalamazoo. 

Edited December 31, 2019 by GVSUChris

[joeDowntown]

15 hours ago, Khorasaurus1 said:

So what happens to Modern Hardware? I love that place.

Can’t imagine they’d close up shop. Modern Hardware is always busy and people come from all over the city to order cabinet hardware, etc. 

Joe

[organsnyder]

I imagine they're looking forward to a more free-flowing store layout. Though the current maze of a store has a charm that I'll miss.

[Guest]

Anyone here if this passed?  I would hope it would be unanimous!  Here are some additional renderings.  It looks great and would be such a boost for the neighborhood.  Looks like Modern would to the other side of Kzoo.

[Pattmost20]

18 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

Anyone here if this passed?  I would hope it would be unanimous!  Here are some additional renderings.  It looks great and would be such a boost for the neighborhood.  Looks like Modern would to the other side of Kzoo.

Some of those renderings look great! This would be a really cool project.

[GR_Urbanist]

As someone that lived just slightly NE of this, I'm utterly floored at the ambition of this project.

 

This is going to epicly advance that district 30 years past where it has been. And it will have coattails that will bring up the multitude of drab, unambitious and poorly executed projects up a few notches. It will definitely cause the clearing-out of some buildings that need to be demolished and rebuilt.

 

And what's the "creek"? I know that a retaining pond is nearby, but I had no idea that we actually had a covered creek that ran through there!

Edited January 9, 2020 by GR_Urbanist

[joeDowntown]

41 minutes ago, GR_Urbanist said:

And what's the "creek"? I know that a retaining pond is nearby, but I had no idea that we actually had a covered creek that ran through there!

I looks like a creek is buried under the sea of concrete.

 

 

[Raildude's dad]

Silver Creek County Drain

[Pattmost20]

Just read on Facebook that it was approved.

[Guest]

I agree that I really like this project, that area could really use a shot in the arm.  That Walgreens needs to be redone if not leveled.

The NIMBYism from a few is kind of crazy to me.  One argument against it is that it will raise property values.  Who wouldn't want their property values to increase?  Maybe because of the higher taxes?  It really only effects renters.  An owner occupied property is much more likely to be more well kept than a rental.  Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but it's true.  I understand the suspicion of "rich white guy comes to the neighborhood to build stuff", but who wouldn't want an improvement to their neighborhood?

[discgrab21]

14 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

I agree that I really like this project, that area could really use a shot in the arm.  That Walgreens needs to be redone if not leveled.

The NIMBYism from a few is kind of crazy to me.  One argument against it is that it will raise property values.  Who wouldn't want their property values to increase?  Maybe because of the higher taxes?  It really only effects renters.  An owner occupied property is much more likely to be more well kept than a rental.  Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but it's true.  I understand the suspicion of "rich white guy comes to the neighborhood to build stuff", but who wouldn't want an improvement to their neighborhood?

I think the worry is if property values go up, landlords may cash in on the new equity, and a new landlord may raise rents and displace long-time residents.  I know that would worry me if I was renting and living on a modest income without the ability to pay higher rent.  For the record, I have NO idea what the ownership rate is in that neighborhood, but it is a legitimate concern. 

On balance, however, if this comes to fruition, it would be great for that neighborhood.  Maybe it could even be a catalyst for some development at Hall & Giddings, and make the Hall St Bakery not seem as much like it is on an island.

[ModSquad]

15 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

I agree that I really like this project, that area could really use a shot in the arm.  That Walgreens needs to be redone if not leveled.

The NIMBYism from a few is kind of crazy to me.  One argument against it is that it will raise property values.  Who wouldn't want their property values to increase?  Maybe because of the higher taxes?  It really only effects renters.  An owner occupied property is much more likely to be more well kept than a rental.  Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but it's true.  I understand the suspicion of "rich white guy comes to the neighborhood to build stuff", but who wouldn't want an improvement to their neighborhood?

I started my work in Community Development in this neighborhood in 1995 when we founded Oakdale Neighbors.  There is probably not a neighborhood in Grand Rapids I know better than this one.  I have to comment on the concerns of gentrification and rising rents because of the Amplify efforts.  

1. Amplify has gone to enormous efforts to preserve affordability in this neighborhood.  They have purchased existing rentals to guarantee affordable  rents once the major development phase comes.  Additionally, they have included a certain percentage of their new units will be attainable rent.
2. To top this off they have contributed over $300,000 to help existing home owners do critical repairs and upgrades to their homes.  No one is recognizing how this contributes to affordability.
3. Almost all of the development they are planing for is on land that does not include existing homes, so there is no displacement.
4. This then leaves the question of the rise of property values.  The Oakdale Park Neighborhood, the last time I looked had about a 55% home ownership rate.  Remember, there are a lot of multifamily homes in this neighborhood that were built in the 1920's and 1930's and built as multi family homes.  This was very common with dutch immigrants as they would build a duplex.  Live in one side and rent the other side to a new family coming over.  Additionally, having Adams Park Apts really skews the home ownership rates in the neighborhood.  The demographics of their target are is 55% Black, 25% Hispanic, and 20% White.  If 80% of the households are Black and Hispanic, and 55% are homeowners then a rise of property values in this neighborhood has the possibility of raising the generational wealth of a LOT of Black and Hispanic families.  Due to the Headlee Amendment in Michigan totally minimizes the property tax burden of these homeowner households that will see a sudden rise in property values.

I do not hear any complaints about this project from the folks that live there.  I do hear complaints from a bunch of "woke" folks that have no stake in the community or its improvement.  Their argument does not hold water by any metric

[organsnyder]

20 minutes ago, ModSquad said:

I do not hear any complaints about this project from the folks that live there.  I do hear complaints from a bunch of "woke" folks that have no stake in the community or its improvement.  Their argument does not hold water by any metric

That's been my observation as well. Most of the opposition I've perceived has come from people that don't live in the neighborhood and are using this as a new front in their war against the DeVos family. I'm generally sympathetic to most of the opposition group's positions (and they do a lot of great activism), but they really missed the mark on this one.

I know this area quite well also, as I grew up a few blocks north (across Hall). The gentrification that is occurring in this area is due to Wealthy St creeping southward.

Is a "concerned" nonresident NIMBY a NITBY?

Edited January 10, 2020 by organsnyder

[Chisox]

Internet woke is a thing for the 35 and under crowd. It's probably the same crowd that conflates theory with reality and pragmatism with oppression. This crowd won't allow you to have a win win situation. Just move on and do good work for people. 

[organsnyder]

42 minutes ago, Chisox said:

Internet woke is a thing for the 35 and under crowd. It's probably the same crowd that conflates theory with reality and pragmatism with oppression. This crowd won't allow you to have a win win situation. Just move on and do good work for people. 

The group in question is mostly a generation older than 35.

[wmrharris]

21 hours ago, Raildude's dad said:

Silver Creek County Drain

There's a little bit of it in EGR behind Grace Episcopal. The creekbed served as the path of the rail to East. There's still a bump in the road on Colorado, just south of Adams for the long-gone roadbed.

[joeDowntown]

Someone mentioned this earlier, but is Modern Hardware staying in the neighborhood? Wonder if they’ll move into one of the new buildings?

Joe

[organsnyder]

3 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

Someone mentioned this earlier, but is Modern Hardware staying in the neighborhood? Wonder if they’ll move into one of the new buildings?

Joe

They're shown in one of the new buildings (across Kalamazoo) on one of the site plans.

[Raildude's dad]

On 1/10/2020 at 2:50 PM, wmrharris said:

There's a little bit of it in EGR behind Grace Episcopal. The creekbed served as the path of the rail to East. There's still a bump in the road on Colorado, just south of Adams for the long-gone roadbed.

Starts at Wilshire & Hall and runs to Plaster Creek at Chicago Drive. It's a big drainage district. The drain is pretty much enclosed.

https://www.accesskent.com/Departments/DrainCommissioner/pdfs/maps/Grand_Rapids_South.pdf

[GRDadof3]

Wow, this design is.... not great. Maybe for student housing on a college campus...

Guess I'm late to the party. Was posted earlier. 

[gvsusean]

1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

Wow, this design is.... not great. Maybe for student housing on a college campus...

Guess I'm late to the party. Was posted earlier. 

I think they are kinda neat.. except that parking lot

 

[mjak68]

It kind of reminds me of the City Modern Brush Park development in Detroit a little bit.  I like it.  

[Khorasaurus1]

25 minutes ago, mjak68 said:

It kind of reminds me of the City Modern Brush Park development in Detroit a little bit.  I like it.  

The cool thing that City Modern did was utilize several different building designs (although all are "modern") to give the impression that the development was built over time organically. It would be cool if this one could be the same way. 

[GRDadof3]

1 hour ago, gvsusean said:

I think they are kinda neat.. except that parking lot

 

The problem I have with the design is that most of the people in that neighborhood have incomes well below the area median income, and many live below the poverty level. And this project is meant to embrace the people in the neighborhood, not displace them (which is one of the big issues AmplifyGR is having with the neighborhood stakeholders). 

Does this design speak of enhancing the aesthetic of the area, or will it look like "low income" housing in a few years? The problem with modern designs like this, in a harsh climate like ours, is that the exterior materials start to look tired in a very short period of time. 

Plus that plaza feels "cold" to me because of the design. Kind of the feeling that the GRAM gives off at times, especially in the gray winter. I highly doubt you'll ever see as many people outside enjoying it as you do in those renderings. 

Contrast that with the townhouses at Madison and Hall, or the townhouses at Franklin and Ionia, which look as fresh and new as the day they were built, 15 - 20 years ago. 

https://goo.gl/maps/ihnaH7ZgiJfbEQwA8