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New projects in Monroe North


GRDadof3

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10 hours ago, GRLaker said:

I noticed today that the old auto mechanic place on Monroe, butting up to the highway, is being torn down. I know MSU owns the land in the area. Makes me wonder if they have any plans for it other than more surface parking. 

someone may have better intel, but this is from the demo permit application:
image.png.ada1b9168f10175b0f430a7216c61bad.png

 

 

edit to add this:

image.png.0a6ba3d84143459aa5dcdabc5f3006b6.png

Edited by RiversideGR
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6 hours ago, grandrollerz said:

WTF is constitutional autonomy?!

https://www.masu.org/policy-reports/masu-higher-education-public-policy-agenda/context-governance-and-policy-development

Oh, ok. But was does that mean to development. They can do whatever they want?!


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AFAIK they have a lot more autonomy. A good example is GVSU being able to exceed normal signage guidelines. 

Joe

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7 hours ago, grandrollerz said:

WTF is constitutional autonomy?!

https://www.masu.org/policy-reports/masu-higher-education-public-policy-agenda/context-governance-and-policy-development

Oh, ok. But was does that mean to development. They can do whatever they want?!


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Public schools (both K-12 and Universities) are exempt from local zoning.

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22 hours ago, Khorasaurus1 said:

Public schools (both K-12 and Universities) are exempt from local zoning.

It was described to me as the RUM exception; which is easy to remember.   Railroads, Universities (schools), & the Military (the feds); they all have a lot of power to do their own thing.

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On 4/1/2023 at 2:30 PM, grandrollerz said:

WTF is constitutional autonomy?!

https://www.masu.org/policy-reports/masu-higher-education-public-policy-agenda/context-governance-and-policy-development

Oh, ok. But was does that mean to development. They can do whatever they want?!


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As I understand it (our firm does a lot of higher-ed work, although I personally don't), the State universities don't have to go through the same channels for building permits as everyone else. The State Constitution gives them that autonomy. They still have to go through the SOM Bureau of Fire Services for building code reviews, which can be more stringent in some respects,  so there is still that level of assurance for building safety. In this case of the demolished building, the City's ordinance no longer allows a property owner to demolish a building without a legitimate redevelopment plan in place (a demolition permit has to be obtained). Recent examples of which I'm aware... Spectrum/Corewell had to go through Planning Commission for approvals to tear down the Gill facility in North Monroe, and Profile Films did the same for that eyesore coming down on Ann Street. MSU does not need to apply for a permit, but apparently they did anyway. The City would not award a permit to anyone else with the same lack of a development plan, but they will in this case for the same goodwill that MSU extended.

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11 hours ago, numstead said:

The City would not award a permit to anyone else with the same lack of a development plan

Not absolutely; they just approved one for the demolition of an old car wash; I believe it was the most recent Planning Commission meeting.  The owner had no plan, just preparing to sell the site as development-ready.  The current Planning Commission seems to be a reasonable group of people.

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22 minutes ago, whitemice said:

Not absolutely; they just approved one for the demolition of an old car wash; I believe it was the most recent Planning Commission meeting.  The owner had no plan, just preparing to sell the site as development-ready.  The current Planning Commission seems to be a reasonable group of people.

Right, but that car wash demo had to go through the extra step of Planning Commission approval before getting a permit. MSU doesn't even need to get a permit.

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  • 3 weeks later...

"Plans to consolidate non-emergency Grand Rapids Fire Department operations could move the department from a training location at 1101 Monroe Ave. NW at the intersection of Coldbrook Street. The riverfront parcel is just south of Leonard Street on the east side of the Grand River, near the Monroe North business district."

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/grand-rapids-plan-would-move-fire-training-site-off-riverfront/

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I know that rendering is just conceptual, but there appears to be a building where the fire station is.  I wonder if the city has any future plans of selling that parcel as well and relocating the station?  The city seems to be pretty flush with cash and the FD is building a new fire station on Kalamazoo and then this new consolidated facility.  Obviously they would want to relocate it nearby, but maybe not such a prime location.

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  • 1 month later...

This seems like a really cool idea, another thing to do indoors during the winter. When I visit Indianapolis for family events, once in awhile we go downtown and there's a bowling, bocce ball, other things event area downtown and while I wish there were more things than just bocce ball here, this is still a really niche thing to bring that should get a decent amount of business.

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/secchia-scion-plans-entertainment-space-with-plenty-of-grand-rapids-nostalgia-in-monroe-north/

"The 50-year-old son of the late-businessman Peter Secchia purchased the former Riverfront Fitness Center located at 975 Ottawa Ave. NW for $2.5 million at the end of March. He plans to fully renovate the 50,000-square-foot building into a mixed-use entertainment center known as The Rec Room with five bocce ball courts, a restaurant, bar, private event space and 55-space indoor parking deck. "

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54 minutes ago, Zads said:

This seems like a really cool idea, another thing to do indoors during the winter. When I visit Indianapolis for family events, once in awhile we go downtown and there's a bowling, bocce ball, other things event area downtown and while I wish there were more things than just bocce ball here, this is still a really niche thing to bring that should get a decent amount of business.

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/secchia-scion-plans-entertainment-space-with-plenty-of-grand-rapids-nostalgia-in-monroe-north/

"The 50-year-old son of the late-businessman Peter Secchia purchased the former Riverfront Fitness Center located at 975 Ottawa Ave. NW for $2.5 million at the end of March. He plans to fully renovate the 50,000-square-foot building into a mixed-use entertainment center known as The Rec Room with five bocce ball courts, a restaurant, bar, private event space and 55-space indoor parking deck. "

Woah that is great - and will really upgrade the entertainment options in that neighborhood! Isn't this the same building that developers were trying to turn into storage units last year? this is MUCH more exciting.

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57 minutes ago, RiversideGR said:

Woah that is great - and will really upgrade the entertainment options in that neighborhood! Isn't this the same building that developers were trying to turn into storage units last year? this is MUCH more exciting.

That's great! Does that mean no storage facility? It's such a cool building, I'd love to see it used for something other than storage.

Joe

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47 minutes ago, Jonesey said:

This is great!  I hope this is the first of many projects for Mark!

Agreed. I remember a long time ago, Peter Secchia was somewhat disappointed that his kids ventured out and didn't want much to do with Sibsco. Good to see one of them came back and is investing in the city. Don't know how big the bocce scene is in GR, but hope it succeeds. It would be a fun corporate event.

Joe

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23 minutes ago, joeDowntown said:

Agreed. I remember a long time ago, Peter Secchia was somewhat disappointed that his kids ventured out and didn't want much to do with Sibsco. Good to see one of them came back and is investing in the city. Don't know how big the bocce scene is in GR, but hope it succeeds. It would be a fun corporate event.

Joe

I’ve been to a restaurant/bar with indoor bocce courts in another city and it was incredibly popular. 
 

I think the article makes a good point that we don’t have a ton of indoor activity options for the winter months. I have a feeling it will do well. 

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What a plot twist! There was a lot of disappointment with the self-storage proposal, and I had just figured there was little else that could exist there.

Glad to have missed on that!

 

EDIT: WOODTV report:

I have to say that I'm very impressed by the potential of this.

Edited by GR_Urbanist
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  • 3 weeks later...

358556619_657966593047334_8043396800911452882_n.thumb.jpeg.de52c2c6695bde80ee95dd913708424f.jpeg

The archives posted this photo, not sure when it was taken, but wow North Monroe has come a long way!  It will be cool to see how this continues to grow especially with (hopefully) a tower (or two)

Did The Boardwalk building used to go all the way from Monroe to Division?

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It kind of looks like it, right? When they renovated boardwalk, they knocked down an entire section along Monroe (where the parking ramp is). I think it originally had 3 atriums vs what it has now. But I don’t remember it going so far east. Maybe another portion was demolished in the 70s or 80s. either way, the Berkey and Gay building was massive!

Joe

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I wish the buildings west of Monroe would have remained. Looks like it was all built up going to 6th street.

I wish the Press or the City Archives would just scan all of their photos and put them online, because that entire area is completely unknown to me, and I've lived here my entire life! I would love to see what N. Monroe was like back then.

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