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Brix at Midtown project - Grand & Benson - Michigan Street


GRDadof3

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For those who keep wondering what's going on with the buildings out on Michigan Street here, Third Coast goes before the PC in October to present a plan for a 4 story mixed use building on 637, 645 and 649 Michigan St, basically the houses and the old Kent Novelty Store. They intend to build 44 residential units and are asking to only provide 18 on site parking spaces instead of the required 60.

No drawings that I can see yet. 

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12 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

For those who keep wondering what's going on with the buildings out on Michigan Street here, Third Coast goes before the PC in October to present a plan for a 4 story mixed use building on 637, 645 and 649 Michigan St, basically the houses and the old Kent Novelty Store. They intend to build 44 residential units and are asking to only provide 18 on site parking spaces instead of the required 60.

No drawings that I can see yet. 

Seesh, Third Coast is planning on turning Michigan Street into a wasteland of taste and design. You can see the back of one of their ugly ducklings in joeDownton's photo above. They have to be stopped. 

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GRDad answered my question about the "Michigan Street Houses" listing on their website that doesn't have a photo.

Now I'm really worried seeing that they are out front with wholesale fibbing to the PC and press as to what their plans are only to cheapen it considerably when it comes time to turn dirt.

 

The PC should make them a deal. You can have your parking variance ONLY if you adhere to the design you put in front of them for the Diamond Place site, obviously modifying for the corner property they could not secure..

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3 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

For those who keep wondering what's going on with the buildings out on Michigan Street here, Third Coast goes before the PC in October to present a plan for a 4 story mixed use building on 637, 645 and 649 Michigan St, basically the houses and the old Kent Novelty Store. They intend to build 44 residential units and are asking to only provide 18 on site parking spaces instead of the required 60.

No drawings that I can see yet. 

I bet the renderings will look nice. And then they'll totally change it during construction. ;)

Joe

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18 hours ago, mgreven said:

From the Midtown minutes...enjoy! 

Screen Shot 2016-09-29 at 2.13.11 PM.png

Maybe it's the poor quality image but it already looks like a bad hotel in a seedy part of town, before it's even built. The patio doors look like they're boarded up? And I don't even get what's happening with the corner section. 

I hope the Planning Commissioners nix this proposal and tell them to go back to the drawing board. I know the developers will say that this is "preliminary" but why would you put this out for the public to see. Aren't they embarrassed to have their names on this? 

11 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

Can we just start calling this type of development that is going up "shitfill"? All those in favor...

Joe

AYE!!

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On September 29, 2016 at 2:14 PM, mgreven said:

From the Midtown minutes...enjoy! 

Screen Shot 2016-09-29 at 2.13.11 PM.png

I don't know if I should use :tw_bawling: or :rofl:. It only looks good next to the proos place rendering. 

 

I have ate to think this some sort of preliminary design. There aren't even doors on the first floor 

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On 9/29/2016 at 2:14 PM, mgreven said:

From the Midtown minutes...enjoy! 

Screen Shot 2016-09-29 at 2.13.11 PM.png

This is more than just preliminary, someone went through the trouble of adding rooflines behind the "tower" so that water/snow doesn't pool behind the tower. My guess is this was drawn up by a small General Contractor that happens to do some of its own "design" work (used loosely). Probably does a lot of motel work. 

MiBiz:

https://mibiz.com/item/24060-third-coast-development-eyes-michigan-street-for-more-apartments

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  • 2 weeks later...

The project will feature 18 on-site parking spaces and offer incentives to tenants who don’t park a car onsite. Benedict said the company plans to build considerable bike racks and storage and will construct a covered bus stop right outside of the development.

Under city zoning, developers can cut down on their required parking by building such infrastructure.

The developer also expects to attract an unnamed bar and restaurant with dancing and entertainment for the commercial space.

Bar Parking with no city lots? and only 18 parking spots???  This is a bigger mess than the Clark's project!

 

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14 hours ago, Morris said:

The project will feature 18 on-site parking spaces and offer incentives to tenants who don’t park a car onsite. Benedict said the company plans to build considerable bike racks and storage and will construct a covered bus stop right outside of the development.

Under city zoning, developers can cut down on their required parking by building such infrastructure.

The developer also expects to attract an unnamed bar and restaurant with dancing and entertainment for the commercial space.

Bar Parking with no city lots? and only 18 parking spots???  This is a bigger mess than the Clark's project!

Don't worry ... If Third Coast does this they will probably get a strong taste of economic reality, which may send everyone else running for the exits.  So far as I know, no one has actually does any studies indicating that there is any sort of sizeable population of people with adequate income to pay for these who would be willing to forego a car.  If those people don't exist, the rents will have to go through the floor, the place will turn into a tenement, and the developer will take a major hit.  No bank will ever finance one again.  On the other hand, if it works, then great.  Step forward.  But I don't think we're anywhere close to there yet.  

As for the parking for retail space, I cannot figure that one out at all.  The zoning code has clear parking requirements for commercial space which are conditioned upon occupancy and use.  Somehow they seem to be getting around it.  I cannot imagine the city is being so foolish as to let them double-count the spaces for the residential portion, but who knows?  

As far as the "architectural design" ... OMG. This is sophisticated high brow stuff, by comparison:

taco-bell.jpg

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Horrid design aside, you cant have it both ways on parking.

You want big city density, you aren't going to get Kentwood sized parking lots, with ample spaces by the front door, to go along with it. There just isnt a way around it.

People will park down the street and walk like they do in other parts of town if they want to go to this place.

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2 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

Horrid design aside, you cant have it both ways on parking.

You want big city density, you aren't going to get Kentwood sized parking lots, with ample spaces by the front door, to go along with it. There just isnt a way around it.

People will park down the street and walk like they do in other parts of town if they want to go to this place.

It's not so black and white. Restaurants particularly are the most intense users of parking as far as retail goes, and the city has higher requirements. If the restaurant has 30 tables, and is successful, that's probably 40 extra cars in the neighborhood. If the surrounding block only has 40 on street parking spaces, then that's it. Not to mention the people who live in the new building and their guests, as well as the homes in the area. 

Maybe they're proposing this building as a message: "This is what you have to approve Grand Rapids if you want developers to fill the gap between income restricted and market rate." 

 

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I still have to believ that this rendering is more of a massing exercise and not the real deal (example: no first floor).

i agree with Morris, where's the parking? We're just not there yet as a city. Driving isn't just a choice, it's a necessity. I don't think the no car idea is feasible anywhere in GR, let alone this location.  It'll be interesting. Maybe they'll make a deal with the apartment complex going up next door for extra parking? A restaurant would definitely help the apartment complex from an amenities standpoint. Who knows, Third Coast has me scratching my head lately.

Joe

 

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13 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

It's not so black and white. Restaurants particularly are the most intense users of parking as far as retail goes, and the city has higher requirements. If the restaurant has 30 tables, and is successful, that's probably 40 extra cars in the neighborhood. If the surrounding block only has 40 on street parking spaces, then that's it. Not to mention the people who live in the new building and their guests, as well as the homes in the area. 

Maybe they're proposing this building as a message: "This is what you have to approve Grand Rapids if you want developers to fill the gap between income restricted and market rate." 

 

It almost seems to have been a really bad oversight that the city didnt purchase some land in the area for some sort of parking lot or garage in anticipation of this intense amount of development that we all kind of knew would be coming.

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