Suburban Projects

[GRLaker]

A couple of things I noticed in Grandville and Wyoming...

1. Does anyone know what is being built on the corner of Wilson and 52nd? I remember talk a while ago of there being a large upscale apartment complex being built there, but I hadn't heard anything since. Now that land has been completely cleared out and a building has been erected.

2. What is going in at Metro Health? There is what looks to be a small building going up right on the road. Also, there is what looks to be a larger building going up behind it with two cement structures on either side now sticking up from the earth. 

[WMrapids]

Wilson and 52nd is an apartment development.

The other one near Metro Health is a Metro Health development that will be about 3-4 stories.

[GRLaker]

Excellent. A development like that is much needed in the suburbs to hopefully drive down costs area-wide. It's easy to raise rent to above affordable levels when demand is high and the market isn't producing anything in the suburbs. Between this and the Grandville castle, it will definitely make a positive impact for the consumer.  

[WMrapids]

9 minutes ago, GRLaker said:

Excellent. A development like that is much needed in the suburbs to hopefully drive down costs area-wide. It's easy to raise rent to above affordable levels when demand is high and the market isn't producing anything in the suburbs. Between this and the Grandville castle, it will definitely make a positive impact for the consumer.  

A plan for even more apartments was opposed by homeowners in the area awhile back.

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2015/05/wyoming_homeowners_opposed_to.html#incart_related_stories

[GRLaker]

8 minutes ago, WMrapids said:

A plan for even more apartments was opposed by homeowners in the area awhile back.

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2015/05/wyoming_homeowners_opposed_to.html#incart_related_stories

That I can understand. That is a nice neighborhood with high home values and this proposal seems to aim at connecting the apartment complex to the neighborhood. While this complex looks to be upscale, it wouldn't stay that way in the distant future. So it's in their best interest to keep that land open for home development, which I'm sure will transpire soon. They should instead try to build those on the land kitty-corner to the one going up. It's a large plot of empty land and there are no subdivisions around it. 

Edited September 8, 2016 by GRLaker

[WMrapids]

There's also a development that may happen near 44th and Wilson, north of the gas station.

Edited September 8, 2016 by WMrapids

[GRDadof3]

25 minutes ago, WMrapids said:

There's also a development that may happen near 44th and Wilson, north of the gas station.

I also saw that there's a new hotel going in along Rivertown Parkway by the Maserati dealership, for those interested. 

[GRLaker]

29 minutes ago, WMrapids said:

There's also a development that may happen near 44th and Wilson, north of the gas station.

 

Unfortunately, the print is unreadable on my screen. Is that going to be an apartment building or a retirement community?

[WMrapids]

Here's the hotel.

Here's the link to the other proposal as well. I couldn't get a good screenshot.

http://grandvillecitymi.minutesondemand.com/Document/30083ae0-ca13-e611-9e45-001fbc00ed84/cou-packet-05092016.pdf#search=

[getemngo]

3 hours ago, WMrapids said:

Here's the link to the other proposal as well. I couldn't get a good screenshot.

http://grandvillecitymi.minutesondemand.com/Document/30083ae0-ca13-e611-9e45-001fbc00ed84/cou-packet-05092016.pdf#search=

Even zoomed in on the PDF, it's not all that clear. But the plan was submitted by Leisure Living, who specializes in senior living. Their portfolio locally includes Yorkshire & Stonebridge Manors on Leonard in Walker, Georgetown & Cambridge Manor in Jenison, Boulder Creek Assisted Living in Rockford, and the Fountain View assisted living homes in Coopersville, Lowell, Grant, etc.

Edited September 8, 2016 by getemngo

[arcturus]

22 hours ago, WMrapids said:

Wilson and 52nd is an apartment development.

The other one near Metro Health is a Metro Health development that will be about 3-4 stories.

With ITT closing down Metro just might of found another building to use.

[WMrapids]

Tri-Unity just began their expansion to add all of their students under one roof.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/11/tri-unity_christian_school_pla.html

[WMrapids]

On 9/8/2016 at 11:31 AM, WMrapids said:

There's also a development that may happen near 44th and Wilson, north of the gas station.

Senior living development seems to have broken ground.

 

[GRDadof3]

I don't know how many people are interested in this, but in writing an "article" recently, I came across a stat that the industrial space vacancy rate in West Michigan is a really low 4% this year, which is an astonishingly good stat. Sort of blows out the water the mantra that manufacturers have moved everything to Mexico, but I digress.

While I was out in Ford Airport area, which is industrial space central, I captured some pictures of the building boom out in that area. 

This was just some of it:

Lacks Industries Plastic Plate division has a HUGE new building off of Kraft Avenue.

 

This is the airport viewing area, which was strangely packed when I was out there. Over to the left you can see Bob Grooter's new Area 52 project, phase 1, which will eventually equal close to 1 Million square feet of industrial space.

 

Airport expansion going on. Pretty crane.

 

This is one of a couple of "spec" buildings that were built at 36th and Broadmoor. Look to be filled up already in building 1. 

 

Some building at the corner of Patterson and 52nd under construction.

 

 

A whole bunch of businesses along Broadmoor had NOW HIRING signs out in front, a BUNCH. 

Davenport's expansion:

 

 

 

[arcturus]

15 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

I don't know how many people are interested in this, but in writing an "article" recently, I came across a stat that the industrial space vacancy rate in West Michigan is a really low 4% this year, which is an astonishingly good stat. Sort of blows out the water the mantra that manufacturers have moved everything to Mexico, but I digress

Does the vacancy rate include property such as the GM facility on Burlingame?  The low vacancy may in part be due to industrial that has been razed, abandoned, or re-purposed into something other than manufacturing.  I see this happening throughout Chicago, one example being Lagunitas Brewing which occupies the former Ryerson Steel plant.  On second thought that might not be a good example ... at least we've replaced steel with beer!

[MJLO]

53 minutes ago, arcturus said:

Does the vacancy rate include property such as the GM facility on Burlingame?  The low vacancy may in part be due to industrial that has been razed, abandoned, or re-purposed into something other than manufacturing.  I see this happening throughout Chicago, one example being Lagunitas Brewing which occupies the former Ryerson Steel plant.  On second thought that might not be a good example ... at least we've replaced steel with beer!

The GM facility on Burlingame isn't anywhere near vacant.  In the last couple years they've invested a ton of money and doubled the staff, the place is humming.  In all of the years I've been around that facility I've never seen the parking lot so full.   You need to drive by the Burton portion of it to see where employees park.  Driving along the Burlingame stretch gives a very false sense of empty.

[GRDadof3]

1 hour ago, arcturus said:

Does the vacancy rate include property such as the GM facility on Burlingame?  The low vacancy may in part be due to industrial that has been razed, abandoned, or re-purposed into something other than manufacturing.  I see this happening throughout Chicago, one example being Lagunitas Brewing which occupies the former Ryerson Steel plant.  On second thought that might not be a good example ... at least we've replaced steel with beer!

It doesn't include property that is owned and occupied by the owner, like a Herman Miller plant or LG Chem plant. Just space that is leased, is tracked in that stat. My Lacks Plastic Plate picture is actually a bad example, because it's not included in that stat.

There are 1800+ buildings with 115 Million square feet of industrial space in the West Michigan market, that are "leased," according to Colliers. The actual vacancy rate is 5.5% if you include warehousing, 4.4% for manufacturing space. 

http://www.colliers.com/-/media/files/marketresearch/unitedstates/markets/west michigan/2016/market trends/q3_2016_west michigan industrial_market report.pdf

The national average vacancy rate dropped down to below 6% earlier this year, way below the historical average:

http://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/research-and-insight/2016/usq3-market-beat-reports/

 

8 minutes ago, MJLO said:

The GM facility on Burlingame isn't anywhere near vacant.  In the last couple years they've invested a ton of money and doubled the staff, the place is humming.  In all of the years I've been around that facility I've never seen the parking lot so full.   You need to drive by the Burton portion of it to see where employees park.  Driving along the Burlingame stretch gives a very false sense of empty.

I was going to say the same.

http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2015/06/gm_investing_119_million_at_gr.html

[GRDadof3]

1 hour ago, arcturus said:

Does the vacancy rate include property such as the GM facility on Burlingame?  The low vacancy may in part be due to industrial that has been razed, abandoned, or re-purposed into something other than manufacturing.  I see this happening throughout Chicago, one example being Lagunitas Brewing which occupies the former Ryerson Steel plant.  On second thought that might not be a good example ... at least we've replaced steel with beer!

And brewing beer is considered manufacturing. Founders now has just over 300 employees and is probably considered one of the fastest growing manufacturers in the region. 

[arcturus]

17 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

And brewing beer is considered manufacturing. Founders now has just over 300 employees and is probably considered one of the fastest growing manufacturers in the region. 

Yep, that's the reason I said it wasn't a good example.  

[arcturus]

40 minutes ago, MJLO said:

The GM facility on Burlingame isn't anywhere near vacant.  In the last couple years they've invested a ton of money and doubled the staff, the place is humming.  In all of the years I've been around that facility I've never seen the parking lot so full.   You need to drive by the Burton portion of it to see where employees park.  Driving along the Burlingame stretch gives a very false sense of empty.

Good to know.  The article GRDad points to showed employment of 530 at that time.  Wondering what it is now.  

For perspective the 2 GM plants at peak employment was 6800.  

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2009/07/wyoming_struggles_with_loss_of.html

[GRDadof3]

1 hour ago, arcturus said:

Good to know.  The article GRDad points to showed employment of 530 at that time.  Wondering what it is now.  

For perspective the 2 GM plants at peak employment was 6800.  

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2009/07/wyoming_struggles_with_loss_of.html

And Flint used to have almost 100,000 people working at GM and now have something like 9000. Manufacturers can do a lot more with a lot fewer than they used to need. Although now it seems like they can't hire enough people fast enough. People have changed their attitudes about what kind of work they'll do (for the pay that mfr's are offering). 

[arcturus]

22 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

And Flint used to have almost 100,000 people working at GM and now have something like 9000. Manufacturers can do a lot more with a lot fewer than they used to need. Although now it seems like they can't hire enough people fast enough. People have changed their attitudes about what kind of work they'll do (for the pay that mfr's are offering). 

Yep, send the jobs elsewhere to countries whose citizens aren't as selective as we've become.

[arcturus]

8 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Rivertown is looking pretty dated already I've noticed. 

Everything new around it lends contrast to that observation.  Can't believe how much has opened within the past 12 - 18 months around Cabela's, soon to be Bass Pro.  Also, lots of new home/condo/apt construction going on south of there.

[GRDadof3]

2 hours ago, GVSUChris said:

Most of places I could take or leave but seriously is Shinola were to come to Grand Rapids and go into a mall...bleh. 

No kidding. I think they should go into the space next to Atwater Brewery in the Rowe.

 

 

[GRDadof3]

14 minutes ago, GRLaker said:

 

That is good to know that they are doing better financially than they were. I was just told about this over the weekend and it was based on the somewhat recent past, so I'm not surprised that it was outdated information. I do maintain that they have done a poor job of keeping the place up, though. Rivertown may never be the mall of the wealthy for the area, but it is located in a nice community and the Chicago Drive Dutch are far from poor...They just aren't quick to part with their money  Really, all Rivertown needs is a superficial makeover. Replace the bulbs, get rid of the mold and stains on the building exterior, fix the leaks, replace damaged/stained flooring, etc. Heck...Maybe even change up the overall style of the middle portion to make it a little less campy. A fresh paint job can go a long way.

And that would be great to see what GGP has done recently. 

Rivertown also has the benefit of being right on the border of one of the fastest growing areas in the State, the Ottawa/Kent Co border. Just population growth alone will keep it going, because for those people, there's really nowhere else to go for "mall shopping" without trekking all the way across the metro area.