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GVSU Downtown Development

GRDadof3

By GRDadof3
in Grand Rapids

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nurfle! Unincorporated Area

nurfle!

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I was at the meeting last week about the ambitious Bike Share project that some local backers are trying to get started in time for ArtPrize. For the Bike Share program, they want to use a new bike rack product that Design+ has made and is just starting to sell as part of a Petal Outdoor Furnishings product line. They said so far they had sold 4 of them to GVSU and one to 48 West. I bet those racks are going to go into this development.

They are pretty cool, but quite expensive still as they are not producing many of them yet. They are being manufactured in Holland, and it is their intent to try and sell them to customers all around the world.

They wouldn't be shaped like metal trees, would they? If so there's one at the south entrance of Kirkhof.

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joeDowntown
joeDowntown

Partly because the city grew up around the university (Ann arbor). I think y’all are being quite critical of GVSU. Don’t know if you were around before GVSU built the campus west of the expressway, bu

wingbert
wingbert

I swear, this obsession with brown and beige in Grand Rapids is starting to get depressing.  Let's see some creativity.

Jonesey
Jonesey

A plan from GVSU's strategic plan.  Some of the main goals are to eliminate surface lots and add more housing (200 units).  I wonder why they never seem to focus on housing DT?  I feel like it would b

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fotoman311 Burg

fotoman311

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They wouldn't be shaped like metal trees, would they? If so there's one at the south entrance of Kirkhof.

Yep. That's the new Bike Petal rack. My sources tell me they are also at Kleiner Commons, by Lubbers Hall, and near Fresh Foods by Mackinaw Hall. Please forgive my spellings, as I'm not super familiar with GVSU's buildings.

Do you like them? Are they being used? I think they look great, especially filled with bicycles. But, I suppose they might not fit everyone's tastes.

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Jocundry Crossroads

Jocundry

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Yep. That's the new Bike Petal rack. My sources tell me they are also at Kleiner Commons, by Lubbers Hall, and near Fresh Foods by Mackinaw Hall. Please forgive my spellings, as I'm not super familiar with GVSU's buildings.

Do you like them? Are they being used? I think they look great, especially filled with bicycles. But, I suppose they might not fit everyone's tastes.

I work at GVSU. I take the bus to work and walk by the one by Kirkhof every morning and at 5 when I leave. It seems to get a good amount of use. I think there was at least one bike on it every time I walked by it this week.

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fotoman311 Burg

fotoman311

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GRCC enrollment skyrockets 10% over last year!

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/ind...college_33.html

Can't imagine how their enrollment will increase when they take over the old Davenport campus.

They've already been taking advantage of their new parking lots at Davenport. There is a new tollbooth installed at the entrance off of Fountain and that driveway has become a LOT busier than it ever was before because it's now separate from parking lot that you can access from Prospect.

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Veloise City

Veloise

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Cat is out... Announced at the Seidman Memorial service today. Richard and Helen DeVos have given a significant gift to the school to build a new business school building downtown. Building to be named after Seidman. Location to be behind the gas station on Fulton, razing the Dewitt Barrel building. Size is unknown.

WooHoo!!!

AKA The Cell Tower Building?

???

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GRJunkie4Life Unincorporated Area

GRJunkie4Life

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Not sure why I called it the DeWitt building...Anyway...I think we can all agree that it is a pretty dilapidated building and the city would be well served to have GVSU expand downtown. Yes, they have a lot of parking lots, but I would think future expansion would bring about more parking garages like at Winter/Lake Michigan. I think eventually we will see fewer surface lots for the school on the downtown campus.

The GR Press Article suggests that they do not have a location yet, but I have heard from about 4 people that the Cell Phone Building is the location. I suppose we shall see!!!

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Veloise City

Veloise

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AKA The Cell Tower Building?

???

Since I brought this up...the CTB is owned by DeVries. They added the, um, steeple to generate revenue while waiting for the market to pick up. (Source: horse's mouth, at the Fresh Water Place L'nL a few years ago.)

The tower is a VZW item and has several centerlines leased to the usual suspects. (Alltel's nearest installation is atop Plaza Towers. I spent three+ years trying to persuade the colleagues to not refer to the building as "the Radisson.")

DeVries indicated that there is a removal/early termination clause in the cell tower leases. In other words, should there be interest in removing our favorite DT structure, the various carriers would have to vacate (and not dig in their heels on behalf of their remaining lease terms).

I am convinced that the near-decade I spent in the wireless industry, defacing the landscape with #$%^&* like that, will cause me to be burning in Hades for at least that long. Would be very happy to have the subject property's appearance drastically change. (I would buy a lotto ticket to win the first swing of the wrecking ball.)

Edited by Veloise
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GVLaker06 Unincorporated Area

GVLaker06

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Not sure why I called it the DeWitt building...Anyway...I think we can all agree that it is a pretty dilapidated building and the city would be well served to have GVSU expand downtown. Yes, they have a lot of parking lots, but I would think future expansion would bring about more parking garages like at Winter/Lake Michigan. I think eventually we will see fewer surface lots for the school on the downtown campus.

The GR Press Article suggests that they do not have a location yet, but I have heard from about 4 people that the Cell Phone Building is the location. I suppose we shall see!!!

It may seem like it, but why is it that I have a hard time finding a parking space? Because the only buildings on that side of fulton are dorms so I park on the west side of fulton. Once they build and academic building on that side. Everybody will park there. That has been the rumored spot for a while and that building is awful.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Here's a question: if they build a new Siedman College of Business, what happens to the current Devos Center? Isn't it mostly the business college? Or would they expand more programs downtown?

I can't imagine they'd put the new business school in the middle of one of the parking lots and not on the riverfront, having that opportunity. It might even take up the A&P site and the parking lot to the West, since the A&P site is not that big.

3919573886_7ec0d4c7ea_o.jpg

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AlexPKeaton Burg

AlexPKeaton

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Here's a question: if they build a new Siedman College of Business, what happens to the current Devos Center? Isn't it mostly the business college? Or would they expand more programs downtown?

I'm not entirely sure what the plans are, but I know DeVos Center is much more than just classrooms. Only the east side of the building is dedicated to 2-3 floors of classrooms. The west side has computer labs, which host some classes, and the library. The center section is all offices except the ground floor. Many other programs besides business offer classes downtown, so it's quite possible they need more classroom space.

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Jocundry Crossroads

Jocundry

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I'm not entirely sure what the plans are, but I know DeVos Center is much more than just classrooms. Only the east side of the building is dedicated to 2-3 floors of classrooms. The west side has computer labs, which host some classes, and the library. The center section is all offices except the ground floor. Many other programs besides business offer classes downtown, so it's quite possible they need more classroom space.

Seidman uses a lot of the office space in DeVos Center. When they move out, GVSU could expand existing Pew campus departments or move entire departments from Allendale to GR.

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