A Grand Vision 2.0

[joeDowntown]

6 hours ago, GRLaker said:

While they're at it...Add a men's team. The women's soccer team is always extremely successful. I'd love to see a co-op stadium between GVSU and GRFC downtown that consists of GRFC and GVSU men and women games. 

I agree. The heard they won't (add a men's soccer team) because they put too much into the football team and they'd have to up the scholarships 2X because of title 9. I think it's B.S.  

But I also think Davenport is building a pretty excellent GLIAC program in GVSUs backyard. I think that may pressure them to upping their game. And other than the Brian Kelly indoor facility, Davenport might actually have a more impressive athletic facility. Can't imagine GVSU will let that be the case for too long. 

Joe

[GRLaker]

On 3/10/2017 at 4:25 PM, joeDowntown said:

I agree. The heard they won't (add a men's soccer team) because they put too much into the football team and they'd have to up the scholarships 2X because of title 9. I think it's B.S.  

But I also think Davenport is building a pretty excellent GLIAC program in GVSUs backyard. I think that may pressure them to upping their game. And other than the Brian Kelly indoor facility, Davenport might actually have a more impressive athletic facility. Can't imagine GVSU will let that be the case for too long. 

Joe

Agreed. GV has the funding to better fund its men's programs and add a men's soccer team, but they don't do it. Funding = success and all of GV's women's teams are successful because they're all fully funded while the men only have a fraction of what Division II limits them to. I also hope that Davenport being in D2 does force them to up their game in the facility front. GV's arena and pool are an embarrassment. As is the soccer stadium. The football and lacrosse/track stadiums are top of the line for D2 though.

I think that starting up that men's program, partnering with GRFC, and building a stadium downtown would be something that really sets itself apart from Davenport on the athletic front. It would mean both programs are only paying for half of the cost of building a stadium. GV would see a large increase in fans attending soccer games and the GRFC men's and women's teams would have themselves nice feeder programs in their own stadium. 

[wingbert]

If GVSU doesn't want to play, what about one of the other local programs?  Don't Calvin, Aquinas and/or others also have soccer programs?

[WMrapids]

8 minutes ago, wingbert said:

If GVSU doesn't want to play, what about one of the other local programs?  Don't Calvin, Aquinas and/or others also have soccer programs?

Aquinas barely has room for the field it has and doesn't have its own baseball field on campus.

[wingbert]

3 minutes ago, WMrapids said:

Aquinas barely has room for the field it has and doesn't have its own baseball field on campus.

Sorry, I didn't say it had to necessarily be on campus.

[scottythe1nonly]

i would make more sense to build a dual use stadium for GVSU football and our future upgraded GRFC.  Look at the proposal for San Diego's MLS bid.  It's a private/public partnership with the local University to share the stadium with college football.  

GVSU would get a lot more people at their games if they had a larger facility downtown.  

[GRDadof3]

On 3/27/2017 at 9:09 AM, scottythe1nonly said:

i would make more sense to build a dual use stadium for GVSU football and our future upgraded GRFC.  Look at the proposal for San Diego's MLS bid.  It's a private/public partnership with the local University to share the stadium with college football.  

GVSU would get a lot more people at their games if they had a larger facility downtown.  

How many thread are you talking about this idea scotty? Pick one and stick with it. 

[ChevalierNoir]

On 12/13/2016 at 12:01 AM, Pattmost20 said:

The mayor wants it gone. Would be nice to see a big push from the city for them to move. 

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/investigations/13-on-your-side/watchdog/could-the-downtown-gr-post-office-finally-be-moving/479111145

It's still speculation and rumors... but it's not just on UP!

[GR_Urbanist]

Easy solution:

The USPS leases the ground floor of a mixed-use project on one of the unused plots across the street, next to the new Michigan State Building. The building would have plenty of temp parking, like they have now, just located in the back.

 

The building will be paid for with a generous "gift" from the Van Andel family.

[GRDadof3]

9 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

Easy solution:

The USPS leases the ground floor of a mixed-use project on one of the unused plots across the street, next to the new Michigan State Building. The building would have plenty of temp parking, like they have now, just located in the back.

 

The building will be paid for with a generous "gift" from the Van Andel family.

As we've postulated here, I wonder if the new facility on South Division was done in preparation for this move. As in, the USPS knew they would be entering "make me an offer" mode and need to be very nimble when it comes to relocating.  Especially when comps for property downtown have reached epic heights, and the USPS is bleeding money and sitting on enough property that if they sold could probably fund their operational costs for a decade. 

https://www.thoughtco.com/postal-service-losses-by-year-3321043

The current post office site appears to be about 4.5 acres. It's been a while but I think downtown land alone was going for $5 Million an acre ten years ago. The USPS building itself is not really worth anything, kind of like the GRPress "building" was so unique to that user that it had no market value for re-use. 

 

[GRLaker]

Why not move it out to the airport? Plenty of land and closer to mail and packages coming by plane. 

[GRDadof3]

11 minutes ago, GRLaker said:

Why not move it out to the airport? Plenty of land and closer to mail and packages coming by plane. 

There is a big chunk of land that the airport recently put on the market. Maybe USPS has put a deal together on it... It's right off the 36th Street exit, I see the sign every time I get off there. 

Correction: that land is "no longer available" according to GRR's site. Hmmmm.

http://www.grr.org/property.php

Correction correction: the land where I saw the sign, right off the exit, doesn't appear to be any of the land they're marketing. But there's certainly a lot of opportunity at the airport, with direct access to the runways/tarmac. 

[joeDowntown]

Love or hate politics, doesn't this seem like something Betsy DeVos could get done in a 10 minute conversation with the President? It makes sense from a budget standpoint, and seems like it would make a lot of sense to a President who is also a real estate guy. 

Joe

[RegalTDP]

4 hours ago, GRLaker said:

Why not move it out to the airport? Plenty of land and closer to mail and packages coming by plane. 

There's a USPS facilty on East Paris Ave, sitting on a parcel of property that's about the same size as the one downtown, like five minutes away from GRR.  I wonder if they can move the Processing Facility there?  That may have been brought up before, now that I think about it.

[scottythe1nonly]

2 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

Love or hate politics, doesn't this seem like something Betsy DeVos could get done in a 10 minute conversation with the President? It makes sense from a budget standpoint, and seems like it would make a lot of sense to a President who is also a real estate guy. 

Joe

"the president is a real estate guy"      LOL

The Devos's and a number of other billionaires have wanted that property for decades and haven't been able to get it, whether their hand picked lackey was in office in Lansing or Washington.   The President can't order the Postal Service to give away or sell property. 

[GRLaker]

18 hours ago, scottythe1nonly said:

"the president is a real estate guy"      LOL

The Devos's and a number of other billionaires have wanted that property for decades and haven't been able to get it, whether their hand picked lackey was in office in Lansing or Washington.   The President can't order the Postal Service to give away or sell property. 

Correct. All he can do is appoint the board of governors with Senate approval. I highly doubt one of the qualifications for the job was to move the downtown office in Grand Rapids, MI.

I think if they move the office, it will be a money move more than anything. Property values have never been higher downtown and likely will plateau with the coming recession. To sell and move into a less expensive facility would bring in a nice chunk of change for the USPS. 

[john_denver]

How long has the PO been there?  30-40 years?  Seems like from a facility stand point it's aging and they are landlocked.  If they wanted/needed to do any major upgrades in the next 10+ years...seems like it would be a major effort in the current location.  Not much they can do to the current location, besides there is zero architectural value to it.

[GRLaker]

I'm curious....There are two parking lots between River House and the Gerald R Ford Museum. Has there ever been talk of someone buying those and building a tower there? They're not very large lots and I would imagine more parking could be added if they built it with a parking ramp. Just seems like the perfect place to put a tower along the river.

[joeDowntown]

10 minutes ago, GRLaker said:

I'm curious....There are two parking lots between River House and the Gerald R Ford Museum. Has there ever been talk of someone buying those and building a tower there? They're not very large lots and I would imagine more parking could be added if they built it with a parking ramp. Just seems like the perfect place to put a tower along the river.

I've always dreamed of a riverfront development on that lot. I don't recall anyone ever persuing it, or if Ford Museum would even consider selling (I'm assuming they own it). 

Joe

[joeDowntown]

2 hours ago, GRLaker said:

Correct. All he can do is appoint the board of governors with Senate approval. I highly doubt one of the qualifications for the job was to move the downtown office in Grand Rapids, MI.

I think if they move the office, it will be a money move more than anything. Property values have never been higher downtown and likely will plateau with the coming recession. To sell and move into a less expensive facility would bring in a nice chunk of change for the USPS. 

Hey man, stop with the snark and keep your comments positive. I know that Trump didn't run on a "move the Post Office in flyover country" platform.

My point is that in the past, they have talked about moratoriums on moving, etc. If older, inefficient facilities, the potential of moving at little to no cost, PLUS a little nudge from government officials can't get them to move, I don't know what can?

Joe

[GRLaker]

4 minutes ago, joeDowntown said:

Hey man, stop with the snark and keep your comments positive. I know that Trump didn't run on a "move the Post Office in flyover country" platform.

My point is that in the past, they have talked about moratoriums on moving, etc. If older, inefficient facilities, the potential of moving at little to no cost, PLUS a little nudge from government officials can't get them to move, I don't know what can?

Joe

13 minutes ago, joeDowntown said:

I've always dreamed of a riverfront development on that lot. I don't recall anyone ever persuing it, or if Ford Museum would even consider selling (I'm assuming they own it). 

Joe

Even a mixed use building like the New Holland building would look great there without blocking the view of the River House crowd. It would provide more entertainment/dining options for River House, the Rowe, MSU, and the offices in the area. 

[GRDadof3]

2 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

I've always dreamed of a riverfront development on that lot. I don't recall anyone ever persuing it, or if Ford Museum would even consider selling (I'm assuming they own it). 

Joe

Yep, the Ford Museum owns it. Would probably take an act of congress for them to sell it, or they may only sell it to the city for parkland. Who knows, anyone ask them? 

[scottythe1nonly]

3 hours ago, john_denver said:

How long has the PO been there?  30-40 years?  Seems like from a facility stand point it's aging and they are landlocked.  If they wanted/needed to do any major upgrades in the next 10+ years...seems like it would be a major effort in the current location.  Not much they can do to the current location, besides there is zero architectural value to it.

over the past 2 decades the Postal Service has commented on the fact that the downtown facility was efficient and effective and there was no reason to move it. 

I get the feeling the real deciding factor in moving it is the desire of the mayor and city council to move it.  I don't remember there ever being a strong push by the city government to move it from it's location.  In the past it was people like DeVos, Secchia, mainly people with a desire to profit somehow off redevelopment of the property.   The post office however provides a city service and good paying jobs.  It's not something that made a lot of sense to kick out of downtown back when half the property downtown was vacant or under utilized.