Proposed 400 room Hotel at Devos Place

[GVSUChris]

So this Friday, December 6 the CAA has their last meeting of the year, and if memory serves correct the meeting where the final reports should be presented to them. I'm wondering if we'll hear anything. 

[Guest]

I keep thinking we gotta pretty close to the post office building a new facility and selling the land.  If it ever happens I would think DeVos Place (or DDA or whatever) would be the first to snatch it up to expand.  That would be a perfect spot for a hotel.  Not sure where that would put us with total convention space... looks like we currently have 240,000 sqft, compared to Cobo at 723,000.

That location for the post office just doesn't seem to work really wall anymore, but then again, it is the federal government....

[GRDadof3]

14 hours ago, GVSUChris said:

So this Friday, December 6 the CAA has their last meeting of the year, and if memory serves correct the meeting where the final reports should be presented to them. I'm wondering if we'll hear anything. 

Interestingly they don't post their agendas or minutes online. 

https://www.accesskent.com/Calendar/getEventsE.do?day=6&month=12&year=2019&from=events&type=

 

[GVSUChris]

20 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

Interestingly they don't post their agendas or minutes online. 

https://www.accesskent.com/Calendar/getEventsE.do?day=6&month=12&year=2019&from=events&type=

 

I know that has always frustrated me lol

[joeDowntown]

Anyone hear if they discussed the convention center hotel at the CAA meeting today?

Joe

[Prankster]

49 minutes ago, joeDowntown said:

Anyone hear if they discussed the convention center hotel at the CAA meeting today?

Joe

Put off to 2020. 

[grandrollerz]

I keep thinking we gotta pretty close to the post office building a new facility and selling the land. 

That location for the post office just doesn't seem to work really wall anymore, but then again, it is the federal government....

The cynic in me says this sale will happen in mid to late 2020, before elections...in case Betsy no longer holds influence in 2021.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[MJLO]

On 12/6/2019 at 10:17 PM, Prankster said:

Put off to 2020. 

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/12/report-on-publicly-financed-convention-hotel-amphitheater-pushed-back-to-2020.html

Perhaps it is more difficult for them to justify than originally thought?

[GRDadof3]

On 12/9/2019 at 6:19 AM, MJLO said:

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/12/report-on-publicly-financed-convention-hotel-amphitheater-pushed-back-to-2020.html

Perhaps it is more difficult for them to justify than originally thought?

Maybe they think it's going to be a big divisive issue in the community, due to funding, and we're coming into another divisive election year. Although blowing federal budgets and going into huge amounts of government debt seems to be all the rage lately so I don't see what the issue would be.  

[cutlervillegr]

7 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Maybe they think it's going to be a big divisive issue in the community, due to funding, and we're coming into another divisive election year. Although blowing federal budgets and going into huge amounts of government debt seems to be all the rage lately so I don't see what the issue would be.  

Not just lately....

 

Neither political party is particularly interested in balancing the budget or reducing the debt.

[GRDadof3]

4 hours ago, cutlervillegr said:

Not just lately....

 

Neither political party is particularly interested in balancing the budget or reducing the debt.

Well one party claims to be the party of small government...

But I digress. :P

[GRDadof3]

Grand Action is back in business with new leadership, and this project is mentioned.

https://www.grbj.com/articles/95569-grand-action-is-back-in-action

 

[Prankster]

2 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Grand Action is back in business with new leadership, and this project is mentioned.

https://www.grbj.com/articles/95569-grand-action-is-back-in-action

 

So they’re getting the band back together...wonder what other projects they are alluding to besides the convention hotel. 

[joeDowntown]

Glad to hear it. A lot of the "tent posts" of downtowns revitalization happened because Grand Action got (and kept) the ball rolling.

Joe 

[mpchicago]

This is great news!  I was disappointed when they disbanded.   I hope that Grand Rapids Whitewater and the River for All river park plans are included in what they will be looking in the near future.    I think these projects are up near the top when it comes to having the most impact on the city going forward. 

[GRDadof3]

5 hours ago, Prankster said:

So they’re getting the band back together...wonder what other projects they are alluding to besides the convention hotel. 

From 2017 "destination asset study":

Convention Center, Hotel Opportunities
    • Attracting Professional Sports
    • Enhancing Amateur Sports Offerings
    • Leveraging the Grand River
    • Outdoor and Adventure Opportunities
    • Downtown Transportation for the Visitor, and
    • Destination Awareness, Inclusion and Diversity

https://www.experiencegr.com/articles/post/grand-action-reveals-destination-asset-study-findings-at-economic-club/

 

[Chisox]

31 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

From 2017 "destination asset study":

Convention Center, Hotel Opportunities
    • Attracting Professional Sports
    • Enhancing Amateur Sports Offerings
    • Leveraging the Grand River
    • Outdoor and Adventure Opportunities
    • Downtown Transportation for the Visitor, and
    • Destination Awareness, Inclusion and Diversity

https://www.experiencegr.com/articles/post/grand-action-reveals-destination-asset-study-findings-at-economic-club/

 

 

I get the context, but I don't know what it is with the old tyme trolleys. #facepalm This style of trolley is something you'd see at a suburban mall to outlot parking or something.

 

[ironyisadeadscene]

https://trib.al/wqd4Py9

 

Plan has been shelved. Total bummer. I had heard this was going to be 30+ stories.

[egrguy]

Unfortunately, not surprising at all. Best case scenario is we experience a consistent rate of new infections and not a second wave in the fall. 

If so, we can slowly start to see the hotel industry recover and we'll see this resurface in 2022. 

[GVSUChris]

2 hours ago, ironyisadeadscene said:

https://trib.al/wqd4Py9

 

Plan has been shelved. Total bummer. I had heard this was going to be 30+ stories.

Yeah I was actually reading in some minutes for a committee that it had been increased to 30+ stories and 500 rooms. But as I read that I also thought “not happening anymore!” Sad but not surprising . 

[GRLaker]

I honestly question if we’ll ever see a rebound in the convention industry. 

[joeDowntown]

1 hour ago, GRLaker said:

I honestly question if we’ll ever see a rebound in the convention industry. 

I think we will. It may be a while though. I remember having the same thoughts about air travel, hotels, vacations, etc. after 9/11. But eventually (once we’re out of the woods), I think things will normalize again. 
 

Joe

[grandrollerz]

On 12/3/2019 at 7:02 PM, Floyd_Z said:

I keep thinking we gotta pretty close to the post office building a new facility and selling the land.  If it ever happens I would think DeVos Place (or DDA or whatever) would be the first to snatch it up to expand.  That would be a perfect spot for a hotel.  Not sure where that would put us with total convention space... looks like we currently have 240,000 sqft, compared to Cobo at 723,000.

That location for the post office just doesn't seem to work really wall anymore, but then again, it is the federal government....

With the work they appear to be doing on the roof at the post office, that would seem to be a long term investment.  Why repair the roof unless you had plans to stay in the building long term?  "but then again, it is the federal government".  anyone have details on the project?  I didn't find anything on usps.gov

[joeDowntown]

Was excited to see this on the news tonight. They said the project was pushed, not scrapped, they’d like to have it open in 2024-2025 (when convention business is expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels, and it could’ve started in a year or so if things fall into place:

https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/pandemic-stalls-but-doesnt-squash-devos-place-hotel-idea/

Joe

[GRDadof3]

20 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

Was excited to see this on the news tonight. They said the project was pushed, not scrapped, they’d like to have it open in 2024-2025 (when convention business is expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels, and it could’ve started in a year or so if things fall into place:

https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/pandemic-stalls-but-doesnt-squash-devos-place-hotel-idea/

Joe

That's weird, I was just thinking about this hotel tower. Mainly because I was thinking the lot next to the 5/3 building would be a great spot for a new LMCU glass-tower headquarters. Which lead me to think of the convention center tower.