The McConnell

[joeDowntown]

4 hours ago, Khorasaurus1 said:

This is all predicated on those dingy buildings being redeveloped as currently proposed.

I agree that every solution other than tunneling the freeway will have the major flaw of .... the freeway existing in the first place. But that's not changing.

Agreed. I don’t think founders gets the overflow traffic they used to. I’d assume that lot will be a prime redevelopment spot in the future. 

I disagree that it won’t make an impact. While not perfect, at least pedestrians could walk from on side to the other. At this point, I don’t know if a pedestrian or person on a bike can even walk across the wealthy street bridge. And if they can, I doubt many people risk it. That area is going to have a massive amount of investment in the next few years. What it looks like now vs. five years from now will be quite different. 

I can’t envision they idea of tunneling from the Amtrak station to the downtown market. For pedestrians? A tunnel for traffic? The Amtrak station is active twice a day for about 20 minutes. I don’t see pedestrian access as being high on anyone’s list. 

Joe

[Cookin_peacocks]

16 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

Agreed. I don’t think founders gets the overflow traffic they used to. I’d assume that lot will be a prime redevelopment spot in the future. 

I disagree that it won’t make an impact. While not perfect, at least pedestrians could walk from on side to the other. At this point, I don’t know if a pedestrian or person on a bike can even walk across the wealthy street bridge. And if they can, I doubt many people risk it. That area is going to have a massive amount of investment in the next few years. What it looks like now vs. five years from now will be quite different. 

I can’t envision they idea of tunneling from the Amtrak station to the downtown market. For pedestrians? A tunnel for traffic? The Amtrak station is active twice a day for about 20 minutes. I don’t see pedestrian access as being high on anyone’s list. 

Joe

Wait. The Amtrak station is actually used?

[mgreven]

Is this supposed to start sometime this spring?  

[Cookin_peacocks]

Is this starting?

There's a crane that looks like it's maybe taking machinery off the roof?

 

Edited May 18, 2023 by Cookin_peacocks

[GVSUChris]

33 minutes ago, Cookin_peacocks said:

Is this starting?

There's a crane that looks like it's maybe taking machinery off the roof?

 

I’m not sure but I do know there was a fire there yesterday so it may be related to that? WOODTV had a story about the fire. 

[Cookin_peacocks]

4 minutes ago, GVSUChris said:

I’m not sure but I do know there was a fire there yesterday so it may be related to that? WOODTV had a story about the fire. 

Oh! Maybe that's it and I got ahead of myself. I didn't know about the fire.

[StreetcarGR]

Just saw an MLive article about how the developer backed out of their purchase agreement for 13 McConnell. Anyone have any details/insight as to why and predictions for the future?

[GR_Urbanist]

LOL! Now I remember why I never get excited about proposals in this town until they actually start building.

It's likely a simple matter of not getting a bank/whomever to finance it. As to what happens next? Maybe it will go back on sale again? Hopefully the next guy doesnt waste the city's time...

 

I guess at least the people complaining about gentrification over this will be happy.

[Cookin_peacocks]

5 hours ago, StreetcarGR said:

Just saw an MLive article about how the developer backed out of their purchase agreement for 13 McConnell. Anyone have any details/insight as to why and predictions for the future?

Correct. 

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2023/06/developer-pulls-plug-on-10-story-432-unit-apartment-building-food-hall-in-grand-rapids.html

 

Unreal.  This city needs housing in the worst way. This would have really eased the pressure. Just really sad we have to wait and wait for something nice and it falls through just like that with virtually nothing on the horizon. 

[Allison Slater]

We've gone from downsizing tall buildings to under 12 floors.. to downsizing 10 story buildings to 0 floors.

[Prankster]

Kinda figured that at least 3 of the 5 major housing proposals would fall out  The others be factory yards, display pack property, Leonard and and Front St property, and Sligh Furniture building. 
Sad that this is one of the casualties, it was my favorite of them. My prediction is there will be 2 others that die on the vine too. 

[joeDowntown]

30 minutes ago, Prankster said:

Kinda figured that at least 3 of the 5 major housing proposals would fall out  The others be factory yards, display pack property, Leonard and and Front St property, and Sligh Furniture building. 
Sad that this is one of the casualties, it was my favorite of them. My prediction is there will be 2 others that die on the vine too. 

Why? inside knowledge or just general pessimism? IDK, honestly, this project seemed the least compelling to me. While it would have helped kickstart the area, it isn’t the best location (right now). I want all the housing so I hope everything is a success (and am disappointed about the McConnell). The market for new housing is there. It will come. 

Joe

[TheLonesomeHobo]

This is incredibly frustrating, I thought this project was great for the neighborhood. The need for housing in GR currently is unreal as we all know. I was also excited to see a building that no longer fits the fabric on the neighborhood become a thing of the past. I imagine this will sit for a long time to come. Huge bummer.

[walker]

21 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

. . . It's likely a simple matter of not getting a bank/whomever to finance it.

I'm no banker but I'm guessing this is the real problem.  I think the FED's constant raising of the interest rates has finally made it not viable to finance big projects like this.   Certainly the demand for new housing is still there.