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Medical Mile/Michigan Street Developments


joeDowntown

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13 minutes ago, Floyd_Z said:

Anyone know if Spectrum is footing some/all of the bill on this one?

From my understanding it's a partnership between the Rapid, GVSU and Spectrum Health. All Spectrum employees have been able to ride the city bus for free, so I am not sure why they have the number 19 being free for everyone to use. I do know we (Spectrum Employees) are still encouraged to scan our badges so ridership numbers remain accuarte. 

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12 hours ago, jonrapley said:

From my understanding it's a partnership between the Rapid, GVSU and Spectrum Health. All Spectrum employees have been able to ride the city bus for free, so I am not sure why they have the number 19 being free for everyone to use. I do know we (Spectrum Employees) are still encouraged to scan our badges so ridership numbers remain accuarte. 

I'm wondering if this isnt part of an anticipation of Michigan between Plymouth and the new Bridge St. district really becoming a major retail corridor (not to mention the DT area it runs through, as well as the medical facilities). So this may be a way to alleviate the car-pocalypse that would otherwise choke Michigan St. by offering a free bus route from some likely future city ramp out east of Fuller, to all of these areas to the west?

 

Also, there is a substantial amount of land north of Michigan, and south of the Highway the further east you go from Fuller, so I can see the industrial areas there now being replaced with residential in the near future, and that is going to necessitate people using a bus route going west to all of the retail, medical, and entertainment options that they are all going to need. And by making it "free", it keeps more of those future resident's cars off of Michigan, and may even fuel more TOD development.

 

Right now Michigan St. is still way too suburban, and way to auto-centric. Honestly that is really going to have to change because the street simply cannot handle it.

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24 minutes ago, The Llanito said:

http://www.grnow.com/grand-new-medical-mile-gastropub-and-rooftop-bar-coming-soon/

 

New Gastro Pub along Michigan Street. Love the rooftop idea.

Glad this is going ahead. They originally were seeking a 2am liquor license for Friday and Saturday, but the Midtown neighborhood association "opposed" it in a letter, the result of about 4 or 5 people complaining about it at the neighborhood meeting.

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New gastropub called Friesian is opening on Michigan Street.  Has an interesting rooftop deck on the back (that's almost completely walled in). May have been a request of the neighbors as it's almost completely surrounded by homes.

Friesian%20Rear%20Exterior_1535733146958

Friesian%20Exterior_1535733143230.jpg_53

 

https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/gastro-pub-planned-for-grand-rapids-midtown/1409428648

https://goo.gl/maps/eoSD62oXiaS2

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  • 1 month later...
1 hour ago, HavingAhoot said:

image.png.2e3b2a7b42bfdc18f601405b9f893314.png

Looks like a demolition of the old Burger King with plans for the starbucks and other retail will be happening. Permit was pulled.   

For the life of me I could not picture in my mind where there was a Burger King on Fuller. Duh. I think I posted the plans for this a while back didn't I? Pretty strip-mallish? 

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1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

Oh right...

I still have no clue how they are going to deal with the traffic on this one.  The amount of early morning drivers headed to work that will want to turn north to the highway will cause big traffic back ups.  Already every morning the southbound lanes, especially the turn lane headed west is backed up to the highway already.

 

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17 hours ago, EastownLeo said:

I still have no clue how they are going to deal with the traffic on this one.  The amount of early morning drivers headed to work that will want to turn north to the highway will cause big traffic back ups.  Already every morning the southbound lanes, especially the turn lane headed west is backed up to the highway already.

 

I completely agree with you EastownLeo. That stretch of Fuller is a cluster-F every morning and afternoon/evening, this will only increase that traffic. I can't believe PC or traffic dept didn't lean on the developer to create entrances/exits on Race St.

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25 minutes ago, thebeerqueer said:

I completely agree with you EastownLeo. That stretch of Fuller is a cluster-F every morning and afternoon/evening, this will only increase that traffic. I can't believe PC or traffic dept didn't lean on the developer to create entrances/exits on Race St.

I think you'll find this Starbucks will not be up to it's potential for it's prospective customer base.   It will not be convenient for customers traveling  North on Fuller, and  it sits on the wrong side of the intersection to be accessible to commuters East of Fuller and South of Michigan,  on their way to jobs on the hill.  I can see commuters taking a back way down Race St  for convenience.   However the railroad tracks make it very unlikely they could create a connection to the Walgreens parking lot to give people more options to get in and out.

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1 hour ago, thebeerqueer said:

I completely agree with you EastownLeo. That stretch of Fuller is a cluster-F every morning and afternoon/evening, this will only increase that traffic. I can't believe PC or traffic dept didn't lean on the developer to create entrances/exits on Race St.

Because in a perfect world everyone will bicycle or ride the bus to this Starbucks.  I seriously believe that the people planning road infrastructure in West Michigan find reality to be uncomfortable so they choose to ignore it.

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So my question for the Starbucks / old Butger Kig lot. Are people suggesting they shouldn’t be allowed to develop it?

I guess I don’t understand the big deal. It’s been a crappy site for years, used as a sketchy rental property office and then totally vacant. 

What else should go in it’s place?

Personally, I’m glad to see that lot get some TLC. And I can’t think of a “better” use other than a drive-thru restaurant. 

Joe

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4 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

So my question for the Starbucks / old Butger Kig lot. Are people suggesting they shouldn’t be allowed to develop it?

I guess I don’t understand the big deal. It’s been a crappy site for years, used as a sketchy rental property office and then totally vacant. 

What else should go in it’s place?

Personally, I’m glad to see that lot get some TLC. And I can’t think of a “better” use other than a drive-thru restaurant. 

Joe

I have absolutely no problem with them developing it, i'm all about things getting better.  You'll have to forgive me, in a past life I managed chain restaurants so some of that mentality is coming out in my thought process.   My comment was me wearing my business hat.   It think it's great that they are redeveloping an eyesore.  I just find it odd that a brand like Starbucks would want to anchor it.  There's a reason that Burger King closed 20 years ago and the property sat under utilized ever since.  I have to think Starbucks is getting a hell of a deal in rent for the location.    

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9 hours ago, MJLO said:

I have absolutely no problem with them developing it, i'm all about things getting better.  You'll have to forgive me, in a past life I managed chain restaurants so some of that mentality is coming out in my thought process.   My comment was me wearing my business hat.   It think it's great that they are redeveloping an eyesore.  I just find it odd that a brand like Starbucks would want to anchor it.  There's a reason that Burger King closed 20 years ago and the property sat under utilized ever since.  I have to think Starbucks is getting a hell of a deal in rent for the location.    

I agree. Although I think that people are more willing to make a difficult trek to get their coffee. This reminds me of another horrible location on 28th Street and east Beltline. It’s impossible to get into unless you are going south, and you almost always have to turn right due to traffic, hitting the nasty long light there. But business is booming. 

Now that I type this, I think these locations are mirror images of each other. Hard to get to, long narrow lot, hard to get out of. 

Joe

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1 hour ago, joeDowntown said:

I agree. Although I think that people are more willing to make a difficult trek to get their coffee. This reminds me of another horrible location on 28th Street and east Beltline. It’s impossible to get into unless you are going south, and you almost always have to turn right due to traffic, hitting the nasty long light there. But business is booming. 

Now that I type this, I think these locations are mirror images of each other. Hard to get to, long narrow lot, hard to get out of. 

Joe

Where is there a Starbucks at 28th and the Beltline? I can't picture it.

Here's the site plan for this project again:

59fdc3e918729_StarbucksonFuller.thumb.JP

 

 

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I think it will be a nightmare to get in and out of for people northbound. I think those people will just learn fast not to make it their coffee stop. I drive past certain gas stations and bagel beanery depending on the direction I'm headed. BUT I think the sheer number of people coming off the highway heading south on fuller here will be more than enough to keep a place with the demand like starbuck afloat. Its insane 7-9am and 4-6pm. It has to be one of the busiest off ramps in the Grand Rapids area. 

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7 minutes ago, HavingAhoot said:

I think it will be a nightmare to get in and out of for people northbound. I think those people will just learn fast not to make it their coffee stop. I drive past certain gas stations and bagel beanery depending on the direction I'm headed. BUT I think the sheer number of people coming off the highway heading south on fuller here will be more than enough to keep a place with the demand like starbuck afloat. Its insane 7-9am and 4-6pm. It has to be one of the busiest off ramps in the Grand Rapids area. 

I don't think there's any way you'll be able to make a left into this place if you're going Northbound in the morning. Unless sitting traffic is willing to let you squeeze through. Probably have to go around the block and take Race. 

It's so busy because it handles all the traffic from East Grand Rapids and Midtown/Eastown. If I'm West of GR and headed to East GR, that's the exit I take instead of taking the Beltline all the way around. There are busier offramps though. Come take a ride with me around the metro area during rush hour. :) Once in a while I've found if you take 131 down to Wealthy and take that to East, it doesn't take as long, depending on time of day.

 

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4 minutes ago, HavingAhoot said:

I think it will be a nightmare to get in and out of for people northbound. I think those people will just learn fast not to make it their coffee stop. I drive past certain gas stations and bagel beanery depending on the direction I'm headed. BUT I think the sheer number of people coming off the highway heading south on fuller here will be more than enough to keep a place with the demand like starbuck afloat. Its insane 7-9am and 4-6pm. It has to be one of the busiest off ramps in the Grand Rapids area. 

Part of the reason it’s such a busy ramp is because it’s the only way off the highway between the East Beltline nightmare and downtown when you get to College Ave.

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