Jump to content

Medical Mile/Michigan Street Developments


joeDowntown

Recommended Posts

17 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

I really wish this would stop being used as a justification.

Ditto; in this case especially it is complete BS.  This is a 2 story apartment building directly behind a 2 story apartment building. 

If this is not the very definition of incremental appropriate use I have no idea what is.

It seems like every day I become more convinced that Planning Commissions should be dissolved and the land-use authority of cities revoked.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I wonder how much it cost Redstone Group to submit their application that was just rejected? 

To a development group as large as this it probably does not matter. But to the point that has been made numerous times on this forum, the small scale developer, new developer, or even individual land owner applying for a zoning variance or special land use permit is completely out of reach knowing a project can get shouted down by Neighbors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, ModSquad said:

I wonder how much it cost Redstone Group to submit their application that was just rejected? 

To a development group as large as this it probably does not matter. But to the point that has been made numerous times on this forum, the small scale developer, new developer, or even individual land owner applying for a zoning variance or special land use permit is completely out of reach knowing a project can get shouted down by Neighbors.

Not to mention the cost incurred for engineering and architectural drawings. 

It's interesting that in the suburbs lately, the fights against new developments seems to have diminished in the last few years. It's almost as if everyone "out there" is realizing we're a fast growing metropolitan area. Urbanites on the other hand... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

It's almost as if everyone "out there" is realizing we're a fast growing metropolitan area. Urbanites on the other hand... 

Yep.  For goodness sake we have the suburbs of Hudsonville, Zealand, Holland, etc... stepping up to lead on regional transportation solutions.  And then there is GR...

This rejection will hopefully go down as a classic example of NIMBY foolishness.  So, what would be appropriate, for this completely empty parcel behind an apartment building o an significant through-way be?  Is The City willing to buy the parcel in order to create a park?  The City should be obligated to purchase every undeveloped parcel on which they reject development.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think what happens in the suburbs, is people realize that if you don’t own it, it’s ripe for development. If you want to look at woods you don’t own, buy the property, or consider it a luxury that might change. 

I can’t believe this could get shot down. If it were a traffic or infrastructure issue, maybe. It almost seems, dare I say, criminal- or extremely negligent on the commissions part. 

Joe

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Pattmost20 said:

Maybe I’m a tad bit spiteful, but if I were the developer I would be half tempted just to clear cut the land and see how the neighbors like looking out over an empty field.

LOL some developers have done that before. Problem is if they go back again for another try, the neighbors are really Nimby's. Although in this case I'm not sure they could get much worse. 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, ModSquad said:

I wonder how much it cost Redstone Group to submit their application that was just rejected? 

To a development group as large as this it probably does not matter. But to the point that has been made numerous times on this forum, the small scale developer, new developer, or even individual land owner applying for a zoning variance or special land use permit is completely out of reach knowing a project can get shouted down by Neighbors.

I use to work for Redstone Group. It was my 2nd internship program I took coming out of University. I loved working for them over the summer. Yeah, this can’t be something that is easy for a developer like them. They were a company a size of 30 people, but during the time I worked for them during the tail end of the Great Recession, they were down to 4 people. I’m sure they are doing better now, but I’m very much sympathetic to developers and the things they have to deal with. It’s why I’m not an architect today. I have a huge beef with the Grand Rapids Historic Preservation Committee for ruining what would have been a crown achievement for me in my early adult life, and getting a house I designed during college constructed for habitat for humanity. In today’s age, property rights mean nothing. It’s why I’ll always be a libertarian. Governing Committies think they are out doing the common good, but in reality, the people providing for the community are those who design and build what people live in. Just because you work in a  semi-circle doesn’t mean your ideas are enlightened from the gods above. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The one that I'm interested to see is Skymint - https://www.skymint.com/ - There was an interesting article on Mlive about Green Peak (which will be launching the retail Skymint brand). Looked like the locations have a nice design. 

Whether you are for or against it, it was pretty interesting to read about what Green Peak is doing in Lansing. They definitely got a jump on everyone else:

https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/02/michigans-biggest-weed-company-plans-to-harvest-30000-pounds-a-year.html

Joe

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Rair Systems, a medical marijuana facility, is looking to open on Michigan Street near Midtowne Village (where the pizza place is now).

https://fox17online.com/2019/03/19/applications-are-in-for-medical-marijuana-facilities-in-grand-rapids/

rair-systems.png?w=400&h=225&crop=1

My question is, will the medical facilities be able to transition over to recreational after they figure out all of the licensing or are they trying to keep them separate? Also, I can only imagine the Midtown neighborhood meetings if this gets approved... 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, thebeerqueer said:

Was this posted in the forum somewhere else? I couldn't find it. Seems like a necessary diet to a stretch of road that is heavily traveled. 

 

https://mibiz.com/sections/real-estate-development/gr-planners-to-implement-road-diet-along-michigan

I've always hoped that they would add cycle lanes to Michigan Street, and this seems like the perfect time.

I did realize that there is no line painted along most of this stretch of road and most people drive in the middle anyways right now. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Michigan Street is all around terrible in that section. Terrible to drive, terrible to look at, etc. I’m slightly skeptical of “road diets” and think we do a pretty mediocre job of making them look nice, but Michigan Street needs some love. I hope it looks good/works well. 

Joe

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A pedestrian crosswalk at Grand is needed and will definitely do well to slow down the traffic. 

The traffic from cars going west on Michigan turning north on College backs up to Union on a regular basis.  I wonder what impact a road diet will have on this. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That stretch of Michigan is pretty odd.  Going east in the right lane after College can be frustrating when you inevitably come upon a parked car.  Going west is kind of a 'who's lane is it anyway' I think the people who are familiar with the area split into two lanes, while the others just kind of ho-hum down the middle.  College and Michigan has to one of the most accident prone intersections in the city.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/6/2019 at 10:14 PM, joeDowntown said:

GVSU building from Michigan Street. 

 

F6BEE91C-65F4-42A0-9664-21A8E9F3CA20.jpeg

3FB33CE6-8221-49C7-9E85-197E3322BC2B.jpeg

The new tower crane here has an enormous span. It hangs right over the McDonald's and far out over the Eastbound lane of I-196. It definitely crosses the path of the other crane, which is a bit nerve wracking to watch. Looks like though that the material staging area for this new crane is the parking lot right next to McDonald's, so it doesn't have reason to swing to the West toward the other one. 

We're "crane city" again though. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

The new tower crane here has an enormous span. It hangs right over the McDonald's and far out over the Eastbound lane of I-196. It definitely crosses the path of the other crane, which is a bit nerve wracking to watch. Looks like though that the material staging area for this new crane is the parking lot right next to McDonald's, so it doesn't have reason to swing to the West toward the other one. 

We're "crane city" again though. 

We had some friends were visiting us this weekend from Chicago, and they are relatively "meh" about GR, but they kept saying over and over again, "so what is going on here to cause all this construction? Is this like a tech town? Is this like a start-up town? Why are their cranes and construction everywhere?" It was an interesting perspective.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.