Medical Mile/Michigan Street Developments

[joeDowntown]

Yeah, a little confusing. Sounds like the whole RDV development will be MSU? I wonder if this means a redesign?

I think they are putting the Med School in the right place but it poses an interesting question. If they already thought the market could handle 4 new medical buildings, does that mean they will replace this sq. footage in another development (maybe next to GVSU and the other property MSU just bought)?

Joe

[GR8-town]

Yeah, a little confusing. Sounds like the whole RDV development will be MSU? I wonder if this means a redesign?

I think they are putting the Med School in the right place but it poses an interesting question. If they already thought the market could handle 4 new medical buildings, does that mean they will replace this sq. footage in another development (maybe next to GVSU and the other property MSU just bought)?

Joe

Looks like Christman has worked with MSU on other projects. http://newsroom.msu.edu/site/indexer/1817/content.htm

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Christman+MSU

Edited January 14, 2007 by GR8-town

[vexom]

The college building will join medical office buildings and a parking ramp already under construction by the family of Amway founder Rich DeVos and the Christman Co.

Doesn't that imply that there will be a new building on top of the current development? I'm confused too I guess we will have to wait until Thursday.

Eh nevermind, I think I was mistaken.

Edited January 14, 2007 by vexom

[mgreven]

Count me in as a confused person... Didn't the article say "three or four towers"? If they've already stared constuction, wouldn't they have known how many towers they're building? Maybe the RDV was GOING to be 3 towers and MSU is adding a fourth?

Let all hope that they just have to keep going higher!

[gvsusean]

based on the snipit posted... 70 mil. would be for a new tower. i owuld guess using exsisting buildings and then build one more

[GR8-town]

Check out page 45 on there pdf.

http://humanmedicine.msu.edu/WorkPapers.pdf

Bingo.

Edited January 14, 2007 by GR8-town

[tamias6]

Very nice find. My only consern with this location is the timimg as the parking ramp under the west tower is already going vertical. Thus MSU must hurry with a redesign unless the original plans by the developer allow for enough flexibility for MSU to accomadate their needs.

Check out page 45 on there pdf.

http://humanmedicine.msu.edu/WorkPapers.pdf

Bingo.

Edited January 14, 2007 by tamias6

[NorthEnder]

Very nice find. My only consern with this location is the timimg as the parking ramp under the west tower is already going vertical. Thus MSU must hurry with a redesign unless the original plans by the developer allow for enough flexibility for MSU to accomadate their needs.

The work papers are also from 2005.... who knows how much has changed since then.

[GRDadof3]

Check out page 45 on there pdf.

http://humanmedicine.msu.edu/WorkPapers.pdf

Bingo.

Yeah, I wouldn't call that the smoking gun. It was always a possibility that the furthest West tower was looked at as a possibility. Pages 42, 43 and 44 also show other possible sites, like N. Division, MidTowne Village, and Eerdman's site by St. Mary's.

What is confusing is their description of 3 towers, maybe 4, added to the EXISTING complex being built. Maybe the reporter is not the usual beat reporter for the press for Michigan Hill and is confused. That complex has four towers IF you count Lemmen Holton.

I hate waiting.

[blueradon]

From what I'm taking in that article - sounds like MSU will be in the mesh of the 3 tower buildings and the cancer center possibly being the 4th? It does state that they will join medical office (Employees of the current Towers building?), and sharing the ramps.

And if it can get any bigger, then MSU has that extra parcel to expand into an even higher tower? Or maybe some sort of mini campus/parkish feature? But I also wonder at the same time if one of those 3 towers across from Butterworth and VAI will get an extra boost in height?

Definitely a lot of questions still unanswered but we're getting closer that's for certain.

And boy, I drove down 196 last night and I was astounded by all the steel that's up right now, GR is definitely growing.

[Prankster]

What is confusing is their description of 3 towers, maybe 4, added to the EXISTING complex being built. Maybe the reporter is not the usual beat reporter for the press for Michigan Hill and is confused. That complex has four towers IF you count Lemmen Holton.

I don't know if the developer has ever given a definitive answer on 3 or 4 "towers". All along they seemed to have been toying with a 4th, if the demand was there. Maybe the med school is what they were waiting for.

[sfloria]

I was driving south on Division yesterday thinking about this latest "3 or 4" towers discussion.

Since they are rebuilding the Michigan Ave bridge over Division, I don't see why they couldn't just build a 4th tower right over Division up to Ottawa. That would really be the only other way they could have an additional connecting tower. That would definitely expand that site and maximize their potential.

[mpchicago]

What is confusing is their description of 3 towers, maybe 4, added to the EXISTING complex being built. Maybe the reporter is not the usual beat reporter for the press for Michigan Hill and is confused.

Not sure this reporter has all her facts straight.

"A two-day trustees meeting begins Thursday afternoon at DeVos Center"

Where is the DeVos Center?

Edited January 15, 2007 by mpchicago

[torgo]

Not sure this reporter has all her facts straight.

"A two-day trustees meeting begins Thursday afternoon at DeVos Center"

Where is the DeVos Center?

GVSU Downtown

[torgo]

Save a copy of the e-packet to your HDD and it works just fine. Here are a couple images from the packet (not sure if these have been posted already, but here they are again, just for good measure)

[GRguy]

I hope I am wrong, but this already looks dated to me. Are we all going to cringe in a few years?

[GRDadof3]

Save a copy of the e-packet to your HDD and it works just fine. Here are a couple images from the packet (not sure if these have been posted already, but here they are again, just for good measure)

Thanks Andy! I should have known it was a transmission issue.

Here are a couple of interesting drawings:

North elevation. Looking at this, it doesn't look as tall as I thought it would. The 318' spire height if from the tip at the bottom in the lower right.

The lighting plan around the base of the tower, how the tower sits on the site, and the first floor of the tower (technically the 4th floor of the building). It looks like they are going to massively overhaul the dropoff point for the Butterworth lobby.

[JP9]

so which drawing is the final design for this building? I have seen a few but the one atop looks like an older version...

[GR8-town]

Future GR skyline.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/3587896...b7aa7a456_o.png

Edited January 15, 2007 by GR8-town

[AlexPKeaton]

Eh. I can't say the spire thing really moves me. It's no Gateway Arch or anything. It's, to quote from The Simpsons, "weird for the sake of weird." I guess I can kind of see at the base of the needle how it appears to be plunging into the water like a diver or something. But you can't see that from far away. Now if they made it part of some waterslide I might reconsider.

Edited January 16, 2007 by AlexPKeaton

[MJLO]

Could they be talking perhaps about a spot accross Division? One would assume that they are talking about the RDV towers. But the article says the project will "join" VAI2 and the new medical towers already under construction.

Who knows, I guess it's a wait and see type of thing.

[MJLO]

Wow! I can't wait to come home and look around. I'll be back for a few days in March it'll be a good time.

[DwntwnGeo]

Could they be talking perhaps about a spot accross Division? One would assume that they are talking about the RDV towers. But the article says the project will "join" VAI2 and the new medical towers already under construction.

Who knows, I guess it's a wait and see type of thing.

Isn't there an on/off ramp for I-196 on the Western side of Division Ave across from the RDV construction site? Maybe they would go a little further west and build on top of the GR Press building

[vandertown]

Isn't there an on/off ramp for I-196 on the Western side of Division Ave across from the RDV construction site? Maybe they would go a little further west and build on top of the GR Press building

Perfect!! Get that ugly GR Press building out there and let MSU build on that spot (oh...if only)

[GR8scott]

thats just what I was thinking, knock two birds out with one stone. It would be nice to see that green Michigan State University sign on top of the building to compliment the Grand Valley State University signs. too bad its named after sechia