Metro Health Village - University of Michigan Health Systems

[francishsu]

Because the planning commission has its head up its behind to put it bluntley. The council is more or less telling the commission to start working with the developers and get things accepted instead of black balling everything. Its quite hurtful to see companies try to get in wyoming and other areas and get turned flat down without any means of discussion. The planning commission I think is not acting in the best means of the city. It kinda of reminds of the Gaines first group from a few years ago. That group had no standing IMHO considering the facts. In anycase I think the council is also looking at the bottomline. They need tax money and having the city completely built out allows more money into the city considering the state keeps on slashing the budget.

You're being way too harsh on the planning commission. They're looking long term and all they're doing is following the land use plan that they developed and that the city council agreed to. The city council certainly is not smelling like roses to me. For example, there's a developer looking to develop high density apartments around 52nd and Wilson, and which would require a rezoning. Naturally the PC recommended against, and the city council had decided to overrule. But then Granger complains that approving the rezoning would give that developer an unfair advantage, and all of the sudden the council starts becoming cautious and backtracking.

As far as Metro Health Villiage goes, that's a unique development for Wyoming and I think the planning commission is being perfectly reasonable in enforcing the special zoning they came up for that development.

[aowwt]

looking at the long term is nice and all but when you are short on money now you need to get land being taxed higher. As for the Health Village PUD the KFC is not even being built in that land. Its the simple fact that only restraunts will be able to fill that land or banks where kfc is being built at. The simple fact is the planning commission messed up the zoning where it should have been zoned diffrently than what it was. Right now there is very little land that is available for those style bussinesses in that area. So with the metro PUD it limits what could be put there. Could KFC buy land in the metro village, yes but i do not know if there is any land left that could be developed for them.

[Veloise]

"Also, the restaurant must have a brick exterior and no pole sign will be allowed."

This means that the place can have a wall sign, or a ground-mounted sign. It can have signage in the windows. It can be the traditional KFC colors on the trim. It doesn't mean that this is a brick bunker and you have to follow your nose to figure out what kind of food they sell.

Pretty sure that the KFC on West Fulton also has a ground sign.

Dang faulty memory. The brickwork looks nice, and even the minimal signage accurately conveys what could be expected within.

Here's a ground sign from out in Cascade Twp.

Edited August 20, 2008 by Veloise

[francishsu]

looking at the long term is nice and all but when you are short on money now you need to get land being taxed higher. As for the Health Village PUD the KFC is not even being built in that land. Its the simple fact that only restraunts will be able to fill that land or banks where kfc is being built at. The simple fact is the planning commission messed up the zoning where it should have been zoned diffrently than what it was. Right now there is very little land that is available for those style bussinesses in that area. So with the metro PUD it limits what could be put there. Could KFC buy land in the metro village, yes but i do not know if there is any land left that could be developed for them.

There are only two undeveloped properties left in that area (SW corner of Byron and 56th/Gezon), so they got a pretty good result with the zoning they put in place. If drive-through restaurants would have been allowed from the start, there would have been at least four fast food restaurants built in that area. Now it looks like there's going to be just two. So their planning did already achieve a better result, and I think they could have gotten something like a Qdoba and another sit down restaurant with a little more time.

[GRDadof3]

New grocery store planned for Metro Health Village:

http://www.mlive.com/grpress/business/inde...d_for_metr.html

[GR_Urbanist]

New grocery store planned for Metro Health Village:

http://www.mlive.com/grpress/business/inde...d_for_metr.html

I can already see the red flags with this grocery development.

#1 They wont build unless you accept something that you had previously banned. Next week a developer will demand even more concessions.

#2 Grocery likely wont be part of the actual "village", and thus will be a standard suburban, parking lot/juniper shrub encrusted behemoth.

#3 "The Village "has been evolving since 2002, Cochran said." = For the right price, we will make this place look like any other office park/power center. Just try to make the "architecture" look folksy.

So if D&W pretty much gets its way, then Health Village will likely start looking like Celebration Village in about 5 years.

[francishsu]

Wonder if it will have a similar look as depicted in the drawings for the one being built at Knapp's Crossing.

Personally, I'm looking forward to it. The specific location they're looking at seems to be on the small side to me. Can you put a 50000 sq. ft. supermarket on 6 acres and have sufficient parking?

[aowwt]

It looks like they will be okay. They are coming to the planning commission next week for the gas station. There is one issue I have with the design but I hope landscapping will solve the issue. As for the store, the key thing to remember is that it was not Metro Health Village or the Planning Commission that made the decision for the store to go into the PUD. Rather it is the City Council deciding to allow it by editing the PUD of the Metro Health Village for the gas station. The PUD was okay with the D&W but it was unable to accept it since the gas station was to come with it. As a result the PC refused to get involved as they should, and gave it to the City Council to deal with.

[Veloise]

In today's GRP: Wyoming is amending its zoning ordinance to allow drive-through fast food windows near metro health

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/ind...r_more_mcd.html

[Allison Slater]

The Spartan Stores Foundation has provided a gift of $3 million for construction of the new Spartan Stores YMCA. It will be built in the Metro Health Village on eight acres of land at Gezon Parkway and Byron Center Road.

...

The YMCA and Spartan Stores will unveil the architectural designs for the project on October 13th.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx...38&catid=14

[jbr12]

Here's an animation of the Spartan Stores YMCA to break ground this spring...

[francishsu]

Missed this update from Novemeber..

Grand Rapids VA Clinic will open new site near Metro Health hospital in 2013

97000+ sq ft building with 550(!) parking spaces. Must be a parking structure? Ground breaking in the spring.

Current location is 64000 sq ft with 150 parking spaces.

Also, the D&W grocery store is apparently going to be a Family Fare.

Edited January 27, 2011 by francishsu

[GRDadof3]

I went by here the other day and saw multiple large cranes in action. Guess this is part of it? The other crane seemed to be working in the retail area?

 

 

Here's another rendering from their site from 2013.

 

 

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2014/01/developer_announces_new_senior.html

[GRDadof3]

Went out to investigate. The retirement center has all the cranes. They're apparently hoisting a bunch of 9000 pound concrete panels to build it.

 

 

 

 

Here's the 99,000 square foot addition the Metro Health is adding on to their professional office building:

 

[GRDadof3]

Metro Health has sold an 80% stake in the company to a Tennessee for-profit healthcare organization. The city of Wyoming has got to be kicking up their heels. Wonder what the property tax alone will be on the complex?

 

http://www.grbj.com/articles/81549-health-system-sells-80-percent-stake-to-public-company?utm_source=MagnetMail&utm_medium=email&[email protected]&utm_content=1086%3A%20GRBJ%20Breaking%20News%3A%20Health%20system%20sells%2080-p&utm_campaign=GRBJ%20Breaking%20News%3A%20Health%20system%20sells%2080-percent%20stake%20to%20public%20company

 

Sounds like the move was not totally embraced by all..

 

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2014/11/seven_key_executives_leave_met.html

[john_denver]

Wow, Metro had a $160 million dollar debt!!??

[GRDadof3]

Wow, Metro had a $160 million dollar debt!!??

 

Or "mortgage." They didn't build that huge hospital with cash.

[WMrapids]

I went by here the other day and saw multiple large cranes in action. Guess this is part of it? The other crane seemed to be working in the retail area?

 

 

 

This will be the design they chose. So many right angles...

[WMrapids]

I saw that there are cranes digging by a corner near Byron Center Ave. and M6. Any idea on what is going on?

[GRDadof3]

I saw that there are cranes digging by a corner near Byron Center Ave. and M6. Any idea on what is going on?

 

Which corner? 

[WMrapids]

It's between Metro Way and M6.

[Raildudes dad]

It's between Metro Way and M6.BB

The lot closest to Metro Way is owned by Macatawa Bank, the lot closest to M-6 by Lake Michigan Credit Union

[WMrapids]

I think it is the lot closer to Metro Way, I only saw a glance of it all while driving by. The retirement center was looking fairly well though.

[GRDadof3]

I think it is the lot closer to Metro Way, I only saw a glance of it all while driving by. The retirement center was looking fairly well though.

 

I saw it yesterday, it appears to be the lot closest to the highway off ramp, which would be LMCU. Probably a new branch or branch office. 

[GRDadof3]

On 6/7/2015 at 6:42 PM, GRDadof3 said:

 

I saw it yesterday, it appears to be the lot closest to the highway off ramp, which would be LMCU. Probably a new branch or branch office. 

Someone I know whose husband works at LMCU let it slip at a party last night that LMCU is consolidating/moving their HQ's to Metro Health Village area. She wasn't exactly sure where in the park, and her husband wasn't there to corroborate (probably would have shushed her, lol). 

It will be interesting to see where they go. My guess is either right out in front along Byron Center Avenue or right along the highway for visibility.