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Grand Rapids Wish List 2006

GRDadof3

By GRDadof3
in Grand Rapids

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Prankster Burg

Prankster

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-A couple large companies moving there workforce downtown.

-A plan to redo Vandenberg Plaza, and connect it back to the grid.

-The continued renovation of old/obsolete buildings in the CBD into condos.

-Azzar to realize that good urban stewardship is for the benefit of all, and redevelops or sells off his inventory of downtown buildings.

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dbrok Hamlet

dbrok

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My wish, as every year, is something to finally happen to the Olds Manor building. Botique hotel across from the convention center would be nice.

What about renovating Olds Manor with the movie theater and retail inside? Or tearing down the building and constructing the theater and shops on that corner?

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Greedo Whistle-Stop

Greedo

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A boutique hotel at Olds Manor is a great idea.

Moving the Post office off the river is an even better one. I would prefer to see that piece of trash either in the Heartside, or on the otherside of 196, somewhere behind the Boardwalk.

My biggest complaint is the congestion at the parking lot entrance that spills onto Michigan at the Bridge.

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dbrok Hamlet

dbrok

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Do not even breath those words aloud, Josh :D That building is a gem and needs to be preserved.

Good point. I guess I was assuming the inside was in really bad shape and maybe not worth financially restoring. But you can't put a price on history and I would personally much rather have the current building renovated.

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Prankster Burg

Prankster

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Good point. I guess I was assuming the inside was in really bad shape and maybe not worth financially restoring. But you can't put a price on history and I would personally much rather have the current building renovated.

The owners recently had Rockford Construction clean out the inside, so it is ready for redevelopment whenever/whatever that may be. As far as moving the post office, it has been identified as a need, but I believe there is a current moritorium on building new facilities. Can anyone verify that?

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snoogit Town

snoogit

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A boutique hotel at Olds Manor is a great idea.

Moving the Post office off the river is an even better one. I would prefer to see that piece of trash either in the Heartside, or on the otherside of 196, somewhere behind the Boardwalk.

My biggest complaint is the congestion at the parking lot entrance that spills onto Michigan at the Bridge.

Actually if it moves, it would move out to the airport. although whatever is built there would probably have to have some type of post office inside, a scaled back version of one.

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Greedo Whistle-Stop

Greedo

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An airport distribution center makes sense, but there still needs to be a downtown location.

Actually who am I kidding. Throw a dozen of their automated post offices in buildings around town, and that solves the problem. No building necessary.

The Olds Manor property is owned by RDV. Same as the Michigan Hill Medical Complex. Kinda makes you imagine the potential of the property inbetween nudge nudge, wink wink, knowwhatImean knowwhatImean.

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Nitro Burg

Nitro

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Actually if it moves, it would move out to the airport. although whatever is built there would probably have to have some type of post office inside, a scaled back version of one.

I don't think the answer is as simple as that Snoogit. If I'm not misktaken, the location of a new post office has been the issue all along. If memory serves, there are federal regulations on how far out of the downtown core the post office is allowed to be.

There is no land available in the allowable downtown core area that meets the logistic needs of the post office.

If there was the opportunity, I'm sure Devos would have relocated the post office by now. :D

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grcitydog Whistle-Stop

grcitydog

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My hope for the post office has always been to give up that completely ugly and dated monstrosity on Michigan and build a beautiful piece of civic architecture somewhere downtown to be used as the post office, at least the retail end of it. For the sorting and backroom stuff, they could put all or part of it somewhere else, such as the airport. There was a time (before I was around) that the post office was not only a part of the infrastructure of a city, but also something the the city took great pride in and was reflected in the architecture. Even though we don't use the mail like we used to, the postal service is still an integral part of our personal and business lives and where all this takes place could be housed in something to be proud of, not to be ashamed of. Anyway, rant over.

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