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Van Andel Arena Expansion?


blueradon

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Might be for the best. I just dont see the place after 20 years ever really needing to expand. Stick in some ground-floor retail and try to better shield the upper parking, and call it good.

 

It will at least keep the "where's mah park'in" people on Mlive happy....for 3 minutes at least.

Edited by GR_Urbanist
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The Kent County Convention Arena Authority wants to build a 700 space parking ramp in lot 2 directly south of the VAA.  This ramp would prevent any future arena expansion.

 

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/09/van_andel_arena_parking_ramp_i.html

 

 

I assume they're talking about this lot. It's not very clear when they show the picture of the other lot.

 

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If they build this ramp, I hope they hold it to the highest standards possible. This is pretty important piece of real estate and it would be a real tragedy if it created a two block void on the street level.

 

Joe

 

They should actually build it to look like an extension of the sides of the arena, same brick color, break lines and ground floor retail glass storefronts on the portions that make sense.

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I suspect that whatever is done here will allow for possible expansion of the arena, and will follow the guidelines of the arena south plan.  I don't think the city, and it's parking department would want to screw up this key area of downtown with a poorly executed parking ramp.  But then again....

 

It sounds like the ramp would eliminate any future option of arena expansion via 'completion of the bowl'.

 

It's going to be a big ramp, but don't hold your breath on any exciting street level stuff. 

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It sounds like the ramp would eliminate any future option of arena expansion via 'completion of the bowl'.

 

It's going to be a big ramp, but don't hold your breath on any exciting street level stuff. 

 

It seems like "completing the bowl" would not take up that much space. Maybe the original plan included a whole new entrance on the South side (which you wouldn't need with a new ramp there?

 

Rich Mackeigan mentioned that they may look at other components (retail, residential) tied into this ramp.

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IMHO the ground level doesn't need to be exciting, it just needs to be present. I hope they devote the first floor to retail (at least on three sides) and possibly some second floor space. They need to do good by this project. Personally, I think it is one of the last big ramps we'll see downtown that isn't attached to a specific development (I could see another in the Monroe north area).

Joe

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Why bother expanding the arena so late in it's life? Just demolish and build a new one when the demand is there.

If a major league team played in the arena, sure. That would be an option. Minor league arenas and stadiums tend to have to last longer, because the teams don't need to inject the extra revenue to attract stars (since thats the job of the parent club)

 

So VAA will likely survive another 25 years. That said, if Grand Rapids ever wanted to go after an NHL team (unlikely, but lets pretend), a new arena would almost have to be constructed at this stage of it's life. Originally, that wasn't the plan.

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If a major league team played in the arena, sure. That would be an option. Minor league arenas and stadiums tend to have to last longer, because the teams don't need to inject the extra revenue to attract stars (since thats the job of the parent club)

 

So VAA will likely survive another 25 years. That said, if Grand Rapids ever wanted to go after an NHL team (unlikely, but lets pretend), a new arena would almost have to be constructed at this stage of it's life. Originally, that wasn't the plan.

 

I think I'm picking up in several circles that this parking ramp is not necessarily the way to go, right now. I say, if they're going to put the parking ramp on, expand the arena to at least make a real "bowl", and use the revenue from the parking ramp to help pay for it. Just make a smaller ramp!

 

They could do a ramp with retail facing the South side, leave a drive through area for utility trucks where the drive is now, expand the arena into a full bowl, and connect the ramp to the arena via bridges.

 

post-2672-0-35567900-1412031382_thumb.jp

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I think I'm picking up in several circles that this parking ramp is not necessarily the way to go, right now. I say, if they're going to put the parking ramp on, expand the arena to at least make a real "bowl", and use the revenue from the parking ramp to help pay for it. Just make a smaller ramp!

 

They could do a ramp with retail facing the South side, leave a drive through area for utility trucks where the drive is now, expand the arena into a full bowl, and connect the ramp to the arena via bridges.

 

attachicon.gifArena Lot with arena expansion.jpg

 

I'm not disagreeing with you on extending the bowl. But right now, that doesn't seem necessary. A minor league hockey team in a 11,000 seat arena is rare. That's a huge arena for minor league hockey. If the Griffins were selling out every night, that would be a different story. The Griffins draw well, but not THAT well.

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I'm not disagreeing with you on extending the bowl. But right now, that doesn't seem necessary. A minor league hockey team in a 11,000 seat arena is rare. That's a huge arena for minor league hockey. If the Griffins were selling out every night, that would be a different story. The Griffins draw well, but not THAT well.

 

 

That's true. Either way, the downtown community should ask the CAA to slooowwww dowwnnnn and make sure that whatever they do with that lot is carefully and strategically planned. The area behind the arena can have great potential but it could also end up sucking. That's why there was an Arena South visioning exercise! :)

 

There are no immediate needs for parking that can't be picked up by the DASH system or absorbed into the ramps North of the arena.

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That's true. Either way, the downtown community should ask the CAA to slooowwww dowwnnnn and make sure that whatever they do with that lot is carefully and strategically planned. The area behind the arena can have great potential but it could also end up sucking. That's why there was an Arena South visioning exercise! :)

 

There are no immediate needs for parking that can't be picked up by the DASH system or absorbed into the ramps North of the arena.

 

I would wholeheartedly agree with this.

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  • 2 months later...

Wonder what they mean by 'and something else'. Are they talking air rights?

Joe

 

Yeah, I think they said in a previous article that they'd be looking for developers to build above the parking ramp. And now they're making it more official, it sounds?

 

It also looks like they've carved out some space on the ground floor on each side for a retail developer.

 

 

 

 

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I really like this idea. One big reason is it gives an excellent opportunity to create a pedestrian strip all along the eastern edge of the arena from Fulton, to the street directly behind the arena (forgot the name), and maybe even turn the parking space right next to HopCat into a real plaza/square. All they would need is a little infill in the space north of the Bank Of Holland building.

 

The only nit-pick would be to maybe have that area at the southern end be a one or two story retail building instead of just grass and trees so that the parking ramp aspect doesn't totally project out onto the street, killing any people activity especially with all of the Arena South development coming in.

Edited by GR_Urbanist
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I know its just a parking ramp. But I can't knock the fact that at least its infill. Plus the architecture, at least as how the concept renderings show, looks nice. Also if the hints of air rights over the ramp being handed off to a potential developer are right, maybe a mix use building of at least a dozen floors or so and featuring some world class architecture built over the ramp would make for an epic "Welcome to DT GR" for those coming in from the north bound lanes of US 131.

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I always thought the concept for VanAndel Arena's expansion - like the one that GRDad just posted - would be best maximized by 1] sinking the parking program underground, 2] putting a 4-5 story atrium retail / entertainment / dining destination on top of the underground parking and 3] wrapping the south Oakes Street face of the destination atrium with a curving glass wall like the north Fulton Street face so that the escalators and interior public circulation spaces could curve with the glass wall and be seen from the outside (and dramatically lit up at night).

 

Such a concept would ensure revenue for the Convention Arena Authority (CAA) even when the arena portion of the facility is not operating and create a fantastic central anchor for the rest of Arena South.  It would certainly strengthen the viability of the Celebration Cinema concept talked about to the immediate south, the viability of infill between HopCat and the Bank of Holland along Ionia as well as, of course, the ongoing tenant attraction for Arena Place and 25 Ottawa to the immediate west.

Edited by metrogrkid
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I looked at the renderings for a long time and couldn't figure out if the sides were set aside for ground floor retail or if it is just a walking corridor for the parking levels. 

 

The one thing I hope this doesn't do is cause a drive in/drive out attitude for events at the arena. I know that parking is needed in that area for the plans for Arena South, I just hope this doesn't backfire and cause less people to get out, eat dinner, etc. before an event

 

It also sounds like a parking nightmare for Arena events. I personally parking two - four blocks away and walk to avoid the logjam. 

 

Joe

 

It also looks like they've carved out some space on the ground floor on each side for a retail developer.

 

 

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