Hey, what's that (and other miscellanea)?

[GR_Urbanist]

Over on 1120 (?) E. Fulton, near the Farmer's Market, A much needed renovation is taking place in what was (?) "5 Oaks Screen Printing." The last building near the market that was still in a simi-boarded up dilapidated state.

Edited May 28, 2023 by GR_Urbanist

[joeDowntown]

2 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

Over on 1120 (?) E. Fulton, near the Farmer's Market, A much needed renovation is taking place in what was (?) "5 Oaks Screen Printing." The last building near the market that was still in a simi-boarded up dilapidated state.

If I’m not mistaken, 5 Oaks hasn’t been around since the mid 1990s. So a long time coming with that building! Glad to see it get new life. 

Joe

[Mjak]

What’s being built behind the old harmony hall on bridge?   Is it part of the new digs there?  It looks like a separate structure.  

[cstonesparty]

23 hours ago, Mjak said:

What’s being built behind the old harmony hall on bridge?   Is it part of the new digs there?  It looks like a separate structure.  

HELP pregnancy center building new building

[Mjak]

Ah nice.   That’s pretty cool.  Thank you.  

[Zads]

On 5/19/2023 at 8:08 AM, NoDustBusterNoMore said:

Just a wild guess here, but I'd say somewhere around 1040 40th Street...  

Hmm you might have some inside sources that know a few things

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/american-seating-moving-to-former-steelcase-property/

"First Companies Inc. recently filed an application with the city on behalf of American Seating to complete an industrial remodel at 1040 40th St. SE. Ghafari Associates is listed as the project architect. 

The proposal calls for demolishing a small office space on the north end of the building, renovating the parking lot and remodeling the inside of the building to add a mezzanine for office and support space. 

The overall plan would modify the existing facility to support American Seating’s relocation from its longtime headquarters that dates back to the late 19th century."

[rancenc]

City officials of Lexington KY taking some cues from Grand Rapids!

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/economic-development/lexington-kentucky-leaders-take-up-3-day-learning-tour-of-grand-rapids/

[grandrollerz]

On 6/3/2023 at 10:47 PM, cstonesparty said:

HELP pregnancy center building new building

Ewwww, how does this place have that kind of money and also, ewww 

 

[GVSUChris]

4 hours ago, grandrollerz said:

Ewwww, how does this place have that kind of money and also, ewww 

 

Ugh I know this was my first thought. 
Socially/politically gross - and also why does anything like that need to take up space in a business district like Bridge.

And also yeah… ewww gross. 

[GR_Urbanist]

This is something that has been going on for a while, but across the street from the D&W gas station at Breton Village Mall. The property (1812 Breton Ave. SE) used to belong to a single-family home at the end of a long driveway. The home is now gone, and these tubes are obviously for sewer purposes,

But I dont think I've seen anything giving away what is supposed to be built on top of all of this.

 

I had thought that because of the wide curb cut that this could become a new street with homes on either side or maybe some apartment complex.

 

 

[Khorasaurus1]

1 hour ago, GR_Urbanist said:

This is something that has been going on for a while, but across the street from the D&W gas station at Breton Village Mall. The property (1812 Breton Ave. SE) used to belong to a single-family home at the end of a long driveway. The home is now gone, and these tubes are obviously for sewer purposes,

But I dont think I've seen anything giving away what is supposed to be built on top of all of this.

 

I had thought that because of the wide curb cut that this could become a new street with homes on either side or maybe some apartment complex.

 

 

It's going to be a new cul-de-sac with around a dozen single family homes. One of the few spots where EGR can actually add housing stock (other than the Ramona site, which is still inexplicably vacant).

It will be very hard for the new residents to make a left onto Breton, but people will put with that to buy new construction in EGR.

 

[GR_Urbanist]

Going up slightly NW of Rose's (basically next door), on the shore of Reed's Lake. Knowing EGR, I can't say if this is a commercial building or someone's new house!

Edited July 17, 2023 by GR_Urbanist

[joeDowntown]

3 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

Going up slightly NW of Rose's (basically next door), on the shore of Reed's Lake. Knowing EGR, I can't say if this is a commercial building or someone's new house!

It's a new house. I believe it's is Weirda from CWD.

Joe

[walker]

On 6/6/2023 at 12:11 PM, Zads said:

Hmm you might have some inside sources that know a few things

https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/american-seating-moving-to-former-steelcase-property/

"First Companies Inc. recently filed an application with the city on behalf of American Seating to complete an industrial remodel at 1040 40th St. SE. Ghafari Associates is listed as the project architect. 

The proposal calls for demolishing a small office space on the north end of the building, renovating the parking lot and remodeling the inside of the building to add a mezzanine for office and support space. 

The overall plan would modify the existing facility to support American Seating’s relocation from its longtime headquarters that dates back to the late 19th century."

Here's a nice rendering and the official press release about the new American Seating headquarters:

NEWS RELEASE: American Seating New Corporate Headquarters

[grandrollerz]

y'all might enjoy this loooong read: https://tylervigen.com/the-mystery-of-the-bloomfield-bridge?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

[joeDowntown]

Interesting article about the old gypsum mines under Grand Rapids. 

https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids/lost-labor-the-cold-dark-history-of-the-grand-rapids-gypsum-mines

 

[GRyan]

2 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

Interesting article about the old gypsum mines under Grand Rapids. 

https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids/lost-labor-the-cold-dark-history-of-the-grand-rapids-gypsum-mines

 

Cool article. I remember going down there on a class trip in the late 90's before they stopped doing the tours

[Mjak]

I read CRC is selling their property at 28th and Kalamazoo?   Wow.  That’d be a great spot for a super dense housing development.   I hope it doesn’t turn into a car dealership or something.  
https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/flexibility-for-the-future-crc-to-sell-gr-office?utm_source=wood_app&utm_medium=social&utm_content=share-link

Edited September 6, 2023 by Mjak
Added link to article.

[cstonesparty]

On 9/5/2023 at 9:32 PM, Mjak said:

I read CRC is selling their property at 28th and Kalamazoo?   Wow.  That’d be a great spot for a super dense housing development.   I hope it doesn’t turn into a car dealership or something.  
https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/flexibility-for-the-future-crc-to-sell-gr-office?utm_source=wood_app&utm_medium=social&utm_content=share-link

What’s it zoned?

[Mjak]

Definitely zoned commercial.  Interesting to see what happens there.  

[Cookin_peacocks]

Something's happening here 

[joeDowntown]

On 9/8/2023 at 5:27 PM, Cookin_peacocks said:

Something's happening here 

A little bird told me a golf simulator bar is going in here. I would imagine that’d do pretty well. 

Joe

[RiversideGR]

On 9/15/2023 at 10:12 PM, joeDowntown said:

A little bird told me a golf simulator bar is going in here. I would imagine that’d do pretty well. 

Joe

I think it awesome that we are seeing in an increase in indoor bars with activities...duckpin bowling, bocce, golf simulator....they can be used all year round but even better for the months where the weather sucks. Another city lived in had a bar with a cool mini-golf course inside. that would also be a nice addition. 

[Cookin_peacocks]

3 hours ago, RiversideGR said:

I think it awesome that we are seeing in an increase in indoor bars with activities...duckpin bowling, bocce, golf simulator....they can be used all year round but even better for the months where the weather sucks. Another city lived in had a bar with a cool mini-golf course inside. that would also be a nice addition. 

As someone who has recently recaught the golf bug, heck yeah. You could probably do a mini golf course in there. Might be smaller, but I think it could be done

[walker]

The population graph above comes from an opinion piece in the New York Times the other day (links below.)  I truncated the flatline that was on the left that goes back a thousand years.  What it shows is that for a long time the earth's human population didn't change a lot then it started to increase during the beginning of the industrial age and then it really spiked mostly during my lifetime.  It is always  dangerous to project current trends into the future but using current trends in fertility rates this projects that there will be a crash in population in relatively a short time as great as the recent spike.  Because this only considers fertility rates and does not consider other factors such a resource depletion, climate change with its resulting mass famines and political instability, I suspect we will begin to see this happening before 2085.  When I say we I don't necessarily mean me of course since I'm an old man.

So why did I think to post this on the Grand Rapids urbanplanet forum?    Once and a while there is a passing mention here about climate change or the benefits of urban density versus suburban sprawl and so on.  But for the most part here on urbanplanet we cheer on big is better. i.e. population growth, bigger busier airport, etc.  And that's understandable, no one wants to live in a declining rust-belt city.  I'm probably as inclined as anyone to that kind of thinking.  I wonder if anyone else has pondered though about this dichotomy between our short term local point of view and the only slightly  longer term world situation.      

Link for subscribers:

NYT: human population global growth-decline (for subscribers only)    

Same article - temporary link for subscriber's guests:

NYT: human population global growth-decline (shared)

A couple of final thoughts:

1) A collapse in population will solve the lack of housing problem.
2) Elon Musk is working on solving both the population decline and climate change.  First, he has been fathering children through artificial insemination believing that is what smart rich people should do to help counter the fertility decrease and what he sees as the increasing stupidity of the children of the non-smart. I think he's up to eleven children now.  And second, he wants to colonize other planets for when the earth becomes uninhabitable.     
 

 

 

Edited September 19, 2023 by walker
fixed typo