New apartments proposed for Seward/West Side

[AlexPKeaton]

Upon further review, I don't particularly care for the front windows being offset rather than centered. Perhaps there's a reason for it, but the asymmetry doesn't work that well. Still, overall it's a cool project. If anything I'd argue for even more density, but we all know how well that would go over.

[Mark Miller]

I honestly do not believe they even know what they would OK for that area, short of single family homes. But what they obviously fail to realize is that a developer cannot make money on that, with the cost of property down there.

[GRDadof3]

That is about it, you nailed it. Single family homes. Nothing else. Make it a low density monoculture. Make it look like everything else.

The reactions to this project are predictable and truly indicative of the misunderstanding of what consitutes credible urbanism by the citizens (not surprising) and by the PC members.

"Neighbors feared the project would worsen parking congestion and noise on their streets."

I was just at a neighborhood meeting where this exact same thing came up. Worsen parking congestion (and noise) on the streets. Where is the parking congestion? In a city, the streets should be jam packed with parking...bumper to bumper for as far as the eye can see. On street parking narrows the roadways (which are all too wide) and slows traffic - which makes the street safer. The on street parking also buffers the pedestrian on the sidewalk from the traffic. Streets are made for on street parking in cities. This stupid argument, while an oldy but goody, needs to be put to rest....urbanism 101.

Boorsma wants to raze seven rental houses and replace them with a 24-unit apartment that could house 63 students.

He was told he's probably on the right track but needs to make his project smaller, greener and more like Grand Valley State University's Pew Campus across the street.

Another few oldies but goodies...more green. Front yards, back yards, side yards, places for the kids to play, places for the bums to urinate in, places to maintain, make it look like low density monocultures and it will be good. Why does everything in the city need green space???!!! Isn't it a city?

"Smaller" low density monocultures...again

"make it look like GVSU Pew Campus" only smaller, less tall, with more greenspace....oh and by the way, detach the buildings too. Is this a planning commission or an architectural review board...where in the zoning does it say make all townhouses look like GVSU Pew Campus??

But Commissioner Shaula Johnston said she didn't like the townhouse-style design and wanted to see more green space.

"I am bothered by the fact it has a solid street front and doesn't seem to fit the character of the neighborhood," she said.

The greenspace again...what does that really mean? Berms, buffers, front yards, detached single family homes? a lot with weeds?

And that solid street front. Those solid street fronts are horrible. They do nothing to contribute to the sense of place or the definition of the outdoor room. Set the building back, undulate the facade, throw in some faux stone, dryvit and 12 other materials to class it up and create at least as many voids as solids along the street edge...that must be why they have so many parking lots at the street, so we don't have solid street fronts.

"It feels like a ghetto" Missed that part of the ordinance too. If the project has x, y and z, then it equals ghetto and ghettos are not allowed. What exactly makes it "feel" like a ghetto??

It is no wonder this side of town is circling the drain.

[Rizzo]

You have to ask yourself, was "Hudsonville" ever there?

[NorthCoast]

You have to ask yourself, was "Hudsonville" ever there?

[GRDadof3]

You have to ask yourself, was "Hudsonville" ever there?

[grmetro]

Beautiful! And I would also agree on the "green" aspect of a development like this. Why do college students need yards that won't be maintained? When I was in college, if we wanted greenspace, we went to campus, or a park, or the beach. Our dinky yard we had at several of the student ghetto houses I lived in never got mowed, and we never needed them for anything.

I believe the West side wants to bring Hudsonville back to the West side. It ain't gonna happen.

[joeDowntown]

The sad thing is, you expect it from NIMBY's and BANANAS, but not the Planning Commission for the CITY. This whole issue makes me see red.

Joe

Well said. Cities are designed to limit personal yard space and maximze public parks. It is a concept that some do not understand.

[torgo]

I must say I am surprised at all the opposition to this project. This seems like exactly what this area needs.

Those comments by the Planning Commission seem asinine. I can't believe how concerned they are about "greenspace." Whatever they mean by that.

[grcitydog]

If our city is to grow, or even survive, it must follow one basic law of nature: evolve or die, it cannot stay they way it was, whether it be the whole city, or one neighborhood. Sure, we need planning commissions to make sure crazy stuff doesn't happen, but they should not be used to impede legitimate growth. I don't see developers clamoring to build single-family units in that neighborhood, therefore the evolution of the city is obviously not in that direction, it is in increasing the density and making it more urban. If we want a world-class city, we have to grow and increase our density and the logical next area to have this happen is on the west side.

[Raildudes dad]

I must say I am surprised at all the opposition to this project. This seems like exactly what this area needs.

Those comments by the Planning Commission seem asinine. I can't believe how concerned they are about "greenspace." Whatever they mean by that.

[GRDadof3]

Hmmm, sort of a Dutch Amsterdam sort of look going on?

[Allison Slater]

I like. (SWAN Doesn't have jurisdiction here, do they? Too many front doors for them.)

[andrew.w]

It looks like they've taken the center section of the original design, added a pitched roof and duplicated it to fill the entire block. I have to say that I liked the three different sections and the modernization of a traditional row house design from the original, but this one's good too.

[d8alterego]

I liked the old one better.

[GRDadof3]

I think it needs some kind of vertical breaks in it. Almost looks like army barracks. But other than that, I like the bays and the brick facade.

[joeDowntown]

I like the nod to dutch architecture. I like the first rendering better, but I guess the planning commission knows best.

Joe

I think it needs some kind of vertical breaks in it. Almost looks like army barracks. But other than that, I like the bays and the brick facade.

[d8alterego]

It does remind me of dutch architecture, but why dutch? That neighborhood was/is predominantly polish, hence all the polish halls.

[mpchicago]

I liked the first one better too. These look more like apartment buildings, while the first one looked like row houses.

[GRDadof3]

[jbr12]

*Nevermind*

I like this look better then the old design.

[GR_Urbanist]

I keep going back and forth.

The old one was a bit more "fun", but this is fine as well.

I just want to see some density!

[GRDadof3]

Ted, don't kill me for being so picky.

Here's a townhouse style apartment building, with a pretty flat facade and some bays to break it up a bit. Imagine the building without the vertical drain pipes.

It might look like this building to the right:

Here's a little tweaking, adding just some lines:

It's such a small change, but I think the secret will be in the details as to how this project looks up close a few years from now. But generally, the more I look at them, the more I like em.

[OneSweetWorld]

It might be a small detail, but lining the sidewalks with trees can go a long way in making these types of buildings look much more beautiful...

[Veloise]

...Hey, I didn't know the Rapid ran on Seward.