Redevelopment along 28th Street

[Veloise]

... Canton....  Ford Road from 14 to I-275.  Much of that stretch is a major shopping district that has exploded in the past 10-15 years.  All the traffic and parking you guys hate, but it has an overall cohesive feel to it with complementing brick buildings, a low brick wall along the length of the sidewalk, a number of art pieces, imaginative planting.  Despite the traffic and strip mall nail salons, it was very well done.  I was surprisingly impressed and most of the spaces were rented.

The Wyoming web site has some alternate iterations that are not quite as adventurous but would accomplish much of the same.  Even the Canton approach was less work than 28 West.

 

That area used to look like the area on 28th in Cascade Twp, but without the class. Agreed, the Canton Twp redevelopers have been making great strides. Anyone wanting to see another interesting area project, check out Cherry Hill Village on Denton Rd.

 

Some light reading

[GR8scott]

Much of Wyoming, especially around the "downtown" area is old suburban area not meant to be a focal point for 75k people. Wyoming has some opportunities to make a name for itself but its still discombobulated. I think the best it can hope for is maybe building some midrise office and hotels around 28th and 131 to get more people in that area and also the attention of others that would normally just keep driving past. It somewhat reminds me of Englewood CO when I lived in Denver. That has some older midrises from the 70s and recently a lot of newer development with the light rail station near the downtown. Wyoming could also shoot to be like the Dearborn of west Michigan and embrace the cultural diversity and location along expressways. 

[MJLO]

Wyoming is more like Warren with an unforgiving, aimless sprawl.  

 

Warren is actually what comes to mind when I was think of the inner ring,  even tho it's not technically inner ring.  It may be the single most characterless place in the state.   Wyoming isn't to far off already.  I'd hate to see it decline that way.

[GR8scott]

Warren is actually what comes to mind when I was think of the inner ring,  even tho it's not technically inner ring.  It may be the single most characterless place in the state.   Wyoming isn't to far off already.  I'd hate to see it decline that way.

Warren is inner-ring (its on the other side of 8mile from Detroit) but so are Dearborn and Royal Oak which is what Wyoming should be aiming for imo. RO would be a stretch but even places like Ferndale and Southfield have character. 

[jonathan.jam]

Yes, but they have an established character that was formed in the early part of the 20th century around the radial avenues and streetcars in Detroit. The only unincorporated places in Wyoming township at the time were Barendsenville, Beverly and Fisher Station...none of which exist today. Since Grand Rapids did not grow as fast or to the extent that Detroit did, it was easier for these 'small towns' to be destroyed or for them to disappear with time. This happened all over the Grand Rapids area. East Grand Rapids and Grandville are the only ones that really survived and grew to have some semblance of a business district/downtown.

[WMrapids]

I was just driving down 28th today and was thinking to myself how dinky and out of place the green light poles and traffic signals looked. Then I drove past Clyde Park and noticed they were putting up more...

[WMrapids]

Was going past the former Studio 28 area today and noticed a large billboard advertising the 28 West concept.

[WMrapids]

Well they're moving forward with the 28West. They're making a road from Hook Avenue crossing over 28th and connecting to Michael which should be done by October.

 

[MJLO]

So they are going to tear down the ugly strip malls and build a road through the middle.  But can they get developers to bite?

[WMrapids]

I think that this may turn out something like the Metro Health Village. They originally wanted apartments in some of the surrounding lots, made it somewhat pedestrian friendly and have on-street parking. But nothing is really happening there especially since most just drive by on Byron Center. They may build apartments and what not but only those who live close enough to that "urban center" will really take advantage of it.

What I really hate is that they're taking away quite a bit of history with this plan. They're taking away from the Roger's legacy which really helped shape Wyoming. They're demolishing Roger's Plaza, Roger's Lane Elementary and "Kent County's oldest home", Roger's Mansion. 

 

[RegalTDP]

2 hours ago, WMrapids said:

What I really hate is that they're taking away quite a bit of history with this plan. They're taking away from the Roger's legacy which really helped shape Wyoming. They're demolishing Roger's Plaza, Roger's Lane Elementary and "Kent County's oldest home", Roger's Mansion. 

Are you sure the house is getting demolished?  That parcel doesn't appear to be involved in this project.

But otherwise I agree, along with changing the name of the high school, seems like they will be erasing the Rogers name from the neighborhood.

Edited June 27, 2016 by RegalTDP

[WMrapids]

2 hours ago, RegalTDP said:

Are you sure the house is getting demolished?  That parcel doesn't appear to be involved in this project.

But otherwise I agree, along with changing the name of the high school, seems like they will be erasing the Rogers name from the neighborhood.

Here's the final plan (link).

If you look at Page 41, all of the buildings in yellow are being demolished. Roger's Mansion and part of Roger's Lane Elementary is included, being replaced by you guessed it... parking lots...

Later, the entire school will be demolished.

I hope this isn't in stone since the Roger family sold the mansion. The least they could do is move the mansion again.

[RegalTDP]

52 minutes ago, WMrapids said:

I hope this isn't in stone since the Roger family sold the mansion. The least they could do is move the mansion again.

I think all that is set in stone is that they're starting to build the road.  Who knows what will happen next  Regarding the homestead, the plan says:

 The Rogers homestead (large parcel on east side of Michael Avenue, just behind Family Fare) is indicated as removed in [Transformation Phase 3]. Some public input during the design portion of the project indicated a desire to preserve this building in either its current location or at a new location. The City of Wyoming Historical Commission has not done a study on the historical need to retain this property, nor whether or not the home is in a condition which would allow it to be relocated. It is the recommendation of this plan that the homestead be relocated, if feasible, in order to not impede the retrofit and to preserve any historic resource that may result from further studies.

So it seems as though they're leaving it in the Historical Commission's court to step up if they want to pursue moving it.  Was this house ever sold?  Melanie Rogers is also still listed as the parcel's owner on accesskent.  Keeping in mind this plan is from 2012, my impression is that the city's moving forward with the assumption that no one will occupy this house in the future, let alone keep up the property.  Does anyone live there now?  My guess is they will probably reconsider demolition if we get to Phase 3 and the house is occupied.  It'd be a shame to lose it, but I can understand if they don't want to let it sit abandoned.  Someone else has to pay to preserve it.

[WMrapids]

Ah I didn't see that. Hopefully something will be figured out.

[GR8scott]

It would be nice to see a few mid rises out there, I mean if Grandville can build a castle, the second biggest city in an area of over million should have something taller than 4 stories. 

[MJLO]

8 hours ago, GR8scott said:

It would be nice to see a few mid rises out there, I mean if Grandville can build a castle, the second biggest city in an area of over million should have something taller than 4 stories. 

haha it does   it just sits at Byron Center and the Henry Fwy.

[ironyisadeadscene]

14 hours ago, GR8scott said:

It would be nice to see a few mid rises out there, I mean if Grandville can build a castle, the second biggest city in an area of over million should have something taller than 4 stories. 

Don't forget the new Drury Inn. That counts as a mid rise, right? Not in Wyoming, but it's something.

Edited June 29, 2016 by ironyisadeadscene

[GRDadof3]

On 6/29/2016 at 11:52 AM, ironyisadeadscene said:

Don't forget the new Drury Inn. That counts as a mid rise, right? Not in Wyoming, but it's something.

That's a nice looking hotel, as far as suburban mid rises go. I like the greenish tint on the windows against the reddish brick. 

[joeDowntown]

2 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

That's a nice looking hotel, as far as suburban mid rises go. I like the greenish tint on the windows against the reddish brick. 

Agreed. I've seen a few Drury Inn's that look exactly the same, but I think the design is better than a lot of suburban chains you see out there.

Joe

[WMrapids]

They started tearing down the strip mall.

[wingbert]

On 8/5/2016 at 3:12 PM, WMrapids said:

They started tearing down the strip mall.

That's a shame.  I loved that strip mall.  ... said nobody ever.

 

[WMrapids]

The crescent shaped street is under construction right now and the Wyoming Village Mall is being expanded further west toward where Studio 28 used to be. Also, a smaller building is under construction next to the Bank of America on the corner of Michael and 28th.

Nothing has happened to Rogers Plaza though...

[GRLaker]

16 minutes ago, WMrapids said:

The crescent shaped street is under construction right now and the Wyoming Village Mall is being expanded further west toward where Studio 28 used to be. Also, a smaller building is under construction next to the Bank of America on the corner of Michael and 28th.

Nothing has happened to Rogers Plaza though...

I'm glad to see this thing finally come to fruition.

I'm sure the businesses that make up Rogers Plaza are currently searching for alternative locations to move to. I wonder if there's a deadline that they have to all be out by or if they're just waiting for them to all be out at whatever pace they move at.

Edited December 28, 2016 by GRLaker

[walker]

On 12/28/2016 at 2:16 PM, GRLaker said:

I'm glad to see this thing finally come to fruition.

I'm sure the businesses that make up Rogers Plaza are currently searching for alternative locations to move to. I wonder if there's a deadline that they have to all be out by or if they're just waiting for them to all be out at whatever pace they move at.

You wouldn't think anyone would be pouring any serious money into Rogers Plaza right now but a Planet Fitness Center is going in at the east end where Big Lots used to be.  Looks like they are cutting concrete so it's not like they are just throwing a carpet down and bringing in some exercise machines.  

Interestingly there is currently a Snap Fitness Center in Rogers towards the center that's only been there eighteen months and that store pretty much amounted to just putting down a carpet and bringing in machines and adding some changing rooms.  Snap is being forced out.  According to a notice on their door, a clause in their lease allows the mall management the right to make them relocate to somewhere else in the mall.  The mall has executed that clause but according to Snap they didn't offer an adequate location so Snap is closing.      

[GR_Urbanist]

 

Some progress shots of the new crecent street in Wyoming. In GRLaker's post above, it would be the area around the old Studio 28th site on the map.

Looking north, towards 28th St., a new curbside (south of the crescent street) running through what was once solid parking lot. Not sure if this will become a street of its own.

 

This curb cut runs in the direction of the old Studio 28 back parking lot.

 

The crescent street, looking north-west. New sidewalk, baby trees, and not much else right now.

 

Looking east on the crescent, new storefront, and "on-street" parking. Not exactly Main Street, but it's early.

 

Slightly east of there, it looks like an intersecting road(?) running towards 28th street, or maybe a curb cut to a parking lot. Hard to tell. Everything is still pretty raw, but it's progress!

Edited March 31, 2017 by GR_Urbanist