THE Downtown Market updates

[GRDadof3]

Year-round downtown Grand Rapids market would complement Fulton Street Farmers Market
by Chris Knape {sodEmoji.|} The Grand Rapids Press
Saturday June 13, 2009, 6:50 AM

GRAND RAPIDS -- A year-round downtown market, offering fresh produce, meats and other local goods, could be the next big thing from Grand Action, the group that brought the city its arena and convention center.

Grand Action, a nonprofit downtown development group led by area business leaders, has hired a nationally known expert in urban markets to explore the feasibility of such a facility.

Farmers, property owners, transit officials, leaders of existing markets in the region and others already have met with consultant Ted Spitzer, president of Portland, Maine-based Market Ventures Inc., to discuss the idea.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/ind...howcase_lo.html

According to the article, Grand Action envisions the year round market similar to a new $11 Million market in Milwaukee.





There are ten sites being considered downtown, including Market & Fulton and South of the arena.

[RegalTDP]

Among the potential sites are an Amway-owned riverfront parking lot at West Fulton Street and Market Avenue and DDA and city-owned lots south of Van Andel Arena.

Thank God. Of all our parking lots, I really want to see these ones replaced with something useful. I particularly hope they go with the Market Avenue site... This would be a great addition to that corner of town.

[GRDadof3]

Thank God. Of all our parking lots, I really want to see these ones replaced with something useful. I particularly hope they go with the Market Avenue site... This would be a great addition to that corner of town.

It would be cool though if they can work it into an old building, like Columbus' North Market (mentioned in the article):

Which old building would be a good question. There aren't that many vacant ones left downtown.

[Prankster]

I have a bad feeling about using the Fulton/Monroe parking lot for this purpose. A market would only use so many square feet. So what happens to the rest of the area, more parking lots? I'm sure they will be well manicured lots, but parking none the less. Hopefully they are saving this prime location for a little bit of a more dense usage.

[GRDadof3]

I have a bad feeling about using the Fulton/Monroe parking lot for this purpose. A market would only use so many square feet. So what happens to the rest of the area, more parking lots? I'm sure they will be well manicured lots, but parking none the less. Hopefully they are saving this prime location for a little bit of a more dense usage.

I agree. Actually, the old Custer Office/Macatawa site would be perfect. Centrally located, near Monroe Center, close to the new BOB expansion and the arena, two parking ramps next door so no need to add parking. Too bad they want $5 Million for it!

[GR Jackson]

I have a bad feeling about using the Fulton/Monroe parking lot for this purpose. A market would only use so many square feet. So what happens to the rest of the area, more parking lots? I'm sure they will be well manicured lots, but parking none the less. Hopefully they are saving this prime location for a little bit of a more dense usage.

Even if they did use it, something like this would probably spur more density.

[JoeSchmo]

I always imagined a tower going up at the corner of Fulton and Monroe due to its PRIME real estate. Its right across from Plaza Towers - down the street from Amway and the JW. Its connected to the skywalk and if the street car goes through - it will be going by it. There isnt a place for groceries or anything in the downtown area - so it definetly sounds good.

This corner is begging for density and if a market was included than all the better .

[RegalTDP]

I always imagined a tower going up at the corner of Fulton and Monroe due to its PRIME real estate. Its right across from Plaza Towers - down the street from Amway and the JW. Its connected to the skywalk and if the street car goes through - it will be going by it. There isnt a place for groceries or anything in the downtown area - so it definetly sounds good.

I can see Grand Action not wanting to build there for that reason... They may want to save that space for the distant future when we eventually need another tower.

But I can see this project bringing people in downtown from all over the suburbs, and it might bring in more development on Market Ave.

I originally brought it up because I found it refreshing to see folks looking to build on our "Great Rift Valley of Parking" between the S-Curve and the rest of downtown. I can understand reasons why this project might not fit, so if they decide against using those lots for this, hopefully they'll look again for their next project.

[GRDadof3]

What about Hinman's golden triangle at Fulton and Ionia? Across from San Chez? Ehh, probably not big enough.

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/10-Ionia...l&hl=hinman

[joeDowntown]

I was thinking the same thing. I don't think they would give up this prime parcel for just a year-round market. But it would make a great anchor to a larger development (looked at those old leaked Visbeen renderings for Market and Fulton and it would be a perfect fit in a larger project .

Joe

I always imagined a tower going up at the corner of Fulton and Monroe due to its PRIME real estate. Its right across from Plaza Towers - down the street from Amway and the JW. Its connected to the skywalk and if the street car goes through - it will be going by it. There isnt a place for groceries or anything in the downtown area - so it definetly sounds good.

This corner is begging for density and if a market was included than all the better .

[gvsusean]

Why cant they build a tower and a farmers market on the same lot... kind of like the place in berlin (name escapes me) that combines stores, residential, and a movie theatre right downtown

[Rizzo]

Why not Heartside Park? Bring something more productive then what's already there.

[PR-15]

It would be cool though if they can work it into an old building, like Columbus' North Market (mentioned in the article):

Which old building would be a good question. There aren't that many vacant ones left downtown.

I recently did some shooting inside this Columbus North Market...and I gotta say it's just about the perfect size/scale for GR...it was AWESOME. Bakeries, chocolatiers, fresh seafood, gourmet ICE CREAM...etc.

Every vendor there was hyper local and had permanent booth spaces...so think of Wealthy St. Bakery, Pallazolo's ice cream, Mary Ann's Chocolate, Art of the Table, Ginko Studios (florist), The Cheese Lady (from Muskegon) all having spaces there.

[John E]

Why not Heartside Park? Bring something more productive then what's already there.

It took a WHOLE LOT OF HARD WORK to get Heatside Park. There is no way that Heartside would let anybody take it away from us. As you can see in this picture, it IS WELL USED!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johne777/3595...57619077360583/

~John

[jbr12]

It took a WHOLE LOT OF HARD WORK to get Heatside Park. There is no way that Heartside would let anybody take it away from us. As you can see in this picture, it IS WELL USED!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johne777/3595...57619077360583/

~John

I used to work in the building next to Heartside Park and I can tell you from my time working there, the park was RARELY used, especially not to the capacity that you are showing in your picture. Maybe a lot has changed in the 2 years since I worked there...

[Raildudes dad]

Anyone remember Heritage Landing in Muskegon or Union Terminal in Cincinnati? Same concept, however once the novelty wore off, both places turned into ghost towns.

[fotoman311]

Why not Heartside Park? Bring something more productive then what's already there.

I think that downtown already has a dearth of great green spaces. Heartside Park is on the outskirts, and may not be fully utilized at the moment, but I don't think we want to give up any of the downtown park space we have unless it's replaced somewhere else or is for a project that is a homerun gain for a vast swath of interest groups in the city.

[Veloise]

^^ Agreed. Use a parking lot up first. And design it so that it can be a market on the street level, and another use at a different elevation.

[droonus2000]

What about North Monroe? I think someone on UP had an idea like this a while back. not exactly DT but, has some buildings or parking lots that might work, it could also spur for other development,

[GR_Urbanist]

I think that downtown already has a dearth of great green spaces. Heartside Park is on the outskirts, and may not be fully utilized at the moment, but I don't think we want to give up any of the downtown park space we have unless it's replaced somewhere else or is for a project that is a homerun gain for a vast swath of interest groups in the city.

There is a perfectly unused spot north of the park that was supposed to have been some sort of market. Instead of the city tearing the building down for a DASH lot, this would be a perfect fit, and can spur development in other unused properties in the area, expand the boundaries of DT south of Wealthy as well as complement that apartment project, and ICCF developments that would be nearby.

[suydam]

Anyone remember Heritage Landing in Muskegon or Union Terminal in Cincinnati? Same concept, however once the novelty wore off, both places turned into ghost towns.

Reading Terminal market in Philly has been around a while without succumbing to "fad" status. Philly has similarly hostile weather during parts of the year too, so it's not a bad comparator (though ours would be smaller for our smaller population).

What I like most about RT in PHL is that it's within walking distance of the convention center.

When things are going on at the convention center, the market benefits from the foot traffic more than just about anywhere else in the area. I could envision a similar benefit to a GR market located somewhere within strolling distance of DeVos Place (Mo.No. makes sense in that regard).

If you could get that parking lot on the river that was slated for a hotel, you could easily position the new MoNo Market as one of the premier markets in mid-sized-urban America. River-frontage would make a huge difference in the appeal to out-of-towners I think.

[NorthCoast]

I've been out of town (in GR ironically) but I'm glad someone posted a picture of North Market in Columbus. It's a great place. Not only is the market itself vibrant but it's in an ideal location. It is situated directly between the Arena District and Short North, two of the cities premier re-developed entertainment and residential quarters.

[hood]

There is new 13,000 sq ft year-round City Market being constructed in Lansing to replace the current one. It is being built for less than $2 million, so something similar should be well within GR's grasp.

[Veloise]

There is new 13,000 sq ft year-round City Market being constructed in Lansing to replace the current one. It is being built for less than $2 million, so something similar should be well within GR's grasp.

Location? Please share the site plan (overhead view) if possible. Thanks!

[RegalTDP]

There is new 13,000 sq ft year-round City Market being constructed in Lansing to replace the current one. It is being built for less than $2 million, so something similar should be well within GR's grasp.

Are they erecting a whole new building for less than $2 million, or are they renovating an old building? Because those sketches definitely look like it used to be an old warehouse, and from the news so far Grand Action intends to construct something new.

That looks pretty sweet, though, hood. I wonder if Grand Action suddenly wants to build a market now because of Lansing?

Edited June 15, 2009 by RegalTDP