THE Downtown Market updates

[mpchicago]

They're definitely making quick time with the demolition. I wonder when the construction will actually begin? Are all the ducks in a row on the urban market? (I don't know).

I think they are still trying to wrap up fund raising.

From the Grand Rapids Press 1/17/2012:

“This funding is a significant boost to the project and will allow our private fund raising effort to focus exclusively on building the market rather than cleaning up the site,” said Jon Nunn, executive director of Grand Action, the non-profit group that has been pushing for the re-development of the site since March 2010.

Grand Action officials said they are working to identify “additional financing opportunities and develop a proposed construction timeline.”

[egrguy]

I wonder when they will take this to the public? IE - pay $50 for a brick with your name on it. I like the buzz going on south of downtown.

[fotoman311]

I wonder when they will take this to the public? IE - pay $50 for a brick with your name on it. I like the buzz going on south of downtown.

They'd need to sell far too many bricks to put a dent in $29 million. I doubt we'll see a public campaign for this market that doesn't exist yet and doesn't have an existing constituency to target.

[SupercityGR]

From what i understand there close to the 29 million already. Im sure some good public donations can push them across the finish line.

[GRDadof3]

Should probably move these posts to here. More demo:

[wingbert]

St. Lawrence Market in Toronto is a blast. It's great to see something similar taking shape here.

http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/

[Veloise]

The mild winter is helping this project along.

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2012/02/demolition_for_urban_market_si.html

[GRDadof3]

The mild winter is helping this project along.

http://www.mlive.com..._market_si.html

It sounds like they're going to jump right from demolition to foundation work. Sweet.

[Quercus]

One of the agenda items for tomorrow's DDA meeting is an update on the urban market. The ePacket (pdf) contains a preliminary design of streetscape improvements around the market to be completed by the spring of 2013. The urban market is expected to be completed mid-year 2013.

Edited February 7, 2012 by Quercus

[egrguy]

I pledge my $50 for a brick. With the winter being mild, this project is really going smooth. i am pretty excited to see this finished.

[GRDadof3]

I pledge my $50 for a brick. With the winter being mild, this project is really going smooth. i am pretty excited to see this finished.

Big hole in the ground:

[joeDowntown]

It looks huge now that the various structures are gone.

Joe

[SupercityGR]

Its gonna be nice. Downtown rebirth part 2, action!

[Quercus]

Site clearing continues and you can see a few LEED points being scored.

This photo is from a few weeks ago when the foundations of former buildings were being ground up. There is now a a large pile of concrete pellets on the site that I imagine will be used as fill. Also, notice the ~30 foot wall along US131; it runs along the entire site and would make for a great ArtPrize canvas.

And I believe these red rigs are drilling holes for a geothermal system.

Should be fun to watch the urban market and Amtrak station go up at the same time!

[Allison Slater]

The market is just outside ArtPrizze boundaries though, isn't it? I wonder if they will extend the boundaries in the future to include the market.

[GRDadof3]

It doesn't need to be in ArtPrize to have a mural done, but that is one BIG wall to cover.

[John E]

Took some construction pictures today.

http://www.flickr.com/johne777

[John E]

How about a tunnel for access to Rapid Central Station and the West Side?

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/04/activist_wants_to_tunnel_under.html

[Ted]

How about putting 131 in a tunnel so our city won't be cut in half?

[GRDadof3]

How about a tunnel for access to Rapid Central Station and the West Side?

http://www.mlive.com...nnel_under.html

I'm sure it won't be long before that tunnel becomes scary and uninhabitable.

[Allison Slater]

My thoughts exactly, GRDad. I have yet to see a tunnel of this nature be a pleasing place to be. It's dark and shrouded, as well as sheltered from some of the elements in an area where homelessness is high. The Division/Cherry pocket park will be completely forgotten as it's dwarfed by the disaster of such a tunnel.

A bridge would be a MUCH better option, excluding the best but improbable suggestion Ted has.

[Ted]

...excluding the best but improbable suggestion Ted has.

We've got to stop settling for good enough. We're going to have an opportunity with 131,soon. We need to demand the best solutions.

[GRDadof3]

We've got to stop settling for good enough. We're going to have an opportunity with 131,soon. We need to demand the best solutions.

Ha, you can demand but that doesn't mean it will happen. Particularly with the State having a transportation infrastructure crisis, anything that even slightly smells like a boondoggle will not happen.

When are they rebuilding 131 and the Wealthy overpass? They haven't even announced any community input sessions, which happened years before the "fix" on 196 started. One thing that should be considered is doing away with that exit ramp from Northbound 131 down to Cherry. It only handles 5300 cars a day. That's dirt road two-track kind of traffic counts. Open that land up for something else more useful.

I thought the most talked about idea was dropping Wealthy to grade and raising 131 up over it (switching the bridges). Then all the new area under 131 could be incorporated into Heartside Park and a big pedestrian pathway could be opened up between the two sides (through the park). And/or move the DASH lots out from behind the arena and put them under the new 131, with some pedestrian access left between the two sides.

The immediate solution, until dreamworld happens, is handicapped accessible ramps should be built from the market area up to Wealthy St, and then from Wealthy down to the Rapid Central station. Put in better curbs along Wealthy and make it more pedestrian friendly. Couple hundred thousand, tops.

Sorta like this (the ramps up to the bridge, imagining the bridge being Wealthy St overpass)

[Ted]

Why make excuses for MDOT, Jeff? If we are willing to settle for band aids on broken legs, we still won't be able to run. Why not advocate for what Grand Rapids needs? Why not push MDOT? Cities all over the country are leveling and burying their freeways and we can too.

[GRDadof3]

Why make excuses for MDOT, Jeff? If we are willing to settle for band aids on broken legs, we still won't be able to run. Why not advocate for what Grand Rapids needs? Why not push MDOT? Cities all over the country are leveling and burying their freeways and we can too.

Cities all over the country? Where?

I believe in advocating for ideas that have a really good chance of happening. Not idealism that gets you dismissed from the decision making.

I do believe MDOT needs to be pushed hard for when 131 and Wealthy gets rebuilt. But bringing up ideas of burying or closing the entire highway, unless you're the Son of the Governor, you'll get laughed out of the room.