Studio Park - $140 Million Celebration Cinema/mixed use project

[GRDadof3]

12 hours ago, ironyisadeadscene said:

Tower portion is phase two, correct? 

Yes, at some indetermined date in the future. I believe that the office building at the Northwest corner is part of phase 1 as well, but doesn't sound like Pioneer is involved? I didn't ask specifically. 

[thebeerqueer]

http://woodtv.com/2017/11/28/tax-credits-approved-for-downtown-gr-movie-theater-project/

[GRDadof3]

On 11/28/2017 at 2:20 PM, thebeerqueer said:

http://woodtv.com/2017/11/28/tax-credits-approved-for-downtown-gr-movie-theater-project/

Next Spring/Summer it's going to be a bit nuts downtown with all of the construction going on.  

[ironyisadeadscene]

2 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Next Spring/Summer it's going to be a bit nuts downtown with all of the construction going on.  

Anything else supposed to begin? 

[GRDadof3]

4 hours ago, ironyisadeadscene said:

Anything else supposed to begin? 

I don't know but this site is pretty massive, with a huge ramp, office building, theater, apartment building, and hotel going up on it. Then you have Warner Tower which will probably be getting close to topped out by then, the hotel starting and visible from the s-curve, and the Monroe North projects, plus Meijer. 

[ironyisadeadscene]

3 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

I don't know but this site is pretty massive, with a huge ramp, office building, theater, apartment building, and hotel going up on it. Then you have Warner Tower which will probably be getting close to topped out by then, the hotel starting and visible from the s-curve, and the Monroe North projects, plus Meijer. 

I'd love the triangle site tower to go up next year.... 

[GRDadof3]

10 hours ago, ironyisadeadscene said:

I'd love the triangle site tower to go up next year.... 

Wouldn't we all!

[Prankster]

Was just in Huntington, WV. They have a similar development called Pullman Square http://www.pullman-square.com/. If the Celebration Cinema development turns out as nice as this, it will be a real asset for the city. 

[x99]

On 12/1/2017 at 2:10 PM, Prankster said:

Was just in Huntington, WV. They have a similar development called Pullman Square http://www.pullman-square.com/. If the Celebration Cinema development turns out as nice as this, it will be a real asset for the city. 

Looking at photos of that project, I am going to go with "unlikely".   The one in Huntington has pretty nice human scaled architecture with lots of details and features to it.  I would give that one a fairly solid New Urbanist stamp of approval.  The design of this falls a bit short of the mark to my eyes, which are getting really tired of urban architecture that often falls short of even half decent suburban strip malls.  I'm still hoping they clean this up and make it more inviting.  

[GVSUChris]

Not exactly "news" seeing as it was already out there in various places that it would be a Canopy but here it is in the press - 

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2018/01/downtown_movie_and_residential.html#incart_river_home

It also appeared in GRBJ.

[GRDadof3]

7 hours ago, GVSUChris said:

Not exactly "news" seeing as it was already out there in various places that it would be a Canopy but here it is in the press - 

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2018/01/downtown_movie_and_residential.html#incart_river_home

It also appeared in GRBJ.

I'm really excited about this entire project and all the pieces to it. Do I venture to say it will be the largest scaled project in downtown GR's history? Maybe medical mile when the HDVCH, MSU, Lemmen Holton and the two other offices were being built might be a close tie? I'd love to hear Franklin Partners unveil more details about the office building portion...

[GRCentro]

Some additional images here. Must it be so excessively ugly?

http://woodtv.com/2018/01/03/downtown-gr-developers-reveal-plans-for-studio-park-hotel/

[GRDadof3]

37 minutes ago, GRCentro said:

Some additional images here. Must it be so excessively ugly?

http://woodtv.com/2018/01/03/downtown-gr-developers-reveal-plans-for-studio-park-hotel/

Yeah, that design is interesting. A lot taller than they had proposed in earlier renderings.

 

 

It's almost as tall as Tall House was going to be.  Remember that one? (down the street by Hopcat)

[mpchicago]

I've seen worse.   I do like the 2 stories of  windows with the black divided lights.   Yes, some similarities to Tall House. 

[GRLaker]

Compared to some of the junk designs going up in this city, this is architectural gold. I will take a funky, contemporary looking rectangle over a completely flat, featureless rectangle any day.

[wingbert]

59 minutes ago, GRLaker said:

Compared to some of the junk designs going up in this city, this is architectural gold. I will take a funky, contemporary looking rectangle over a completely flat, featureless rectangle any day.

I suppose it could be called "functional".  Saying it's better than some of the other stuff going up around town is not exactly a ringing endorsement for the design.

[GR_Urbanist]

The entrance looks a bit cheesy with that concrete pylon thing sticking right down the center, and the random balcony sticking out of the front doesn't make sense. Also, why does one of the sides only have 4 windows???

 

But at lest the ground floor has a lot of transparency and it has zero setbacks. I guess that counts for something?

 

 

Edited January 4, 2018 by GR_Urbanist

[ironyisadeadscene]

I actually dig it.  It's different.  Maybe different colored material, but I think it's alright. 

[GRLaker]

23 minutes ago, GR_Urbanist said:

The entrance looks a bit cheesy with that concrete pylon thing sticking right down the center, and the random balcony sticking out of the front doesn't make sense. Also, why does one of the sides only have 4 windows???

 

But at lest the ground floor has a lot of transparency and it has zero setbacks. I guess that counts for something?

 

 

I'm assuming that's just a stairwell. Odd that they would make the north end the one with a lack of windows though. If I'm staying there, I'd rather have a view of the city than a view of industry to the south.

[MJLO]

I in kind of one of those I'll believe it when they start shoveling dirt types of moods with this one.  (Also the Hinman Tower)

[mgreven]

 I'm guessing the hotel is facing Ionia and is behind the theater?  This building?  It did change quite a bit, then.  Eager to see how the rest of the site plays out.

 

 

[Prankster]

6 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Yeah, that design is interesting. A lot taller than they had proposed in earlier renderings.

 

Speaking of taller, in one of the renderings it shows a building approximately 18 stories tall. Is that someone taking artistic liberties, or will they actually have something that tall?

[GRDadof3]

2 hours ago, mgreven said:

 I'm guessing the hotel is facing Ionia and is behind the theater?  This building?  It did change quite a bit, then.  Eager to see how the rest of the site plays out.

 

 

Correct, that's the hotel. In that render it only appears to be 5 or 6 floors, although it was probably done by the Studio Park architect as a placeholder. I assume Canopy has their own architect, as their designs seem to mimic this sort of contemporary look. In the article it states that it will ovelook the piazza, as well as face Ionia. So it will be part of the development but also activate Ionia quite a bit more. 

Here are some more Canopy designs:

https://www.google.com/search?q=canopy+by+hilton&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS737US737&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-woWcp7_YAhUizIMKHSmVCbcQ_AUIDCgD&biw=1536&bih=719

I would even like a design more like this, which fits in nicely in the Heartside District.

 

[GRDadof3]

1 hour ago, Prankster said:

Speaking of taller, in one of the renderings it shows a building approximately 18 stories tall. Is that someone taking artistic liberties, or will they actually have something that tall?

That's phase II, residential tower. Phase 1 will have the lower buildings as residential above retail. 616 Development I believe was looking at being the partner on the residential tower but I don't think they're involved anymore. 

3 hours ago, MJLO said:

I in kind of one of those I'll believe it when they start shoveling dirt types of moods with this one.  (Also the Hinman Tower)

Oh it's happening, all of it. Phase II might be a ways down the road. This whole thing breaks ground either this Spring or Summer. 

[GVSUChris]

1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

That's phase II, residential tower. Phase 1 will have the lower buildings as residential above retail. 616 Development I believe was looking at being the partner on the residential tower but I don't think they're involved anymore. 

Oh it's happening, all of it. Phase II might be a ways down the road. This whole thing breaks ground either this Spring or Summer. 

Late March or VERY early April at the latest.