development

UPDATE 2024-07-17: A demolition permit has been filed for 851 Leonard St NW, and the City Commission has approved the PRD for 385 (301) Leonard St NE. These projects may be in Construction status soon. Also a trailer of fencing has been parked at the site of 1340 Monroe Ave NW.

Is 2024 the year of Leonard St? As the [re]development of Wealthy St and Bridge St corridors have continued at a steady pace the [re]development of other corridors has been more uneven. But now the Leonard St corridor seems to be rolling; if all the projects come to fruition the corridor will have between 700 and 850 new residential units within five (5) years. Having between eight hundred and a thousand new neighbors would have a significant impact on the vitality of the corridor which is already seeing a growing number of open store front businesses; including Furn On Leonard to Nature's ReLeaf. These new shops have joined legacy businesses like The Shade Shop, Ralph's Food Market, Wengers Bowling Center, and Northwestern Home Furnishings which have endured all the economic twists and turns of the last century, as well as the long slow catastrophe that is American Urban Planning. While a significant amount of vacancy remains - meanwhile the Wealthy St corridor flirts with zero vacancy - the direction of the Leonard St corridor is heavy with promise.

The news is official: "Partners shelve plans for small grocery store at 38 Commerce in downtown Grand Rapids". This in conjunction with the closing of award winning Propaganda Donuts ... it has not been a good month for retail in Grand Rapids.

The Fulton Place ground breaking occurred yesterday.

The Michigan Strategic Fund has awarded a low-interest $4,325,000 loan to facilitate the ~$34M renovation of The Morton. The renovation will turn the vacant building into a mixed used facility with 111 residential units as well as several condominiums.