GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — The City of Grand Haven is looking to redevelop the city’s historic Chinook Pier. City leaders said the project will help with businesses in the area and the city’s tourism year-round. With more than three million annual visitors, they hope the proposal to update Chinook Pier is approved as early as this upcoming fall.
“What we really want to see is that we see so much of that attraction during the summer months, but we'd like to see that too, as well during throughout the year,” Brian Urquhart, planner with the City of Grand Haven said.
The city is accepting requests for proposals until April 17, 2024. The city’s State Park, Lake Michigan Shoreline and businesses that have stood for decades like Sweet Temptations Ice Cream are just some of the reasons why millions of people across West Michigan and further have continued to come to Grand Haven. Sweet Temptation’s owner Kelly Larson said remodeling Chinook Pier will continue to make Grand Haven a thriving city. Her ice cream shop started on the pier in 1984 until the building was demolished and relocated to the depot at the Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium. Since then, she’s had one of longest running businesses in the city. The shop also has a location near the drawbridge on Miller Dr.
“Redevelopment in Chinook Pier is a good opportunity for the city to kind of change up and see where we're going,” Larson said. "Chinook Pier was there for so long and has a bunch of retail stores, the fishing boats, and to be able to have the opportunity to look at that from a totally new perspective is great.”
Redevelopment of the pier will benefit residents, tourists and businesses in the area. The city is so popular, when new homes are built they quickly become occupied. Larson said the city is a great place to live, work and have fun.
“It means a lot to a lot of people and that's why we're carefully going through and applying these, reviewing these requests for proposals, and making sure that we're getting the right type of development that would have a lasting impact on the community,” Urquhart said.
“Any inconvenience that may be there will be a benefit in the future and that's kind of what we really would like to see is that you have any type of improvement, there's maybe a minor inconvenience, but the benefit outweighs that in the long term,” Urquhart said.
Larson said one of the issues the city faces is having popular year-round attractions and events for people to enjoy not just during the summer months. Having these kinds of options available will benefit businesses in the area and will be a good opportunity for more lodging to come to the city.
If approved in early fall, the city hopes the redevelopment of the pier will be completed in the next two years.
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