EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A massive commercial, retail and residential redevelopment plan for East Grand Rapids is set to be heard by the city's Planning Commission Tuesday- marking the second large development plan to come to the small city.
The plan includes the following:
- A new internal road to connect Wealthy Street to Lakeside.
- New snow-melted sidewalks, site lighting, landscaping, and art,
- Five new multi-story street lined buildings including 3-4 mixed-use buildings containing both commercial and residential uses,
- One new building for commercial and professional uses,
- New three-story townhomes with private garages to be built along Lakeside,
- Removal of the existing parking deck, making way for the new buildings and the internal road.
The design, developed by Gaslight Investors, LLC, formerly known as Jade Pig Ventures, is the most recent development project put forward by the team.
In the mid-2000s, developers from Jade Pig Ventures were approved to build over 100 condominium units and nearly 300 additional parking spaces as a part of a massive development initiative. Today's plan features 166 new residential units and 14 three-story townhomes.
Josh Swett lives across the street from the potential development site.
"It's like a little awkward," Swett said. "Just a giant empty field and some random unused parking spots."
On the other side of the field is the central hub of the town- meaning Swett has to cross the unused lot if he wants to get downtown quickly.
"It sort of feels like we're sneaking in the back way," Swett said. "It'd be nice if it was, like, more welcoming and walkable on this side."
Plans for the area include space for commercial and retail development. Something Swett said would elevate his portion of the city.
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"It'd be nice to have even more options," Swett said. "Something like kind of more usable there, rather than the open field."
Swett said one of the main reasons he lives in the area is its walkability- something developers at Gaslight Investors, LLC, cited as a priority.
In the plans, developers included a roundabout at the intersection of Lakeside Drive SE, and Reeds Lake Blvd. SE.
"The roundabout would be really nice, because the intersection here is a little dangerous," Swett said. "Just walking through it, or running or whatever, it'd be nice if there was a light too."
Swett said regardless of what goes into the lot, keeping pedestrians safe should be the top priority.
"It's just like constant traffic in front of our house," Swett said. "The hustle-bustle kind of thing is really nice, and in my perspective, for pedestrian traffic and stuff, I could definitely see heavy traffic being a downside to the whole thing.
Tuesday's formal review is the first step in the plan's potential adoption. Developers said they expect discussion of the proposal in the coming months.
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