GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss delivered her eighth State of the City address Tuesday night.
"We are on an important journey to build a vibrant and welcoming city for all, but we increasingly understand that no one does the work alone," she said.
She began her address by emphasizing collaboration throughout the community to move Grand Rapids forward.
Mayor Bliss thanked police Chief Eric Winstrom for his service after just over one year on the job, and she addressed the approaching one year anniversary of Patrick Lyoya's death.
"A tragedy that has had a profound impact on our community, and one that has amplified our need for meaningful change," she said.
Mayor Bliss highlighted changes and strides in public safety over the last year. Three thousand young adults and their families were helped by a violence prevention initiative, and more than 500 Grand Rapidians' records were expunged.
In a new program, mental health professionals have joined police officers during some calls, leading to an average of 85 people per month getting better care than in a jail cell or the emergency room.
"We'll build on this effort as a new crisis stabilization unit opens later this year in partnership with Network 180 and Trinity Health. This facility will provide additional support for people managing a mental health or substance use crisis," Mayor Bliss says.
She emphasized that the city is committed to addressing the housing crisis. A recent study shows that the city needs to build 14,000 homes by 2027 to meet demand and keep rising prices at bay.
Last year, the city fell short of the goal to build 2,800 homes per year.
"Encouragingly, the city so far this year already approved more than 400 homes for construction, well ahead of last year's pace," Mayor Bliss said.
These homes range from standard options, like the Studio Park high-rise coming to downtown and apartments in the Creston neighborhood to affordable and low-income housing options funded by millions of city, county and state dollars.
"We currently have more than 1,000 affordable homes and apartments in the development pipeline," Mayor Bliss said.
In terms of growth, she said Grand Rapids is seeing an explosion of entrepreneurship with dozens of new businesses opening their doors in the last year.
Mayor Bliss also addressed the Grand River whitewater project. The city has withdrawn its current permit application to remove dams in the river.
It's the first step to re-submit plans to restore the rapids to the Grand River near downtown, after the latest plan was rejected. The process has been years in the making, creating whitewater waves to attract more visitors and recreational opportunities downtown.
Mayor Bliss said the project is not over.
"We have a number of different alternative designs that we're currently looking at. We're working with our technical team at the city and whitewater and EGLE and EPA, and DNR," she said. "We just had another meeting this past week, and we're working together to come up with a modified design. As soon as we have that, we will have that submitted."
The city expects to have new permits approved by the end of this year, and work to begin in 2024.
On top of developing the city's parks and riverfront, she said these improvements are key to growing the community.
"We have come a long way together. We have built real momentum," Mayor Bliss said.
After the address, she shared that she is also excited by collaborations in education to get community college at no cost for some Grand Rapids Public Schools students.
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