Crain's Grand Rapids Business

09/20/2024

Hundreds of apartments, condos, a hotel and offices could rise at the former Charley's Crab site.

A project team for the DeVos and Van Andel families plans a massive mixed-use project spanning three skyline-changing towers with offices, a hotel and 671 residential units on riverfront land they own just north of the Acrisure Amphitheater, Crain’s Grand Rapids Business has learned.

09/19/2024

The lawsuit gives a rare behind-the-scenes look at the highly contentious launch of a U.S. women's pro volleyball league.

The founders of the Pro Volleyball Federation sold the fledgling league to a company linked to Dan DeVos, who they now accuse of nonpayment.

09/18/2024

The city wants your input on what to do with vacant downtown storefronts.

QR codes posted on vacant retail storefronts in downtown Grand Rapids are part of the city’s effort to generate public input on how the empty spaces should be repurposed.

09/16/2024

After five years of planning, work is underway on the first apartment building in a mixed-use project envisioned for an entire city block.

After five years of planning, a Grand Rapids nonprofit has broken ground on the first apartment building in a large mixed-use project that’s envisioned for an entire city block on the city’s southeast side.

09/15/2024

The Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchisee cited financial difficulties tied to “extreme and unreasonable demands" by the franchisor.

The operator of four Dickey’s Barbecue Pit locations in Holland, Jenison, Kalamazoo and Rockford has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

09/15/2024

One of the Grand Rapids area’s oldest watering holes is reopening its doors after a three-year hiatus.

Gilmore Collection plans to reopen the a 136-year-old Nick Fink’s bar on West River Drive in Comstock Park on Sept. 23.

09/14/2024

The family behind La Huasteca is eyeing a new space — and a new name — five months after the restaurant was uprooted from Plainfield Avenue.

Family-owned Mexican restaurant La Huasteca is eyeing a location on Coit Avenue as a new home for its restaurant.

09/11/2024

A haven for classic and obscure horror is planting a flag in Grand Rapids.

Alive Again will open Oct. 25 at 1541 Plainfield Ave. NE in Grand Rapids’ Creston neighborhood, selling retro 1980s-era horror merchandise.

09/10/2024

Albion, Grand Valley and Kalamazoo College all climbed in the rankings.

Sixteen Michigan colleges and universities made The WSJ/College Pulse 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S. ranking of the top 500 universities in the country, with one university breaking into the top 50 for the first time.

09/10/2024

A pair of former brewery execs are getting back in the game.

Craft beer industry veterans Brooks Twist and Wesley Noble are opening an as-yet-unnamed brewery at 248 Culver St. in Saugatuck.

09/07/2024

At 19, Jill Hinton Wolfe flipped a coin to determine whether to join the military or stay in college at Grand Valley. Twenty-five years later, she's helping other women step outside their comfort zones.

Standing in the Military Entrance Processing Station in Lansing in the mid-1990s at the age of 19, Jill Hinton Wolfe flipped a coin to determine whether to join the military or continue with her degree at Grand Valley State University.

09/07/2024

South Division's makeover has been an uphill battle for the shops that call it home.

Retailers along South Division Avenue in downtown Grand Rapids are grappling with declining revenues as construction inhibits foot traffic.

09/06/2024

More than 3,000 acres of vacant or underdeveloped land with existing access to public utilities could help put a major dent in Kent County’s housing shortage while spurring more than $10 billion in new investment and $100 million in new tax revenue.

Those are among the preliminary findings released Wednesday by Housing Next, which is studying 32 commercial corridors in Kent County that could accommodate future housing development based on the presence of public utilities, transit, and underutilized or vacant buildings.

A targeted effort by local governments, developers and investors to develop those 3,000 acres could produce more than 70,000 housing units countywide over the next 25 years, according to the preliminary findings ahead of the full study’s release this fall.

That’s double the number of for-sale and rental housing units Kent County needs by 2027 to stabilize the local housing market, according to a report Housing Next published last year.

Housing Next hired its former executive director Ryan Kilpatrick, founder and CEO of Grand Rapids-based Flywheel Community Development Services, to help conduct the study.

“When we looked at the corridors, what we found is that well over 3,000 acres was either vacant or significantly underdeveloped,” Kilpatrick said. “Some of that acreage is commercial zoned, some of it’s zoned all kinds of random stuff, but on those corridors, there is plenty of land available that doesn’t have a building on it, but does have access to sewer, water, road, public transportation and all the rest. That’s a pretty big opportunity.”

Housing Next Executive Director Brooke Oosterman said the corridor study was designed to help municipalities and developers as they continue to grapple with reducing the county’s housing gap.

“What the analysis has shown us is that there is much more potential than we would have expected, and that we can, in fact, meet or exceed projected demand,” Oosterman said. “… We were really excited, and I would say, surprised, to find out that there is that much untapped potential in these places.”

Read more: https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/news/real-estate/kent-county-could-add-70000-housing-units-along-underused-commercial-corridors-study-find

09/06/2024

The developer behind two boutique hotels is taking on the storefront between Meanwhile Bar and The Electric Cheetah.

A Grand Rapids-based developer behind two boutique hotels in the city is renovating a long-vacant building between Meanwhile Bar and The Electric Cheetah on Wealthy Street.

09/05/2024

The mall's new owner has big changes in mind — from hotel space to multifamily housing.

The new owner of the RiverTown Crossings mall in Grandville plans to upgrade and add more density to the property, potentially with more retail, hotel space or multifamily residential.

09/05/2024

Ottawa County is thinking small in its bid to close a 15,000-unit housing gap.

As Ottawa County works to close a more than 15,000-unit housing gap, developers are leveraging public funds to build apartments while county leaders launch a micro-home project to increase the affordable for-sale stock.

09/04/2024

Ferris State's new dorm will put 300 students in the Bulldogs' north end zone.

Ferris State University hopes that a new $38 million residential dorm in the end zone of its football field will draw students who might otherwise choose a different school.

09/04/2024

More than 3,000 acres of vacant or underdeveloped land could help put a dent in Kent County’s housing shortage.

More than 3,000 acres of vacant or underdeveloped land with existing access to public utilities could help put a major dent in Kent County’s housing shortage while spurring more than $10 billion in new investment and $100 million in new tax revenue.

09/03/2024

The city's first land bank authority would acquire 100 parcels for potential redevelopment — including as housing.

Grand Rapids officials are taking steps to acquire more than 100 parcels across the city for potential redevelopment, including affordable housing, by taking advantage of a two-month-old state law.

09/02/2024

A home fit for Jackie O is up for grabs in a Lake Michigan vacation destination.

A house based on plans by the architect that designed Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ home on Martha’s Vineyard is up for sale in Douglas, two years after it was built.

09/02/2024

A former refugee who came to Michigan with $20 to his name is now the owner of a 40-unit apartment complex.

A former refugee who came to Michigan with $20 to his name is now the owner of a 40-unit apartment complex in the suburban Grand Rapids market.

09/01/2024

The vessels will bring thousands of maritime tourists back to Michigan's ports.

09/01/2024

A trio of Lake Michigan towns are undergoing projects to turn underused waterfront property into a destination.

Three Ottawa County communities are working closely with the private sector to redevelop underutilized or industrial waterfront property that local leaders say have the potential to attract newfound visitors while also meeting their community’s needs.

08/31/2024

The long-empty Cherryland Center — once an iconic indoor mall with huge cultural importance — is coming back to life.

The long-empty hulk of the 85,000-square-foot Kmart store in the Cherryland Center — once an iconic indoor mall with huge cultural importance for Traverse City — is being dramatically brought back to life.

08/29/2024

Saugatuck is walking back plans to turn the old faith-based campsite into a park.

A ballot measure to raise $3.6 million to acquire a 20-acre riverfront property will no longer be on Saugatuck Township voters’ Nov. 5 ballot.

08/27/2024

The closure comes a little more than a year after Saugatuck Brewing moved its Kalamazoo taproom to the Peninsula Building after a 10-month hiatus.

Saugatuck Brewing Co.’s Kalamazoo location will remain closed indefinitely as the company assesses damage after an Aug. 24 roof fire.

08/24/2024

The nonprofit with cafes in Ada Township and Lowell is adding a third in Grand Rapids.

A local nonprofit operating cafes that employ people with intellectual disabilities is expanding with a third location in the Grand Rapids area, as the organization sees ongoing community support and demand for jobs.

08/23/2024

The brothers Kelce are getting into the beer game — with help from a Michigan brewery.

Founders Brewing Co. appears poised to become the contract brewer for Jason and Travis Kelce’s Garage Beer brand, Crain’s Grand Rapids Business has learned.

08/23/2024

Brothers Terry and Randy Brenner are looking to retire after six decades in Comstock Park.

Brothers Terry and Randy Brenner are looking to retire and sell Brenner’s Sporting Goods in Comstock Park.

08/22/2024

The boutique hotel that pays homage to historic Ada is officially open.

A boutique luxury hotel that pays homage to historic Ada while leaning into modern comforts is now open, bringing a yearslong DeVos-led vision to fruition.