GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A regional economic development agency is joining a push to advocate for public funding for large-scale projects in the Grand Rapids area, including an outdoor amphitheater, Grand River restoration, affordable housing and more.
Working with city, business and tourism leaders, The Right Place identified 12 “transformational” projects. The projects, some of which have been discussed for years, would benefit Grand Rapids, and build on its reputation as a city where people want to live, work and visit, officials say.
“If we want to attract the businesses of tomorrow and we want to attract the talent of tomorrow, we need to continue that work on creating that sense of place that is West Michigan that makes us unique on the global landscape,” said Tim Mroz, senior vice president of community development at The Right Place.
Here’s the list of projects identified by The Right Place:
- Convention Center Expansion and Hotel: “A recent Destination Asset Study by an independent firm recommended a 400 room, 40,000 square feet meeting space, 20,000 square feet ballroom hotel for Grand Rapids. Additional recommendations include a 115,000 square ft. expansion of the DeVos Place convention center with new A/V technology investments.”
- Countywide Affordable Housing: Create a countywide housing strategy to address a shortage of affordable housing throughout Kent County.
- Downtown Post Office Relocation: “The relocation of the downtown riverfront mail processing center at 225 Michigan St. NW.”
- Grand Rapids Aquarium: “Develop one of the top aquariums in the US with over 1,000 unique species situated on 10 acres.”
- Grand River Greenway Initiative: “Transform the Grand River waterway and waterfront in Kent County’s urban core into a 5-mile outdoor recreation corridor.”
- Grand Rapids Community College Public Safety Training Center: “This center will accommodate comprehensive public safety training needs. It will include a classroom building, a large bay area for public safety vehicles, a burn tower” and more.
- Gerald R. Ford International Airport Control Tower Relocation: “A project to move the air traffic control tower from its current location atop the airport terminal to the east side of the airfield to allow for diverse terminal-area developments and to bring it up to Federal Aviation Administration standards.”
- Grand Valley State University Digital Learning Epicenter: GVSU’s proposed new digital learning initiative will include digital production labs, fabrication labs, start-ups, co-working spaces, and collaboration studios. Located on the GVSU Grand Rapids campus, the Center will support student, community, and business interaction.
- Market Avenue Gateway: “A comprehensive vision for future development on the east bank of the Grand River between Fulton and Wealthy Streets, transforming it into a showcased, sustainable district that connects and serves a diverse community.”
- Michigan State University Innovation Center Campus Expansion: “Expanding the Grand Rapids Innovation Park to create two world leading centers of excellence Big Data/AI Focused on Health Disparities and Cancer Research focused on Disparities and Health Equity.”
- Outdoor Amphitheater: “The development of a 14,000-seat amphitheater in downtown along the Grand River that would be owned and operated by the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention Arena/Authority.”
- Soccer Stadium: “Secure a USLC franchise for Grand Rapids and construct a stadium with total seating capacity of 7,000 seats.”
The push for the projects is part of a new community development initiative launched by The Right Place. It also comes as billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 stimulus funds have flowed into Michigan. Billions more is expected to come to the state as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package.
“We have an opportunity right now to make some strategic investments and really open up the next chapter of what Grand Rapids and West Michigan is going to be for the next 20 to 50 years,” Mroz said.
Kent County was allocated $127.6 million through the American Rescue Plan, and thus far has approved $10 million in funding, said county Administrator Al Vandenberg.
Moving forward, the county is expected to spend a portion of the $117 million on county priorities such as expanding high speed internet access in the area, he said. But the county has also hired a consultant to help it develop an application process for organizations to apply for a piece of the remaining funds too.
Supporters of the 12 projects highlighted by The Right Place would be eligible to apply for funds, he said. Decisions over what projects would receive funding, and how much, would be made by the county’s board of commissioners.
“I know there’s a huge amount of interest,” Vandenberg said. “My guess is we will probably get more proposals than $117 million can fund.”
He said it’s unclear whether, and to what extent, federal infrastructure funds could be used to fund a portion of the projects. Details are still being worked out on how those funds will be made available to local governments, he said.
The city of Grand Rapids received $92 million from the American Rescue plan, said Molly Clarin, the city’s chief financial officer.
The city has developed a spending plan for $79 million of those funds, she said. Uses include affordable housing, revenue recovery for city departments hurt by the pandemic, violence reduction strategies and winter housing for the homeless.
No public stimulus funds have been allocated for the 12 projects highlighted by The Right Place, Clarin said. She said the city hasn’t received a formal request to fund the projects, but that could change.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we were approached and asked to participate,” Clarin said.
To date, The Right Place’s work has focused on “coalition building” and creating consensus around which projects the community should be focused on, Mroz said.
To create the list, The Right Place spoke with the city of Grand Rapids, Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc., Experience Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Chamber and Grand Action 2.0.
“What’s next is going to be determined by what funding becomes available through state and federal resources,” Mroz said. “If there’s funding that becomes available for the river restoration, then we’ll go that way. If there’s funding that becomes available for relocating the downtown post office, then we’ll go that way. It’s really going to depend on what funding becomes available and when.”
Andy Johnston, senior vice president for advocacy and strategic engagement at the Grand Rapids Chamber, said the 12 projects identified by The Right Place “could really move the region forward.”
“This is the time to be having these conversations, to be talking about what kinds of investments can really propel our region forward,” he said, noting the influx of stimulus funding being provided to the state and local governments.
West Michigan is “helping drive the state’s economy” due to its “diverse industries and our ability to attract younger talent here.” The projects identified by The Right Place “help reinforce those competitive advantages.”
He noted the importance of one project, which calls for an expansion of affordable housing in Kent County. “If we want to attract more talent, we need to have housing supply and affordable housing supply as well,” he said.
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