What Goes Into Bringing New Developments to Grand Rapids?
Grand Rapids is transforming with key Riverfront developments seeking to enhance the downtown area and drive economic growth.
Momentum and growth define Grand Rapids, with the downtown and Grand River corridor areas becoming prime examples of what it means to connect neighborhoods, drive economic growth, and enhance quality of life. But what does it take for newer developments, like Studio Park, Acrisure Amphitheater, and Amway Stadium, to go from a bold vision to reality? From initial brainstorming and community engagement to leveraging innovative tools and overcoming challenges, the process of bringing a project to Grand Rapids is as multifaceted as the city itself.
Let’s explore the journey, step by step, with a look at how transformative projects take shape in the heart of our growing city.
The upcoming Fulton & Market project. Image courtesy of Progressive Companies.
Step 1: Envisioning the Impact
The first step in any successful development is creating a vision that meets community needs while pushing boundaries for impactful growth. Whether it’s revitalizing riverfront spaces like Lyon Square or developing diverse housing options at Fulton & Market, every project begins with a clear set of goals. Community input plays a critical role in shaping this vision.
A recent survey, launched by Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and the Grand Rapids Chamber collected hundreds of responses from residents and visitors about the types of businesses they want to see downtown. The feedback revealed strong interest in soft goods retailers – clothing and bookstores; health food and fresh produce markets; and immersive, entertainment-based restaurants.
Similarly, in 2023, Housing Next released an updated Kent County Housing Needs Assessment, which shed light on a projected housing gap of nearly 35,000 units by 2027. With 2.9% vacancy rate for market-rate rentals and a 0% vacancy rate for subsidized rentals, it became clear that the city needs housing units.
Projects in Grand Rapids increasingly aim to align with feedback and research, ensuring new developments meet the needs of locals and visitors alike.
Step 2: Leveraging Transformative Tools
Once the vision is clear, funding and support are the next steps. Large-scale projects often face significant financial feasibility hurdles, from environmental remediation to infrastructure updates, but that’s where incentive-based programs that support the redevelopment of otherwise hard-to-develop properties, like Michigan’s Transformational Brownfield Program (TBP), come into play. Other avenues of support for transformative development can include public-private partnerships, Tax Increment Financing, Opportunity Zones, and state or federal grants for infrastructure improvements and affordable housing. Together, these mechanisms create a pathway for visionary projects to come to life.
What Is the TBP, Specifically?
Incentive-based programs, such as TBP, are designed to help cities redevelop underutilized, abandoned, or contaminated properties. For a larger project to qualify in Grand Rapids, it must meet a minimum $100 million investment threshold and demonstrate a capacity for transformational impact, such as creating jobs, attracting residents, and boosting the local economy.
How Does the TBP Work?
The TBP operates as a performance-based incentive, reimbursing developers through tax revenue generated by the completed project for a set period of time. Key sources of this captured revenue include:
State income taxes from construction workers working on the site and residents living on-site.
Sales taxes generated by businesses within the development.
Property taxes on the newly developed site.
This innovative program helps ensure public investment is tied directly to completed, high-impact outcomes, making it a vital resource for ambitious projects in Grand Rapids.
Step 3: Tackling Challenges with Collaboration
Every project encounters unique challenges, from site-specific constraints to rising material costs and maximizing community impact. For example, downtown Grand Rapids features many properties with environmental or structural complexities, often requiring creative solutions.
Collaboration between public and private stakeholders is critical to addressing challenges and getting community buy-in. Developers, city officials, and community organizations work together to refine project plans, secure funding, and confirm alignment with the city’s broader goals. Critical community feedback—collected through surveys, public forums, and workshops—helps ensure developments reflect the diverse needs of Grand Rapids residents.
The Fulton & Market project serves as a prime example of how collaboration defines success. Over several months, project leaders held over 20 meetings and engaged with more than 100 stakeholders, including neighborhood and business associations, government officials, and community organizations:
Neighborhood and Business Associations: The project’s developers, Progressive Companies and Michigan Growth Advisors, discussed the vision with groups such as the Heartside Downtown Neighborhood Association, Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association Development Committee, and Heartside Business Association. These meetings provided opportunities for residents and local business owners to share input on the project and its impact.
Elected Officials: Regular briefings were held with Grand Rapids City Commissioners, state elected officials, and Kent County Board of Commission members and administrators to ensure alignment with community priorities and economic development goals.
Community-Based Organizations: Meetings with groups like the Urban League of West Michigan, Grand River Voices, and the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce allowed for more tailored discussions on the project’s potential to serve diverse populations.
By the end of this extensive process, a broad and diverse group of stakeholders contributed feedback that informed and refined the project to meet to the needs of the entire community. This community feedback helped to shape the following decisions:
An increase in the project’s commitment to include minority-owned, women-owned and micro-local contractors in project construction and professional services to $50 million, which represents a 76% increase over the original target.
The project is committed to working with Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and the City of Grand Rapids, leveraging the DDA’s Downtown Retail Business Innovation Grant, to recruit diverse entrepreneurs and small business owners to occupy ground floor retail space within the development.
The project will be built to LEED Silver or comparable certification level.
Reintroduction of plants native to the banks of the Grand River.
Similar community discussions were held as intentional parts of the development for both the soccer stadium and amphitheater projects as well. As part of the community feedback process, leaders met with business owners and residents of surrounding neighborhoods, learning how enthusiastic the groups were about the developments, while working together to address the potential for an influx of pedestrian traffic and parking shortages to ensure community influence impacts these planning elements.
This collaborative approach exemplifies how Grand Rapids prioritizes inclusivity and shared ownership in its development efforts.
Step 4: Delivering Transformational Results
When all the pieces come together, the results speak for themselves. Projects that prioritize connectivity, inclusivity, and community benefit have the power to redefine entire neighborhoods.
For example, Studio Park has introduced a vibrant mixed-use space that has redefined downtown Grand Rapids. Formerly a parking lot, Studio Park blends residential units with retail, dining, and entertainment spaces, including a state-of-the-art movie theater and an outdoor piazza.
Similarly, the Fulton & Market development includes plans for nearly 700 new housing units, retail spaces, and public amenities. Designed to align with community feedback about desired downtown experiences, this project integrates housing with retail and entertainment, creating a hub of activity that connects and enhances Grand Rapids’ downtown and riverfront corridor.
While each development is unique, the overarching goal is the same: to create spaces that connect people, generate economic opportunity, and contribute to the city’s vibrant future.
The upcoming Acrisure Amphitheater. Set to be completed in 2026.
What’s Next for Grand Rapids?
As Grand Rapids grows, so does its potential to set a national blueprint for urban transformation. Projects like Fulton & Market, Amway Stadium, and the Acrisure Amphitheater aim to one day be prime examples of how Grand Rapids is creating a vibrant city, leveraging public-private partnerships, and engaging with the priorities of its community.
To see what’s up next in Grand Rapids, stay locked in to GR& Riverfront.
