Vacant buildings in booming East Hills to get $860K remake into apartments, office space

East Hills has become the place to live, work, invest, and shop, says East Hills Council of Neighbors Director Rachel Lee. Developer Shayne Malone agrees. Malone, principal of Malone Development, LLC, plans to invest $860,000 in two vacant buildings to bring fresh workspaces and urban apartments to the neighborhood by early 2014.

Malone is also a principal in Cherry Street Apartments, LLC, which purchased the buildings: a former Project Rehab building at 822 Cherry St. SE, Grand Rapids, and a former boarding house for streetcar operators, just around the corner at 220 Eastern Ave. SE.

822 Cherry will feature 4,800 square feet of office space on the main level with an original glass curtain wall, and four apartments below. Malone says he'll complete the build-out of the office space as soon as he has a tenant.

Plans for 220 Eastern include 12 new residential apartments with the original hardwood floors of the circa 1915 structure.

Both buildings are in a historic district. Malone says the Historic Preservation Commission has verbally okayed plans to update the facades in accordance with historic preservation guidelines, but he awaits the official signoff before beginning work.

"The renovations will maintain the historic feel of the buildings," Malone says. "I feel strongly about the existing and future potential of East Hills because it was a neighborhood that was developed for streetcars and is already set up to be walkable. There is a lot of architectural history that can be built upon, which provides a lot of value for what we have planned."

"We're excited to see developers that understand the historic character of the neighborhood as an amenity to want to invest in our neighborhood," Lee says. "We think providing office space here is a fabulous idea. There are so many places nearby to go for lunch or to shop. We think we're an ideal place for a creative team to not just work in the area, but to be a part of the area."

Project architect: DeStigter Architecture
Construction manager: Malone Development, LLC

Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
Photos courtesy of Malone Development, LLC