By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Grand Rapids’ Heartside neighborhood west of South Division is fast shaping up as the city’s hippest entertainment district, boasting a variety of pubs, eateries, specialty beer havens, a wine bar, the Van Andel Arena, and live music venues. But it has its challenges—like a lack of parking, no apartments for downtown dwellers, and no destination shopping. “38” could change all that.
“38,” two new liner buildings and parking deck proposed by Locus Development, will be underway by fall with the demolition of 38 Commerce, the building that gives its name to the project. The two buildings, running along Weston and Commerce streets, will line a seven-story public parking deck and shield it from view along those two fronts.
The buildings feature 35 apartments, eight two-story penthouse condos, 30,000 square feet of office space, and 10,000 square feet for retail and a restaurant.
The City of Grand Rapids will construct and own the parking deck, which provides direct building access for workers, residents and visitors—drivers park on the same level as their destination and walk in.
“The parking is the biggest amenity we could offer,” says John Green of Locus Development. “The city will purchase the property under a site condominium plan.”
The proposed restaurant will have access to a rooftop deck on the seventh floor.
“We believe this project is the first design of its kind in Michigan,” Green says. “Andy Winkel (a partner in Locus) worked on a similar project in Chicago and identified this property as one that was right for public parking and private development.”
The project will be the first non-owner occupied, mixed-use LEED project in the region.
Source: John Green, Locus Development; Craig Clark, Clark Communications, Inc.
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Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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