Former auto service building in East Hills on drawing board for redevelopment

The former Dan Gietzen Auto Service building at Wealthy St. SE and Henry St. SE, Grand Rapids, could be the next defunct gas station to be repurposed in the growing Wealthy Street business district. The station at 701 Wealthy St. SE sits directly across Henry St. from another former gas station that was renovated and opened as Donkey Taqueria (665 Wealthy St. SE) in late 2013.

Eagle Development of Michigan, owned by Bob Graham, purchased the building in December with the intent to preserve the historic look and feel of the gas station. Graham, who owns Jonny B'z Dogs and More just a few doors west, says he'll spend the next few months gathering ideas from the East Hills neighborhood, the city, and the Historic Preservation Commission before deciding how to redevelop the building.

"We're not sure what we'll be doing with it," Graham says. "We may move Jonny B'z over there, but that will depend on what the city says we can do with it -- if we can't be open until 3 a.m. like we are now, then we'll do something else with it. We know we can't really do anything if we don't have the support of the neighborhood and the city and the historic preservation commission. We think it's a little presumptuous to say we're going to develop it to be this or that. We want to share ideas and hone it in and head in one direction."

Graham hired architect Jeff Hunt of Architect at Large to develop a preliminary concept of what the building might look like after renovation with the overhead doors and large glass windows still intact. The East Hills Council of Neighbors will get a look at the drawings at a public meeting at 6:45 p.m. on Jan. 13. Graham also plans to meet with the Grand Rapids Planning Commission in Feb., and the Historic Preservation Commission.

He hopes to have all approvals in place by June so the renovation can begin.

Rachael Lee, director of the East Hills Council of Neighbors, says she is excited to see the creative reuse of the old gas stations in the neighborhood and the new vitality on its way to the Wealthy/Henry corner with the development of Donkey Taqueria and the future ELK Brewing Company (700 Wealthy St. SE).

Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor

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