What people will see when traveling down the new Commerce Avenue SW are neat brick-lined sidewalks, 50 freshly planted trees, new bike racks and attractive decorative lighting. Commerce Avenue reopened last week after six months of intensive reconstruction and it's more than just a pretty face.
"Commerce (Avenue) was literally the worst street in the city; the potholes looked like craters on the moon," says Jay Fowler, executive director of the Grand Rapids
Downtown Development Authority. "When we started doing this kind of work, so much of the infrastructure downtown was very much antiquated. We can't really expect private investors to invest in downtown when we don't improve the infrastructure."
The section of Commerce between Cherry and Wealthy streets, plus Williams St. SW and Bartlett St. SW between Ionia and Commerce underwent $2.4 million of vital upgrades that include a new water main and water services to properties, new storm sewers and sanitary sewers, and new curbs, gutters and sidewalks.
New street surfaces include asphalt on Commerce and brick pavers over concrete on Williams and Bartlett.
The street reconstruction comes at a time when developers are wrapping up construction on investments of some $60 million for the new
38 (38 Commerce SW) and
The Gallery apartments (Commerce SW and W. Fulton) and are seeking commercial and residential tenants.
Recent investments of millions more created nightspots
Stella's Lounge and
The Viceroy (both at 53 Commerce SW), and new digs for
Lambert, Edwards and Associates (47 Commerce SW) with plans for another nightspot and concert venue,
The Pyramid Scheme, at 68 Commerce SW.
The DDA contributed $1.2 million to fund the streetscaping portion of the project; the
City of Grand Rapids funded the rest of the project. Dykema Excavators handled the excavation.
Source: Jay Fowler, Downtown Development Authority; Tiiu Arrak, Public Information Administrator, City of Grand Rapids
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
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