Division Avenue will soon welcome northbound transit riders and motorists into Grand Rapids with considerably more panache. Thanks to a collaborative effort by the Division Street and Burton Heights business associations, a $200,000-plus facelift is underway on the northeast corner of Division Avenue and 28th Street.
The intersection features three corners of established commerce, but a railroad line and its easements have long stifled development of the northeast corner. Four years of steady planning and promotion, however, will culminate in landscaping, a new “gateway” sign, and repainted railroad tracks and trusses.
The sign will feature Grand Rapids’ initials morphing into a “W” for Wyoming. (Wyoming lies due west on 28th Street.) Painting is underway, but the landscaping will have to wait until this fall when better weather should ensure survival for the planned vegetation.
The project fits nicely into the City of Grand Rapids' Master Plan, which calls for major upgrades to main streets leading into the city center. Significant renovations are already underway on Division Street just north of the “gateway” project.
Source: Kim Van Dyk, Neighborhood Ventures
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