By: Deborah Johnson Wood
The last piece of Rockford Construction’s Cherry Street Landing project could bring Grand Rapids’ Heartside neighborhood 42 market-rate apartments. The renovation of the property at 35 Oakes St. SW, the former New Merten Hotel and later the Heartside Manor, begins with a total gutting of the interior of the eight-story building.
The proposed project, called The Forum Apartments, includes some 3,500 square feet of retail space on the main floor, separated by a lobby area. Above, preliminary plans include 42 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging from 400 square feet to 700 square feet. An undetermined number of the apartments will be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.
“We’re trying to keep almost all the exterior as it is,” says Shane Napper, preconstruction manager. “The brick veneer will stay, the arches above the windows, and the masonry vertical face with the punch windows. Right now we’re doing a structural analysis; in the next month or so we’ll do an entire interior gut of the facility and remove the old fire escapes.”
The renovation includes a small stair tower and elevator addition to the rear of the building.
Rockford awaits final City of Grand Rapids approval to move ahead with the plans and approval from the Historic Preservation Commission. The Downtown Development Authority awarded a $295,840 Development and Reimbursement Grant over the next nine years. The project will receive a 20 percent tax credit through the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.
In 1999, Rockford began development of Cherry Street Landing—an area bounded by Cherry, Oakes, Ionia and Commerce—and has redeveloped several existing properties within the block, including 70 Ionia Ave. SW, 100 Ionia Ave. SW (The Black Rose), Bank of Holland, the Western Michigan University building and the U.S. Signal building.
Source: Val Moody, Shane Napper, Rockford Development
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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