CenterCity Moving Guide

By 1827, the US government had provided log homes for the settlement of Odawa (Ottawa) Indians on the west bank of the Grand River. On the east bank, French businessman Louis Campau (formerly Campeau) was busy trading clothing, household goods, and liquor with the Odawa for furs and hides. In 1831, he bought all of the land that is now downtown’s CenterCity for a mere $90.

Grand Rapids incorporated as a village in 1838, and just twelve years later, it became a city—a city that, with its booming population of 2,686, was rapidly changing.

Today CenterCity—bounded by Michigan Street on the north, the Grand River on the west, Fulton on the south, and Division on the east—is changing again. Just a little over two decades ago, the Forslund Building on Pearl Street put a new face on CenterCity when it was converted to condominiums. The trend continues. Condo communities are transforming downtown’s formerly bleak office park atmosphere into a hip, vibrant community.

“Downtown’s becoming more and more a place to live,” said Jay Fowler, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority, and a Grand Rapids native. “I think it’s really great that we have all these residential areas in the works. Downtown is active twenty-four hours a day, and that changes the feel of downtown to that of a city.”

A Housing Boom is Underway
Existing residential developments like City View Condominiums with its unmatched views of the city, Plaza Towers whose residents can opt for city or river views, and Front Row Condominiums in the heart of Monroe Center’s bar, restaurant, and retail action enliven the city’s core. Additional developments are proposed or underway, including some posh living at The Fitzgerald (former YMCA building) and the City Center Project at the corner of Division and Fulton which will house a bookstore, café, and eighty condominiums.

Just outside CenterCity’s borders, still more housing developments are underway: the Tall House Building; 240 Ionia SW; Dwelling Place Inn; 206, 212, and 216 Grandville Buildings; Icon on Bond; River House; and Union Square.

“People are excited about the new developments,” said Donna Dozeman, owner of Dozeman Realty Group and a nine-year Plaza Towers resident. Donna and her husband, Dale, moved from their home south of the city after their three children had grown up and left the house. “We had always talked about living in a high-rise downtown. I took a job selling downtown real estate and on the fourth day I put our names in for a condo.”

Dozeman walks the city every day for exercise. The Riverwalk that runs along the Grand River’s banks, and the pedestrian bridges spanning it, make it easy for Dozeman to enjoy the green spaces on both sides of the river. And she enjoys the people she meets along the way.

“I find that the people who live downtown are quite interesting,” Dozeman said. “It’s fun to be in an atmosphere where people enjoy the urban life. I like the busy-ness of the city, and being able to go to plays and the [Van Andel] arena and the opera—all the social things that come with living here.”

Convenience with a Smile
While it’s convenient to walk or to ride your bike to work, to restaurants, or to the theater, downtown dwellers have to deal with their share of inconveniences, as well. “I find that most people who live in subdivisions drive to get their groceries and to go to the pharmacy,” Dozeman said. “It’s similar for downtown living. If it’s convenient, you walk to it; if not, you hop in your car and go.”

Like a growing number of downtown businesses, Grand Central Market aims to bring even more convenient downtown. Warm wood-paneled walls and an open, farm-market-gone-urban atmosphere invite shoppers to have a sandwich made from the deli’s selection of all-natural meats and cheeses, or to pick up some beer or wine, some bakery-fresh bread, or everyday grocery items.

“We’ve expanded our product line considerably, trying to get our hands around the needs of the community,” said Jason Wheeler, who started the market in November 2005 with his brother Ryan and their friend Andy Armstrong.

“Our typical customer is the resident or employee from a six-block radius, coming in to get everything from toothpaste to lunch to getting their bottle of Dom for a celebration. Being a small market, we have the ability to develop relationships with customers; you can’t get that at the larger markets where you see a different cashier every day.”

Prices Starting at 150K
“CenterCity is on the move,” said Dawn Longcore, a realtor with Keller Williams. “Condos are going up as fast as developers and builders can build them, and many are offering ‘pre-construction’ pricing incentives. One of the nice things about purchasing a condo during the development phase is that the buyer can design their own living space.”

Condo shoppers can expect to pay anywhere from $150,000 for a one bedroom, one bath condo to over $1.2 million for a penthouse, with the average price tag hanging around $350,000. Monthly condominium fees range from $175 to $375, based on the condo’s square footage.

“Folks who want the equity and tax benefits of owning a home without the maintenance of a traditional stand-alone house are attracted to downtown living,” Longcore added. “These folks also want the easy access to theatre, shopping, and restaurants that living in CenterCity provides.”

Condominium purchase options are flooding the market, but rentals are hard to come by. A one bedroom, one-and-a-half bath apartment starts at about $850 a month, and those with more amenities and space can top out over $2,500 a month.

Spirit, Mind, Body, and Recreation
CenterCity has historic St. Mark’s Episcopal church, the contemporary Catholic Information Center, and the Christian Science Reading Room within its boundaries. Roman Catholic, Lutheran, United Methodist, Christian Reformed, and other churches are close by, with Temple Emmanuel and Ahavas Israel Synagogues just a couple of miles to the east.

Public and private schools are located in neighborhoods surrounding CenterCity, and are reached easily by bus or car. For college students living downtown, a variety of colleges are just a short jaunt away, including Cooley Law School, Grand Valley State University, Western Michigan University, Ferris State University, Kendall College of Art and Design, Davenport University, Grand Rapids Community College, and Aquinas College.

With “Health Hill,” as the growing Michigan Street medical campus is called, a few blocks northeast and St. Mary’s Mercy Medical Center a few blocks southeast, medical resources are readily accessible for downtown residents.

One of the main attractions downtown is Rosa Parks Circle, designed by artist Maya Lin. A 13,000-sq.-ft. oval amphitheater, Ecliptic, is the venue for outdoor summer concerts and converts to an ice skating rink in the winter. The park features a reflecting pool and a vapor pool; these two pools and the ice rink symbolize the three states of water: liquid, vapor, and solid.

A popular green space for walkers and cyclists is Ah-Nab-Awen Park. Ah-Nab-Awen, which means “Resting Place,” features grassy mounds that symbolize traditional Indian burial mounds; they rise alongside the west riverbank where the log homes of the Odawa settlement once stood. Many other pieces of art and interpretive markers are exhibited within the 6.5-acre park.

This quiet green space, where Indian tradition and contemporary art meet on the lawn of a presidential museum, is a poignant reminder that Grand Rapids is, indeed, a city of change.

For more information about CenterCity visit the:
– Visiting Guide
– Investing Guide

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Directions to Center City

From the North:
Take US-131 South toward Grand Rapids and merge onto I-196 East via Exit 86A on the left toward Lansing. Take the Ottawa Ave exit, Exit 77C, toward Downtown. Turn slight right onto Ottawa Ave Nw. Arrive in Center City.

From the East:
Take I-96 West toward Grand Rapids and keep left to take I-196 West toward Downtown Grand Rapids/Holland. Take the Ottawa Ave exit, Exit 77C, toward Downtown. The ramp becomes Ottawa Ave Nw. Arrive in Center City.

From the South:
Take US-131 North toward Grand Rapids and take the I-131-BR exit, Exit 84B, toward Downtown. Turn right onto Oakes St. Sw and turn left onto Division Ave S/US-131 BR. Arrive in Center City.

From the West:
Take I-196 East toward Grand Rapids and take the Ottawa Ave exit, Exit 77C, toward Downtown. Turn slight right onto Ottawa Ave Nw. Arrive in Center City.

Take I-96 East toward Grand Rapids and merge onto US-131 South via Exit 31A toward Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo. Merge onto I-196 East via Exit 86A on the left toward Lansing. Take the Ottawa Ave exit, Exit 77C, toward Downtown. Turn slight right onto Ottawa Ave Nw. Arrive in Center City.

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