NeighborWoods plants 200 trees in Grand Rapids’ former redlined neighborhoods
Friends of Grand Rapids Parks and The C4 led NeighborWoods, planting 200 trees in disinvested Oakdale and Boston Square neighborhoods.
Boston Square
Utilizing tech, talent and connections during Tech Week GR and beyond
Tech Week GR underlines Grand Rapids’ claim to the Silicon Valley of the Midwest. The Right Place and other strategic partners have created a foundation for helping technology companies thrive in Grand Rapids, driven by the live event.
Removing barriers so people can live their best lives
Improving old technologies with new is, in many ways, the heart of improving access for humans. It is also a great motivator for those with the talents to do so. Here are the people behind those efforts and why this work is so important to them and within the region.
Incubator kitchen & food retail space “first domino” in redeveloping Boston Square Together district
Kzoo Station: A Community Kitchen + Eatery will soon infuse new economic opportunities into Grand Rapids’ Boston Square neighborhood. SpringGR and Amplify GR, partners in the Boston Square Together project at 1445 Kalamazoo St. SE, are renovating the 1,416 square-foot shuttered Good Shepherd Auto Repair building into a commercial kitchen and multi-tenant, retail, food-business space.
Residents get more power in allocating ARPA dollars with participatory budgeting model
City of Grand Rapids is using a new model, the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP), that will give residents more say in how its $2 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will be spent in each of the city's three wards.
Boston Soul Café — Helping the community thrive with food for the soul
The Boston Soul Café on Kalamazoo Avenue services the Boston Square community by offering quality breakfast and lunch selections Thursday through Sunday, including an extended soul food dinner menu every Sunday. The Café also specializes in offering ice cream, with a window that is open seasonally. As the business makes its presence known, the common feedback from those who try the Café is that they are happy to have discovered this neighborhood gem.
Maintaining spaces of the past while showing dedication to the community
Serving communities and clients with a common interest in building projects that leave a lasting impact on people and the environment, Isaac V. Norris & Associates, P.C architecture firm has maintained a strong presence in the Boston Square community since it was established in 1993. With a focus on architecture, interior and conceptual design and more, the firm, made up of a team of architects, designers and planners, has been successful in serving the needs and best interests of the people, including opening doors for minority-owned businesses to continue the momentum, such as the South East Market.
Childcare options expanding in Grand Rapids southeast neighborhoods
IFF, the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative (ELNC) and Amplify GR are collaborating to build a 12,000 square-foot childcare facility and support existing small/home daycares in the 49507.
Boston Square Community Bikes thrives through COVID-19
Boston Square Community Bikes offers a free DIY Bike workshop space alongside a low- to no-cost recycled bicycle shop. Funded by Oakdale Neighbors, the area community development organization, Boston Square Community Bikes has recognized the importance of bicycles as a vital means of transportation and has worked to foster the knowledge customers need to do important bicycle maintenance jobs themselves.
Vaccination effort spurs massive collaboration between Kent County and local health care providers
The Kent County Health Department and local health care providers are collaborating on what may be the biggest inter-organizational vaccination effort in Michigan’s history.
