Construction

Casual dining restaurant and bar opening soon on Muskegon’s waterfront

Deborah Johnson WoodBy land or by lake, no matter how patrons arrive at a new waterfront restaurant in Muskegon, they'll find a bar and eatery with lakeside dining and fabulous views of Muskegon Lake sunsets. So says Jon Rooks of Parkland Properties, developer of The Lake House Waterfront Grille, 730 Terrace Point Blvd., the latest piece of a multi-million dollar renovation of The Shoreline Inn & Suites and Terrace Point Marina complex. The restaurant, formerly called Rafferty's, retained only its original structure. "Everything is brand new," Rooks says. "We added a herringbone maple floor and have 160 feet of windows facing the water. There's also a 160-foot-long deck out over the water that faces west for watching the sunsets."Most of a custom walnut and granite curved bar created by Troy Bosworth from Studio Wise is indoors; the rest, which is shaped like the aft of a boat, is outdoors. Patrons can enjoy their drinks on the deck, or on a patio under the Locust trees the grow through the floor. The Lake House opens July 28, offering a full drink menu, as well as dining creations by Chefs Dustin Schultz and Charlie Forrester. The menu ranges from appetizers like Lake House fish tacos and Tuscan bean and goat cheese dip, to sandwiches, burgers, pasta, steaks and seafood.Rooks says the complex takes up only five acres of the 20-plus-acre property. "I want to attract other developers to what I think is the best opportunity in Michigan right now, and that's the Muskegon shoreline," he says. "Muskegon has a host of amazing events occurring all year round," he adds. "People recognize that it's a great place to be in the summer. We want to use the hotel and restaurant to attract people and events in the nine months of the off-season. If the owners of the waterfront properties can work together, we can accomplish the synergy that's possible."Source: Jon Rooks, Parkland PropertiesRelated ArticlesVeteran developer renovates marina/hotel complex on downtown Muskegon's waterfrontDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Development News tips can be sent to info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

Catherine’s Health Center expansion to make room for more doctors, patients in Grand Rapids

Deborah Johnson WoodCatherine's Health Center has volunteer doctors and nurses waiting in the wings to serve patients – but the center's cramped quarters in the basement of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church doesn't have enough room.So Catherine's will move early next year to 6,500 square feet in the vacant St. Alphonsus School next door at 224-228 Carrier Street NE. "Our purpose is to [provide free health care] to the uninsured and underinsured," says Helen Lehman, board chair. "We handle about 400 patient visits a month with two volunteer physicians and a small paid staff. In the height of flu season, we might turn away 30 patients a day."The new facility will have six exam rooms, treatment rooms, a laboratory and a pharmacy. St. Alphonsus Church plans to move its clothing and food pantry into the building, Lehman says, making it convenient for patients to stop into both places in one trip. "A lot of our patients walk here or ride the bus," Lehman says. "About 76 percent of them are employed or have multiple jobs; these are the working poor who are just trying to put it all together – rent, shoes for the kids and healthcare."Lehman says the expansion will allow Catherine's to handle some 15,000 patient visits annually.The estimated $800,000 renovation goes out to bid soon. Lehman says Catherine's has received more than $1 million of its $1.3 million funding campaign, which will cover construction, furniture and equipment, and some operating expenses. "It was kind of the perfect storm for us to be right in the same neighborhood where we've worked for 16 years," she says. "We were sad to see the school go, but it was probably an answer to prayer that we have this space in the neighborhood."Source: Helen Lehman, Catherine's Health CenterDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Development News tips can be sent to info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

Mixtape Cafe plans expansion, move to northwest side in Grand Rapids

Deborah Johnson WoodMixtape Café owners Jean-René Renusson and Jessica Brady have plans to bring bigger national bands to Grand Rapids, and they'll soon have a large enough space where eager teens can attend the concerts in comfort. Mixtape Café will move at the end of this month from its location on South Division Avenue to nearly 6,000 square feet at 1115 Taylor NW, the renovated Waddell Furniture Manufacturing plant. The company's new name will be MXTP, a name Brady says stands for a more evolved venue."We do five bands a night, seven shows a week of live music," Brady says. "We're an all-ages venue; we don't serve alcohol and our clientele is between ages 13 and 25. We bring in national, regional and local acts. The area on South Division is building up and is a really neat neighborhood, but there are a lot of homeless shelters, and who knows what's going on outside. It's really difficult to convince parents that it's a safe location."The new location is a garden level space in the same building as Dog Story Theater. Brady says that besides the concert area with its new stage, sound system and lighting, the new venue will have a green room for the bands and lounge areas where concert-goers can relax. "Kids have a place to go that's not at their parents' house and it's not at a bar," Brady says. "We have security, so the atmosphere is controlled and we don't tolerate any drugs or alcohol. "The local bands are what really draw in the crowds," she says, "and we give them a chance to open for a larger band."New Found Glory will headline the grand opening show on August 13. Source: Jessica Brady, Mixtape Café Related Articles$4 Million factory renovation underway in North Monroe$4M factory rehab brings new restaurant and nine condos to North MonroeDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Development News tips can be sent to info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

Caribbean restaurant to bring heat of the tropics to Grand Rapids’ Eastown

Deborah Johnson WoodOlga Benoit has catered her Haitian-style cuisine in the Grand Rapids area for the past 12 years, and now she's opening Chez Olga to bring her taste treats to the community on a larger scale. Benoit came to Grand Rapids as a refugee and used to operate Benoit's Family Fashions on Leonard Street. But it is her love of cooking and the catering she's done that sealed her decision to start the restaurant. Benoit has spent the last several weeks renovating the interior of 1441 Wealthy St. SE in the distinctive McKendree Silver Works building. That space has seen its share of restaurants come and go, but spokesperson Monica Sparks of Sparks Consulting says the renovation will open up the space and make it more inviting. "Customers are going to find a very festive but comfortable, relaxed feeling of, well, love, I guess is the best way to say it," Sparks says. "The recipes are time honored, passed down from generation to generation, straight from Haiti. Olga had to go to a lot of different vendors for spices, because she couldn't get the more uncommon ones at the larger food suppliers."Benoit's tagline, "Feel the Caribbean Heat," is represented in dishes such as the fried plantains appetizer with spicy coleslaw, Creole chicken, and red beans and rice. The menu also offers a couple of vegetarian and vegan dishes, and everything is under $10.The grand opening is July 9 and 10, with free food to those who have preregistered on the Chez Olga GR Facebook page. Chez Olga will be open Monday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Source: Monica Sparks, Sparks ConsultingDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Development News tips can be sent to info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

Habitat for Humanity of Kent County proposes net-zero energy home

Allegan County students to learn new technology applications through solar-powered mini-village

Allegan County trade school students will obtain hands-on experiences with solar construction next fall by building an innovative, first-of-a-kind mini-village of four little houses and a garage fully powered by the sun. Photovoltaic panels will generate energy for the homes while panels on the garage will generate power to recharge an old electric Ford Ranger donated by the Alfred E. Chase Charity Foundation.

Kent County Recycling Center in Grand Rapids adds education component, sort-free recycling

Deborah Johnson WoodThe next school environmental class to tour the new $11.5 million Kent County Recycling and Education Center will learn about the county's upcoming new single-stream recycling method from a bird's-eye view of the action – a catwalk that extends over the sorting equipment. The new center at 977 Wealthy St. SW is nearly complete, and work crews are training on the new sorting equipment, says Dennis Kmiecik, Kent County's solid waste division director. "The schools are emphasizing recycling in their curriculum," he says. "We got overwhelmed with tours in our old facility (322 Bartlett SW). So in the new facility we invested in a classroom that can seat 80 people and has all the new technology."Interior windows allow students to observe workers and equipment from the classroom. What they'll see will be state-of-the-art sorting equipment that can handle a much higher capacity of recycled waste than the current equipment, all sorting from a single stream that contains plastic, glass, metal and paper waste products.With single-stream, Kent County residents and businesses will no longer need to sort recyclables into separate bins, but can place them all in one cart they can wheel to the curb. Kmiecik expects the city of Grand Rapids to offer 30-, 68- and 90-gallon carts, free. Individual haulers outside the city will determine what carts to offer customers and the cost, if any. The change will take place mid-July, with how-to information available within the next week or so, Kmiecik says. The new process should reduce the recycle center's operating expenses, but Kmiecik isn't making predictions on how much. "We were running 13 hours a day, six days a week, with 90 to 100 community service workers each day," he says. "Now it will be eight hours a day, five days a week with a minimum of 20 people."Kmiecik hopes the new process will mean more people will recycle. He says Grand Rapids has a 45 percent residential recycling rate; countywide the number is only 20 percent. Source: Dennis Kmiecik, Kent County Recycling and Education CenterDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Development News tips can be sent to info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

Historic Grand Rapids home revived as one-of-a-kind bed and breakfast inn

Deborah Johnson WoodLegend has it that in the 1900s wealthy businessman Harry C. Leonard gave his daughter Dorothy a gift – a massive home complete with servant's quarters and a third-floor ballroom. That home at Logan and Morris streets in Grand Rapids is now open as the Leonard at Logan House Bed & Breakfast, following an extensive renovation to bring it back to its former glory by owners Ann and John Finkler, Paul and Charles DeVos and Mark Zimmer. A wide, open staircase leads from the foyer to the five guest rooms on the second floor. Each guest room, tastefully appointed with period-style furniture, has a private bath. On the main floor, visitors will find a relaxing sitting room with a fireplace, a dining room and a modern gourmet kitchen. The house has oak floors throughout, except for the ballroom, which has maple – a hardwood not easily marred by dancers' shoes. The ballroom is now the owner's quarters. Modern amenities include free Wi-Fi, keyless entry and 32-inch flat screen TVs in each guest room. "We started with the roof because it was leaking, and leaks mean cracked plaster, which was throughout the house," Zimmer says. He and Ann Finkler are part of Team Restoration, the group that handled the restoration. "We added half a dozen chandeliers throughout the house to make it more elegant," Zimmer says.Outside, the owners removed two overgrown pine trees that blocked the view of the house from the street. They're currently adding an outdoor patio for guest use. Zimmer says an existing lawn area accommodates canopies for outdoor weddings and parties. Breakfast is designed to fit the needs of guests – an extensive weekday continental breakfast allows business guests to eat on the go; weekend guests experience a more leisurely meal. "During the week we attract quite a number of business travelers, and overseas contract designers who work for Steelcase," Zimmer says. "We're more laid back than a hotel, so a lot of times they'll stay here."Source: Mark Zimmer, Leonard at Logan House Bed & BreakfastDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Development News tips can be sent to info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.

Indoor B-ball, giant Scrabble board add playful side to Lambert Edwards new $1M digs in Heartside

Deborah Johnson WoodShooting hoops and wordsmithing on a 10-foot by 10-foot Scrabble board are just two of the ways employees at Lambert Edwards & Associates can de-stress in their new office space in Heartside. In late May, the public and investor relations firm relocated from the National City Bank building on Monroe Avenue NW to an environmentally renovated former auto repair shop at 47 Commerce SW. "At first the contractors and architect thought I was joking when I said I wanted a basketball hoop in the corner," says Jeff Lambert, president. "But part of the reason for (buying) the building is about how we can really invest in the culture of our firm. You can have some great conversations around the basketball court."Lambert says they built the office around the natural light that streamed through the existing large windows by adding glass walls and skylights. The original brick walls, a media studio for producing videos and podcasts, and a blend of private offices and open workspaces give the place an air of "professional cool, a sharp-looking and creative space for clients to come in and work," he adds. The next project is to complete the 1,200-square-foot roof deck where employees and clients can take breaks or have meetings. The deck will have wireless Internet access, and Lambert says the company hopes to donate use of the space for charity events. The firm partnered with five of its clients on the renovation and relocation: Pioneer Construction, Springthrough, EPS Engineered Protection Systems, Inc., Avian and Two Men and a Truck. Lambert expects the project will receive LEED certification."We're really pleased to be part of the revitalization that's going on in Heartside with Gallery On Fulton, 38, Stella's and Viceroy," Lambert says. "Part of why we invested in the space was to be able to attract talent from other markets because we know that the environment we work in every day is very important."Source: Jeff Lambert, Lambert Edwards & Associates Related Articles PR firm Lambert Edwards hosted ArtPrize at 47 Commerce, now plans to relocate thereDeborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Development News tips can be sent to info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.