Development of GR’s riverfront totals $530M in five years

Is the City of Grand Rapids making the same mistakes as in past industrial years by not leveraging accessibility to the river as part of the appeal of living and working downtown? Eight construction projects are currently in development along the banks of the Grand River downtown, but only four of them include plans for incorporationg the river as part of the development, and none of the eight include plans for river access.

According to excerpts from the story:

Beginning with the initial opening of DeVos Place in 2003, the three-quarter-mile stretch of Grand River frontage that intersects downtown’s commercial core has quietly amassed total development in excess of $530 million. With a pair of proposed ventures that have yet to break ground, there are now eight projects in some state of development from Sixth Street to Fulton Street.

Whether these developments indicate an increased riverfront appreciation by Grand Rapids developers or a geographic coincidence remains to be seen. Of the eight projects, half are designed to integrate the river, half are not. None include river access as a feature.

Read the complete story here.