GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Grand Haven's long awaited Seventh Street reconstruction project in Centertown is inching closer to a reality with city council members meeting Monday night to apply for a state grant and pick an engineer for the project.
WATCH: Grand Haven businesses look forward, brace for 7th street reconstruction project
The plan to completely overhaul 7th Street, replacing the pipes, sidewalks and road to create a more pedestrian friendly district featuring bike lanes, is still a year away from construction, but business owners in the district say they're glad to be moving forward.
"We've been working at this for probably 40 years," said John Steinbach, the owner of Lake Michigan Auto Parts.
Monday night, city council members are considering Abonmarche Consultants, Inc. to design and manage construction on the project. Plus, council members will decide whether to apply for a state grant that could award $2,819,553.90 towards the project. The total cost for the project is $10,176,539.
Steinbach, whose family has owned their shop on the corner of 7th and Columbus for 100 years, said he's grateful for the upgrades and believes it will bring more foot traffic to the district.
"I was there when we did the downtown, it brightened it up. Made everybody kind of want to go see it, so I think it will be a good thing," Steinbach said.
A final engineering plan still needs to be completed to determine what can be built, but construction is expected to start in Fall 2027 and end in late Spring 2028. Mike O'Brien, the owner of The Book Cellar, says he's concerned how construction could impact his business.
"We usually have anywhere between 100 to 150 customers that we ring through on a typical Saturday and they're going to have a tough time getting in here," O'Brien said.
Despite his concerns, he says he's hopeful the project could lead to more business in Centertown.
"It's going to be nice to have people want to see what's gone on here but how long will that last you don't know so hopefully it will be a long term where they're going to come down their going to see all the great businesses like JWs and want to stay," O'Brien said.
