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City of Grand Rapids buys Road Commission building

The move paves the way for redevelopment of the Market Avenue Corridor along the Grand River.
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Grand Rapids City Commission has unanimously approved an amendment to an option agreement with the Kent County Road Commission for the sale of the current home of the road commission.

Its $7.45 million purchase is $300,000 less than the original purchase price, recognizing the environmental conditions associated with the city’s desired use of the property, according to a news release Wednesday.

The road commission will also remove existing underground storage tanks currently used before closing.

The northern third of the property could be purchased after Jan. 3, 2022, and the city and road commission expect to close on the entire property by Sept. 30, 2023.

Grand Rapids city officials plan to relocate their public works operations to the Scribner site vacate their 201 Market Ave facilities for future redevelopment of the riverfront property as part of the 31-acre Market Corridor redevelopment project.

“This is another, incremental step in the potential redevelopment along this portion of the Grand River and the Market Avenue Corridor,” City Manager Mark Washington said.

City approval follows action earlier this year by the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority to option a portion of the 201 Market site for the potential location of a 12,000-seat amphitheater.

Relocation of the eastside trunk sewer – a long-standing barrier to the future redevelopment of the corridor – is currently underway and expected to wrap up by Spring 2022.

The City Commission also awarded on Tuesday the Phase II contract for the trunk sewer relocation project at a savings of $2 million.