GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Wednesday marked the second State of City address for the Mayor of our Grand Rapids neighborhood — David LaGrand.
In his roughly 30-minute speech, main topics included public safety, housing and what he calls "neighborhood and city design."
Addressing public safety in Grand Rapids
Public safety is top of mind for Grand Rapids neighbors, and we've seen repeated calls to action following recent officer-involved shootings.
"We know there's more work to do. This last year we've seen incidents that have sparked real concerns about our policing policies and have also shown the limits of what our police force can do to intervene preventatively in crimes such as domestic violence," says LaGrand.
Mayor LaGrand says moving forward, he hopes to focus on expanding the city's "conflict resolution and mediation efforts."
"One of the most important steps we can take in public safety is to prevent problems before they escalate. Not every problem is a crime, and not all police responses end in criminal charges, but unresolved conflicts can grow into serious harm, and conflicts can grow rather than dissipate," says LaGrand.
The Mayor did highlight a few key numbers about public safety growth in Grand Rapids from last year:
- Shootings were down 18%
- 481 illegal firearms were removed from circulation
- Auto thefts were down 27%
He also says that after years of absence due to low staffing, GRPD has recently reintroduced Community Police Officers.
"These are folks who are going to be building relationships and trust in neighborhoods, person by person, because ultimately, trust is not built in a moment in an encounter. Trust is built over time, face to face," explains LaGrand.
Addressing housing in Grand Rapids
LaGrand also talked extensively about the need for more housing.
"We know we need more housing in Grand Rapids, and we know that in past years, our scale of building wasn't meeting the scale of need, but we are making real progress with massive private sector investment," says LaGrand.
He explains that this last year, permits were pulled for roughly $965M worth of new investments.
He says nearly 1,400 new units were permitted in the city — and about a third of those are considered affordable.
Last year, the city convened an accessory dwelling task force to discuss how to better get smaller homes onto existing lots in order to increase housing supply.
That task force issued recommendations involving changes "to our process, our zoning, and even to state building code."
"In the coming year, I hope we will make policies that will fit those recommendations and allow for construction of more new small housing units quicker and cheaper than we have in the past," says LaGrand.
Physical developments in Grand Rapids
Other major developments and projects in the works, highlighted during the Mayor's State of the City, include the ongoing efforts to "restore the rapids" in Grand Rapids.
The City just recently received federal permission to begin this long-awaited work.
A lot of "physical projects" years in the making also came to fruition recently, or are about to help reshape the City.
Including:
- The opening of the Martin Luther King Community Center
- The new Hub on Kalamazoo
- The Kendall Fire Station — the first new fire station in GR in 37 years
- The Acrisure Amphitheater
- The Amway Soccer Stadium
"Maybe the best thing that I would say about the amphitheater and the soccer stadium is that they'll invite more people to visit our city, find out what a great place it is, and maybe join us in living here," says LaGrand.
2025 marked the 175th anniversary of Grand Rapids and the 250th anniversary of the United States, which is coming up this year.
LaGrand asked, "So what can Grand Rapids bring to the table as a birthday present to America on its 250th birthday?"
He answers, "Perhaps, as a friend of our city suggested to me recently, we can aspire to be a model."
"Can we in Grand Rapids, show the nation that we can act clearly and compassionately and build a city for everyone while at the same time giving those who need help the help they deserve?"
For more on how the city is marking both anniversaries, click here.
Watch the Mayor's full address below
