GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids company has purchased the city's long-vacant Naval building and Marine Corps Reserve Center, winning a federal auction with a $3.1 million bid.
Morrison Industrial Equipment Company, based in Grand Rapids, was the successful bidder for the three-and-a-half-acre property.
The winning bid came in well below the federal government's original asking price of $4.9 million. The government later dropped the price to $4.5 million following an appraisal before putting the property up for auction.
Scott Timmer, Morrison Industrial Equipment's vice president of sales, said the company does not have immediate plans for the property but does plan to demolish the existing buildings.
Neighbors who have watched the site sit vacant for years say they are hopeful the sale will bring new life to the area.
Connie Jaworowski, who has lived near the building for almost half a century, said she watched the property deteriorate over time.
"Very often we would see the buses coming and the soldiers loading up on the buses and getting shipped off. And then, all of a sudden, it wasn't there anymore," Jaworowski said.
"It's been getting kind of progressively looking run-down," Jaworowski said.
Neighbor Jeff Bartlett said he expects the old structures to come down.
"I would think that this section would be demolished. What are you going to do with all that room going up?" Bartlett said.
The property is zoned transitional city center, a flexible district that allows a variety of uses including residential, commercial and light industrial. Jaworowski said she hopes the riverfront location could be used to address the city's housing needs.
"Grand Rapids has an issue with housing and not having enough housing, and that being prime real estate on the river, I was thinking it would be a really nice place to, you know, maybe have condos or a nice apartment building and have access to the river," Jaworowski said.
Morrison Industrial Equipment has not announced any current plans for the property.
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