GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — An old federal building on the northeast side of my neighborhood in Grand Rapids has sat vacant for years. Neighbors have complained about the long grass and boarded-up windows.
I've been looking into it and have learned the federal government and the city of Grand Rapids are now partnering up to bring some life into this property.
Despite all this traffic on Monroe just north of Ann Street, there’s one spot in my neighborhood that sits quietly.
“Hasn't been used for a long time,” Ryan Budloo said after biking in the nearby park.
The former Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center has lost a lot of its glory over the years. The building is now all boarded up.
“I never give it a lot of thought, because I just go by there and always see it as it's closed,” long-time Grand Rapids resident Jesus Gomez said.
From closed to hopefully open - the city is looking to give some life to this three and a half acre lot.
“We're looking for a partner that will help us activate riverfront amenities along with a private development that we can better engage and activate the space for the neighborhood,” Grand Rapids Development Director Sarah Rainero said.
The federal government approached the City of Grand Rapids to take this property off its hands. Rainero tells me this property is worth $4.9 million.
She explains that if they find the right partner for the project, the city could put ten percent down.
“We were engaged in the spring by the feds that they were making that property available for sale, and that the city had an opportunity to buy that before they had put it out on the public market,” Rainero said.
This is what a couple of people tell me they want here.
“Guess I would like to see that they do something that would benefit, maybe the local community, maybe something that's a gathering spot, or something we could all kind of, kind of as a community, come around to,” Budloo explained.
“Why don't they use it for extra parking, a parking lot for the park,” Gomez said.
Everyone I talked to says anything is better than what is there now.
“You don't need to knock it down. If it's already people occupied for living and stuff, that can be a good thing for shelter, for homeless people,” Gomez said.
City officials say they're looking to take suggestions to the city commission sometime in November.
