Planning commission tables Corewell Health request for 39-space surface lot, asks for parking and transit data

The Grand Rapids Planning Commission on March 13 voted to table Corewell Health’s special land use and site-plan request to demolish several buildings and create a 39-space surface parking lot at properties on Ottawa Avenue NW.

Planning staff presented the application and described prior iterations of the campus plan, noting the surface-parking request and the applicant’s larger vision that includes a proposed residence building and ground-floor commercial space. Staff said one building on the site was found by the building official to be beyond economical repair and that the City Center zone requires special land-use approval for surface parking.

Rodney Vanderzand, director of planning, design and construction for Corewell Health, told commissioners the proposal would add 39 new surface spaces but that the overall campus plan reduces some previously available surface parking. “We wanna build 39 parking spaces,” Vanderzand said. He described the adjacent residence project as being designed at a 1-to-1 parking ratio for that building and said the organization had philanthropic support and was “actively in design.”

Public commenters and neighborhood groups pressed the commission to oppose or delay approval, arguing surface lots are inconsistent with the city’s GR Forward plan and the Monroe‑North vision and that the campus should pursue non‑vehicular access and creative interim uses for cleared parcels. Andrew Harley of Strong Towns Grand Rapids said, “parking in our city is they’re moving an empty parking lot and replacing it with another empty parking lot,” and urged reuse as public space. Multiple residents described on‑site ramps and nearby parking structures that they said often had available capacity.

Commissioners said they were sympathetic to Corewell’s investment in North Monroe and to the proposed residential building, but expressed repeated concern about approving surface parking before the residence is built and before firm evidence of a parking shortfall exists. Several commissioners said they wanted written, verifiable data showing how often existing lots reach capacity, and details on what incentives or programs Corewell offers or could offer to encourage employees to use transit, biking or carpooling.

The motion to table (approved by voice vote) directs Corewell to return with three primary items: (1) data demonstrating existing parking usage and capacity, (2) evidence of programs/incentives that encourage employees to use alternate modes of transportation or a plan to implement such incentives, and (3) clearer documentation on sequencing (timing and permitting) tying any new surface lot to the proposed residential project so the commission can evaluate whether the parking is a temporary development pad or a long‑term land use. The commission recorded no named roll-call tally in the meeting minutes; members voted by voice and the motion carried.

What’s next: Corewell may return to the commission with the requested data and a sequencing plan. Commissioners said they could consider a conditional approval in the future that ties the surface lot’s existence to the residential project’s permitting and to demonstrated parking need.