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Planning commission approves Mary Free Bed waiver for 220 Wealthy parking structure with design and lighting conditions
Summary
The Grand Rapids Planning Commission approved Mary Free Bed’s request to waive the ground-floor active-use requirement for a five-level parking structure at 220 Wealthy Street Southeast, adding conditions to reduce light spill and ensure additional façade and landscaping treatment.
The Grand Rapids Planning Commission voted Nov. 13 to approve Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital’s request to waive the ground-floor active-use requirement for a five-level parking structure at 220 Wealthy Street Southeast.
Staff planner Laura (speaker 12) told commissioners the revised proposal follows a previous tabling to allow neighborhood engagement and now includes additional materials, landscaping, decorative perforated metal screens intended to mimic storefronts, and a dedicated area for a future mural. Darren McKinnon, Mary Free Bed’s owner representative, said the children’s hospital project is funded by grants and donations and is intended to be LEED-certified; a July 2025 parking study, he said, shows the campus will need roughly 332 parking spaces over the next five years.
Applicants argued the ground floor must accommodate accessible parking…
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