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Public hearing held on 640 Eastern Ave redevelopment; developers to pursue NEZ and Brownfield support
Summary
Commissioners held public hearings on a proposed four-story, 16,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use development at 640 Eastern Ave; staff described 12 one-bedroom apartments (two at 60% AMI, remainder at 70% AMI and below), total cost of roughly $4.7 million, a 10% inclusion plan ($340,000) for local W/MBE contractors, and a projected construction start this fall; hearings were closed and the matter was referred to the Committee of the Whole.
The Grand Rapids City Commission on Aug. 13 held combined public hearings on a redevelopment proposal for 640 Eastern Ave, where the city's economic development director described a plan for a four-story, 16,000-square-foot mixed-use building that would replace an existing two-story structure.
Economic Development Director Sarah Ranaro told commissioners the project would include about 5,600 square feet of commercial space and 12 one-bedroom apartments, with two units to be rented at 60% of area median income and the remainder at 70% AMI or below. "We've got total project costs at 4,700,000.0 with about 3.4 of those being dedicated to construction costs, and we've got a 10% overall aim for our inclusion plan, seeking contractors with local women-owned and minority-owned businesses," Ranaro said, citing a $340,000 inclusion target tied to roughly $3.4 million in construction costs.
Ranaro also listed funding sources that the project team expects to use, including a revitalization and placemaking grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (just over $2 million), TIF support and an emerging developer grant from brownfield-related funds; she said construction was anticipated to begin this fall with completion next fall.
During the hearing a nearby resident asked about building electrification and backup power. A project representative responded that the apartments would be all-electric "except for the hot water, which will be a building gas fired plant in the basement," and that the ground-floor nonprofit/commercial heating and cooling RTU would be gas-fired. The representative said there were currently no plans for an electrical generator backup.
Helen Harp, president of the board at Larlan Communications (the nonprofit that operates a local noncommercial station), spoke in support of the NEZ and Brownfield requests, describing the station's educational programming and partnerships with Grand Rapids Public Schools.
Chair closed the hearings and referred both Brownfield and NEZ items for the 640 Eastern Ave project back to the Committee of the Whole for further consideration; no final approvals on the NEZ or Brownfield plan were recorded at the Aug. 13 meeting.
Next steps: the commission referred the matter to the Committee of the Whole for additional review and potential future action.
