GRAND RAPIDS — A group of metro Detroit developers is eyeing a massive West Michigan industrial site that has for years resisted new construction.

GRAND RAPIDS — The Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority has authorized an agreement with a private sector partner to examine development opportunities on several properties near a proposed riverfront amphitheater.

GRAND RAPIDS — A second Grand Rapids business owner is investing the proceeds from the sale of its Monroe North property to Corewell Health for further expansion.

GRAND RAPIDS — Ottawa County’s largest employer is opening a satellite production facility on Grand Rapids’ south side in hopes of better attracting talent from the city and delivering economic benefits to a historically disadvantaged neighborhood.

SPARTA — A new task force organized by Sparta’s Downtown Development Authority is working to revitalize the historic Sparta Opera House, which has long sat vacant in the village’s downtown district.

GRAND RAPIDS — A local development firm plans to build a two-story, mixed-use project on a vacant lot in Grand Rapids’ East Hills neighborhood where a historic structure burned down last year.

Developer Jon Rooks’ Parkland Properties has closed on the purchase of a large former furniture factory in Muskegon, and plans a $220 million mixed-use investment in the site.

MUSKEGON — Parkland Properties President Jon Rooks felt a sense of obligation to purchase the former Shaw Walker Furniture Co. building in Muskegon, where the company now plans a $220 million redevelopment.

GRAND RAPIDS — The founder of public relations and investor relations firm Lambert & Co. has acquired a downtown Grand Rapids building to accommodate growth as well as the formation of a tech and marketing hub.

CASCADE TWP. — Architecture and engineering firm Fishbeck is growing its environmental practice with the acquisition of Southwest Michigan’s Envirologic Technologies Inc.

CHARLEVOIX — Charlevoix County is exploring accessory dwelling units as a pathway to expand housing options, and will offer homeowners a step-by-step guide to consider creating such units on their property.

GRAND RAPIDS — A large mixed-use development in Grand Rapids’ active Monroe North business district, along with an adjacent parcel and nearby parking lot open for future development, sold for $22.6 million at the end of 2022.

Housing projects in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Spring Lake and Three Rivers received nearly $6.1 million in the latest round of Low Income Housing Tax Credits administered by the state. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Moonshine and canned cocktail marketer Sip Shine LLC plans to bring a new nightlife experience to Grand Rapids’ west side this spring at the former Harmony Hall building.

COMSTOCK PARK — West Michigan Whitecaps executives have announced a five-year, multi-phase plan to upgrade their home facilities at LMCU Ballpark.

GRAND RAPIDS — Nonprofit housing developer Dwelling Place plans to break ground this spring on a years-long project to build 42 homes in Grand Rapids’ Garfield Park Neighborhood. 

GRAND RAPIDS — A 10-story, mixed-use building with 140 residential units would replace two mostly vacant office buildings along the Grand River as part of a developer’s plan to add housing and public river access to a former industrial part of the city.

GRAND RAPIDS — The Detroit-based company proposing a massive redevelopment of the former Sligh Furniture factory in Grand Rapids wants to cut more than 300 housing units from the original proposal and add a self-storage component, among other changes.

GRAND RAPIDS — Restaurant operator Essence Restaurant Group LLC, which owns The Green Well, Bistro Bella Vita and Grove in Grand Rapids, is now taking over Lucy’s, a breakfast, brunch and coffee bar concept in the Creston neighborhood. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Multifamily investment and property management firm Trillium Investments LLC recently purchased 62 student housing units from Calvin Theological Seminary for $5.6 million.

Commercial real estate executives largely share the view that more answers about the future of the West Michigan office market will emerge in the next year or two as more office leases come up for renewal.

Despite a confluence of factors that could challenge project timelines and pro formas, architecture and construction industry insiders remain confident that the fundamentals of the market will continue to drive new activity into the new year. 

Four West Michigan housing nonprofits will receive $4.2 million in state grant funding to construct or upgrade 71 homes and rental units.

LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed into law a bipartisan four-bill package that expands incentives to build more affordable housing across the state.

GRAND RAPIDS — A southeast Michigan-based developer has secured a key parking waiver for a 72-unit mixed-use housing project that could break ground next spring in Grand Rapids’ Creston neighborhood.

GRAND RAPIDS — City officials are considering selling a 1-acre property near the site of a proposed riverfront amphitheater, with hopes of potentially repurposing the parking lot with housing.

GRAND RAPIDS — A New York City-based developer is set to break ground this month on a 240-unit, $51.5 million multifamily housing development along Lake Michigan Drive. 

GRAND RAPIDS — Grand Rapids city commissioners have approved tax incentives for four mixed-use projects that would add 200 housing units across the city.

GRAND RAPIDS — The West Michigan Construction Institute will facilitate more specialized trades training programs as part of a $3 million second-phase expansion.

Despite a number of market challenges, construction companies have kicked off myriad multifamily and industrial projects this year, fueled by West Michigan’s housing shortage and the high demand for quality manufacturing space.