Let's remember that Grand Rapids has a few billionaires to push these kinds of things along and be able to finance bigger, bolder things all at once. It's also a bigger city with a downtown that's further ahead in the redevelopment process. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison between the two cities, although there certainly are lessons to learn. For instance, Lansing was right to plan an incubator kitchen into the market - now we just have to find a way to pay to put it in.
Our market is the same general concept as what GR wants to do - we're just going to have to do in stages what GR probably will be able to do all at once thanks to folks with last names like Meijer, Van Andel, DeVos, Secchia and others. And, you know, when you add in the Market Place development in Lansing, that's another $24-$30 million to add into the overall project. And the half-million proposed ice rink. And the $3.5M in riverwalk improvements in that stretch (on both sides of the river).
Also important to remember, the Lansing City Market project is built, the GR City Market project is a proposal. So even if there is something to be discouraged by in this, I'd wait till it actually is built before having a reaction. The Lansing proposal had an incubator kitchen, so if you're going to compare them, compare the propoals, don't assume the final products will be the same in both cases as the final product.
Also also, I don't think the GR market is going to have as great of a location as the Lansing Market. I lived in GR for 4 years, and I don't think the market is going to be as integral to the downtown and walkable. South of downtown gets Shady even as you get to St. Mary's hospital. I think most people will be driving to that market. Even for folks who do walk, it's not going to have the same effect as the Riverwalk has with the Lansing market.
I understand that philanthropists are responsible for most of Grand Rapids' success. That doesn't make Lansing any better though, I just find it very disappointing that none of Lansing's wealthier residents (past or present) have done anything to help this city. Larry Page is only the most recent and richest of Lansing residents to do nothing for us, its sad.
Forget the Grand Rapids comparison, then. There are tons of other cities (urban areas and metro-wise) smaller than Grand Rapids who have developed similar level (even surperior levels) of downtown amenities without the help of a deep-pocketed philathropic community. Little Rock's happening River Market District (yes, an entire district) was almost entirely funded and developed (in the 90's) with federal, state, and municipal dollars at a cost of $5 million, initially. That relatively small investment has lead directly to over $700 million in private investment, today.
The point is that Lansing is the capital city in a state of ten million people, yet time and time again it has revealed itself to be unnecessarily thrifty and small-minded in terms of public development. A low debt will wet the pants of conservatives, but it also leaves us with an undersized and sleepy core. Downtown has come a long way, but much more slowly than cities in even more consevative areas of the country. That should be embarrassing, and we should stop excusing this timidity which leads to pinching pennies so tightly that everything we do is half-assed. The Lansing Center had to be cobbled together over many years because of this communities timidity, and it still shows, today, with how undersized and outdated it is. The same goes for the Stadium (another public project), though to a lesser extent. Now, the City Market. It's too the point that if we're not going to dream and then do things in a big way, I'd much rather our money not be wasted at all on half-baked projects. The process of the development of the City Market was an embarrassing lesson and exercize in how not to go about public investment to spur private development.
It's really a wonder that folks like Gillespie believe in Lansing (thank god), because Lansing's city leaders sure don't believe in the city, or they'd be brave enough to start telling the public what the public already knows but fights: we have to start putting more money where our mouth is. So, let's even just forget the big boys of Columbus, Indy, and Madison. Our downtown/city centers doesn't even rank that well against the likes of Des Moines or Little Rock in conern to what they offer on a number of levels.
I agree with all your points except the one about the stadium, I look at Olds Park as the one thing we've done right, I don't think it could be any better given our city's size. The Lansing Center is an embarrassment, and a simple expansion won't change that. City Hall is falling apart, our parks are numerous but mediocre, we lack an art museum, or a performing arts center. Other 'attractions' such as Impression 5 and RE Olds are dilapidated and undersized and in some sense are just nasty. I don't say these things to be a downer, I say them because I'm disappointed. Lansing has so much potential it's not even funny, yet no real progress is being made. I can only hope that this recent round of renewal will allow for bigger and better things.
And, that's really my only point. I love this city, but we have to stop making excuses for its stagnation. Everything always seems to happen in VERY short spurts, and even within these spurts, much of what happens is half-baked, rushed, and/or squeezed because of lack of vision. Another example of this is how Virg has been doing the budget over the years. Balancing a budget without a slight increase in taxes may end up being a helpfully political ploy, but it's not a smart, long-term way to run a city. Derek Melot made a point of this in the paper the other day that we're very much too the point of where we've run out of non-emergency city workers to cut, and as with any business, you can only cut so much before you start cutting into actual services. You need a certain amount of people to do a good job at delivering services.
There isn't a lot of political bravery in this town, despite the private sector putting itself out there on the line. They can't carry the city alone, just in the same way that a government can't alone carry the development of a city. And, it's not that I'm asking for our political leaders to bankrupt our city for public investment. Hell, another million for the market building would have sufficed in getting it to where it'd be a respectable instution.
Hopefully Gillespie follows through with the plans to begin construction on Market Place by the end of the year. I guess if we see them paving over the site for a parking lot we have something to be worried about.
I've heard that Common Ground could put its second stage back at the old city market site this summer (last year they moved it over toward Washington and Shiawassee because of construction of the new market.) So I wouldn't be surprised to see some temporary pavement added.
The big question is: What will happen with the economy and credit markets this year? That's what is likely to drive how quickly the site gets fully redeveloped.
Either yesterday evening or early this morning, the Gillespie Group has already put up marketing signs at the corner of Cedar and Shiawassee and Cedar and City Market Drive. That was quick and a good sign that these aren't just conceptual proposals, but something near-ready to be built.
Comments
Let's remember that Grand Rapids has a few billionaires to push these kinds of things along and be able to finance bigger, bolder things all at once. It's also a bigger city with a downtown that's further ahead in the redevelopment process. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison between the two cities, although there certainly are lessons to learn. For instance, Lansing was right to plan an incubator kitchen into the market - now we just have to find a way to pay to put it in.
Our market is the same general concept as what GR wants to do - we're just going to have to do in stages what GR probably will be able to do all at once thanks to folks with last names like Meijer, Van Andel, DeVos, Secchia and others. And, you know, when you add in the Market Place development in Lansing, that's another $24-$30 million to add into the overall project. And the half-million proposed ice rink. And the $3.5M in riverwalk improvements in that stretch (on both sides of the river).
Also also, I don't think the GR market is going to have as great of a location as the Lansing Market. I lived in GR for 4 years, and I don't think the market is going to be as integral to the downtown and walkable. South of downtown gets Shady even as you get to St. Mary's hospital. I think most people will be driving to that market. Even for folks who do walk, it's not going to have the same effect as the Riverwalk has with the Lansing market.
The point is that Lansing is the capital city in a state of ten million people, yet time and time again it has revealed itself to be unnecessarily thrifty and small-minded in terms of public development. A low debt will wet the pants of conservatives, but it also leaves us with an undersized and sleepy core. Downtown has come a long way, but much more slowly than cities in even more consevative areas of the country. That should be embarrassing, and we should stop excusing this timidity which leads to pinching pennies so tightly that everything we do is half-assed. The Lansing Center had to be cobbled together over many years because of this communities timidity, and it still shows, today, with how undersized and outdated it is. The same goes for the Stadium (another public project), though to a lesser extent. Now, the City Market. It's too the point that if we're not going to dream and then do things in a big way, I'd much rather our money not be wasted at all on half-baked projects. The process of the development of the City Market was an embarrassing lesson and exercize in how not to go about public investment to spur private development.
It's really a wonder that folks like Gillespie believe in Lansing (thank god), because Lansing's city leaders sure don't believe in the city, or they'd be brave enough to start telling the public what the public already knows but fights: we have to start putting more money where our mouth is. So, let's even just forget the big boys of Columbus, Indy, and Madison. Our downtown/city centers doesn't even rank that well against the likes of Des Moines or Little Rock in conern to what they offer on a number of levels.
There isn't a lot of political bravery in this town, despite the private sector putting itself out there on the line. They can't carry the city alone, just in the same way that a government can't alone carry the development of a city. And, it's not that I'm asking for our political leaders to bankrupt our city for public investment. Hell, another million for the market building would have sufficed in getting it to where it'd be a respectable instution.
The big question is: What will happen with the economy and credit markets this year? That's what is likely to drive how quickly the site gets fully redeveloped.