The final draft of GR Forward is now available. Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. staff will present the plan of action to the City of Grand Rapids Planning Commission on Thursday, November 12, 2015. The Commission at that time also will hold a public hearing and consider moving the final draft GR Forward to City Commission with a recommendation to approve.

GR Forward is a community plan and investment strategy to restore an approximately 5-mile reach of the Grand River corridor as it flows through the urban core and guide the next generation of growth in Downtown Grand Rapids – which anchors one of the fastest growing region’s in America.

Developed through one of the most inclusive community engagement processes in the City’s history, GR Forward envisions Downtown Grand Rapids as the civic heart of West Michigan and outlines the following six broad goals:

  • Restore the Grand River as the Draw & Create a Connected & Equitable River Corridor.
  • Create a True Downtown Neighborhood Home to a Diverse Population.
  • Implement a 21st Century Mobility Strategy.
  • Expand Job Opportunities & Ensure Continued Vitality of the Local Economy.
  • Reinvest in Public Space, Culture & Inclusive Programming.
  • Retain & Attract Families, Talent & Job Providers with High Quality Public Schools.

The project partners – Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., the City of Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Public Schools – presented the preliminary draft of GR Forward for community feedback in July 2015. The public review process, which closed on October 23, generated more than 750 comments and ideas on a wide range of topics. Comments generally centered on the themes of document formatting, inclusion and equity, river restoration and recreation, housing and transportation.

The community feedback drove several important and substantive revisions, including but not limited to:

  • Positioning diversity, inclusion and equity as a fundamental economic development opportunity.
  • Honing an inclusive growth agenda for Downtown Grand Rapids.
  • Further defining “affordable” housing and revising Downtown’s affordable housing goal upward to 30 percent of total housing supply.
  • Clarifying building height recommendations to ensure appropriate transition from the city center to near neighborhoods.
  • Adding a recommendation to build on the Grandville Avenue corridor as a Latino business corridor.
  • Expanding the roster of stakeholders and implementation partners.

These and other comments strengthened a final document that, if approved, will amend the City Master Plan and give local leaders the citizen-driven guidance and tools required to continue building a great waterfront city. More specifically, GR Forward’s recommendations include but are not limited to:

  • Establishing an approximately 10-mile urban park and trail system at the edge of the Grand River in a way that simultaneously enhances flood protection, catalyzes economic development and expands public access to the river.
  • Revitalizing and restoring the Grand River to enhance water-based recreation activities for a variety of river users.
  • Achieving a critical mass of approximately 10,000 Downtown households, or approximately 12,000 residents, to support new retail, services and other amenities. Approximately 5,000 residents live in Downtown today.
  • Re-booting the Downtown Area Shuttle system, or DASH, to function like a proper urban circulator.
  • Turning up the volume on public art.
  • Deregulating parking requirements to maximize land use and help maintain housing affordability.
  • Rethinking and raising the profile of existing, underutilized public spaces such as Calder Plaza and Heartside Park.
  • Deepening investment to grow effective theme schools and specialized public education programs in close proximity to Downtown.
  • Recruiting another corporate anchor to Downtown.
  • Identifying and preserving key sites for affordable, flexible work space for new and growing companies.
  • Designing and programming public spaces to take better advantage of the northern climate and make Grand Rapids a better winter city.
  • Upgrading important streets such as Fulton, Ionia and Sheldon with trees, street furniture and other amenities that encourage activity and support businesses.

If recommended by Planning Commission, the full City Commission will consider formal approval of GR Forward on December 15, 2015. The citizen steering committees guiding the GR Forward process unanimously recommended approval of the final draft document earlier this week.

The Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. Board of Advisors and the Downtown Development Authority also will hear presentations and consider recommending approval of GR Forward on November 9 and November 11, respectively. Click here for those meeting details and agendas.