Tag Archives: 28 West

Ribbon cutting celebrates redevelopment of former Wyoming Village Mall to 28 West Place

October 20, 20173-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming28 West, 28 West Place, City of Wyoming, Grand Rapids Drive, Meyer C. Weiner Company, WKTV, Wyoming Village MallJoanne

https://youtu.be/zBSdq_5454o

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

Just a month short of the four-year mark when the City of Wyoming first introduced the concept of 28 West, city officials will gather with city leaders and business representatives to celebrate the the project that lead to the completion of the first half of the road.

This Saturday, Oct. 21, there will be a ribbon-cutting and grand re-opening celebration of the 28 West Place, formerly Wyoming Village Mall, at 1:30 p.m. with additional events to follow. The ribbon cutting ceremony is hosted by the Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce.

“This is a hallmark change in the corridor here that we have been hoping for a number of years…” said Mayor Jack Poll.

In 2013, the City of Wyoming adopted a plan for the reimagine of the south side of 28th Street between Clyde Park and Burlingame avenues in to a mixed-use town center utilizing form-based code, which provides flexibility to developers. A key element to the 28 West concept was the construction of a curving slip street which would become the center’s new “main street.” The street was designed to run from the south side of 28th Street across from Hook Avenue to Jenkins Avenue, which runs next to the former Klingman/Rogers Department Store building. Because the plan involved demolition of buildings on privately held property, city officials knew it would take some time to get all parties on board with the plan.

Jumping forward to 2016 when Meyer C. Weiner Company, which owns 28 West Place, approached the city about renovation plans for the mall property which was originally developed in 1962 and known as Southland Mall. Those plans included 20,000 square feet of new entry efficient building space and two out-lot buildings of approximately 11,000 square feet, long with significant property improvements to upgrade the existing retail center and its surface parking lot.

Seeing the opportunity to move forward with the 28 West Street plan, the City of Wyoming officials entered into a $1.6 million agreement with Meyer C. Weiner Company so as to move forward with the first phase of the 28 West Street project from Hook Avenue to Michael Avenue. This past week, the City Council finalized some of the details by placing an all-the-way stop sign at the 28 West Place service drive along the west side of the mall.

“We are excited to commemorate this first stage of redevelopment,” said Megan Sall, assistant city manager and Downtown Development Authority director. “There are so many opportunities inherent in this area and we’re pleased to have a partner in Meyer C. Weiner Company as we set the stage for future growth.”

Overview of the new 2 West Place with the 28 West Street.

Matthew McDade, chief operating officer for the Meyer C. Weiner Company, also points to partnerships as being key to this project’s success. “The Meyer C. Weiner Company would like to thank all the staff and officials at the City of Wyoming who worked extremely hard to make this redevelopment possible, along with the stakeholders for the successful completion of this project.”

As the renovation project got underway, Mr. Alan’s, a clothing store, leased a 5,400-square-foot out-lot building and opened in June. Other new tenants include CSL Plasma which opened in April, and Simply 10, a clothing store, is expected to opening late October. The current tenants of 28 West Place also include a Save-A-Lot, DollarTree, Payless Shoes, and the children’s consignment store Once Upon a Child.

28 West Place retailers will be hosting a series of events from 2 – 4 p.m. which include the Grand Rapids Drive’s mascot Buckets, signed Red Wings photos, face-painting for kids, a live remote with 95.7 WLHT and WKTV also will be there as well.

Wyoming’s 28 West moving from concept to reality

June 21, 20163-bottom, City of Wyoming, Hard News28 West, 28th Street, City of Wyoming, Jack Poll, Wyoming MallJoanne

https://youtu.be/d4KLAT5QHK4

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

The City of Wyoming took a giant step forward on its 28 West project by entering into a development agreement with Wyoming Mall Monday night.

In a unanimous vote, the Wyoming City Council accepted a $1.6 million agreement with Wyoming Mall, LLC, to facilitate the mall owner’s construction and demolition projects, and the relocation of city water, sewer and storm water lines and construction of a new public street. The actual cost to the city will be about $1.2 million for the relocation of city services and construction of the road. The developer’s costs is around $113,000 with there being a 25 percent contingency, around $322,000, for the entire project.

“The Wyoming Mall approached us about doing some major reconstruction/demolition on their property,” said Mayor Jack Poll during Monday night’s council meeting. Mall officials indicated they were ready to allow the city to put in a public road since they were planning to teardown the north end of the mall where Once Upon A Child is located and add a new structure along the northwest side of the building, Poll said.

City Manager Curtis Holt said the city is in active discussions with Loeks Theatre Inc. which owns the Studio 28 property just to the west of the Wyoming Mall. It is the goal of the city to acquire property for the proposed road to continue through with an egress across from Hook Avenue located on the north side of 28th Street between Applebee’s and Anzah Sands West. Proposed land acquisition and construction of the road on the Studio 28 lot is estimated about around $708,000. The entire project from Michael Avenue to Hook Avenue is estimated to be around $2.2 million.

Holt said the city plans to put the project out to bid with the goal of completing the entire road project from Michael to Hook within the next few months.

Because of the Wyoming Mall owners’ decision to move forward with construction, it gave the city an opportunity to officially start its 28 West concept which is a reimagining of the south side of 28th Street between Clyde Park and Burlingame into a mixed-use town center with new complete streets and compact blocks. Part of that plan features a curving slip street to be the center’s new “main street.” That street is proposed to start on the south side of 28th Street across from Hook Avenue to Jenkins Avenue, which runs next to the former Klingman/Rogers Department Store building. A portion of the road runs straight through the Wyoming Mall property which is bordered by the former Studio 28 site on the west side and Michael Avenue on the east.

Adopted in December of 2013, the 28 West plan has a form-based code, which is a land development regulation that fosters predictable built results and a high-quality public realm by using physical form rather than separation of uses. Form-based codes address the relationship between building facades and the public realm, the form and mass of buildings in relation to one another, and the scale and types of streets and blocks. 28 West calls for an increase in retail space with a mix of office and residential space.

City officials have been working on the 28 West concept for the past couple of years acknowledging that they knew it would take several years for the plan to materialize. With Wyoming Mall officials’ announcement that they had decided to remodel its facility at 28th Street and Michael Avenue construction of the first part of the 28 West could begin, Poll said.

Plans for Wyoming Mall include removing the north end of the mall and adding a new building to the northwest side of the current facility.

City officials said this is a first good step on the project and they hope it will help encourage growth along the corridor and future development of the 28 West project.

Construction on the site should start soon, Holt said, adding that the city can not begin the road until the demolition at Wyoming Mall is completed . In fact, mall officials want construction to start on the new building so quickly that they are willing to build on top of existing utilities instead of waiting for the city to move those utilities. The council approved a second agreement with Wyoming Mall Monday night that mall officials assume any risk for doing this so that the mall could begin construction.

28 West

November 20, 2013Our Cities28 WestJoanne

The Wyoming Downtown Development Authority is proud to introduce 28 West, a long-term vision for 28th Street to become a sustainable, economically vibrant, walkable town center in Wyoming. The DDA in cooperation with the business community, property owners, city leaders and citizens have focused their efforts on cultivating a new, vibrant destination in Wyoming. By providing insight and thoughtful direction on details like orientation of buildings, building facades, streets, green space, landscaping and parking, the DDA along with its partners have committed to making 28th Street a friendly, inclusive neighborhood.

For more information: 28 West

Optimistic Mayor Poll Enters Second Term

November 19, 2013Our Cities28 West, City of Wyoming, Mayor Jack Poll, second termJoanne

“Be involved and be informed!” ~ Mayor Jack Poll

By Janice Limbaugh

These words of Mayor Re-elect Jack Poll have been and will continue to be, his signature message to Wyoming residents as he begins his second term in office. The unopposed mayor, who was sworn in on Tuesday evening, plans to continue to build on the progress made over the last several years.

The improvements included new streetscape lighting along 28th Street, newly installed water mains and water services, and the initial construction of Silverline stations along Division Avenue.

“I’m very optimistic,” Poll says. “Our city is continually improving thanks to our proactive leadership and citizen involvement.”

According to Mayor Poll, one of the city’s top initiatives is improving the newly formed Public Safety Department. The mayor believes that the city’s efforts for the merger are successful so far, and will continue to create a “hybrid” public safety program not typically seen around the country.

“We are going to be a public safety model for other city governments,” he states explaining that the proven financial sustainability is in decreasing administrative costs and crossing over responsibilities and duties of well-versed police and fire professionals.

Over the next five years, Mayor Poll expects to see progress on the re-development of 28th Street between Clyde Park and Burlingame known as 28 West, improvements and remodeling to Wyoming Village at Michael and 28th, and the revamping of the Downtown Development Authority.

As for concerns for the city, the mayor is quick to point out the aging of the current city council and the absence of younger council members. Six out of the seven current council members, have stated that this will be their last term.

“That will be a huge turn over,” says Poll. “We need to find and recruit younger people to get involved and interested in managing the future of this city. We’re making great progress and need to continue the momentum.”

For the first time, the city hosted a Citizen’s Public Safety Academy this fall as a means of engaging and encouraging residents to take a behind-the-scenes look at their police and fire services. Over 20 people participated in the program, prompting Mayor Poll to continue the academy again next year.

“We would do well as a community if every citizen could attend and learn everything about their city,” he says.