By K.D. Norris
The 28 West Place parking lot and sidewalks were a buzz of activity Saturday, Oct. 21, when the business-focused City of Wyoming and its business partners held the official grand reopening of the shopping center once known as Wyoming Village Mall.
But there was much more of a crowd going into and out of several businesses than there are watching the usual ribbon-cutting — and that was just fine with everybody getting their pictures. Making the shopping center much more attractive and easier to access was what their efforts were all about.
“The last time we had a grand opening here was 1978, when we had renovated the shopping center,” Joshua T. Weiner, of mall owner Meyer C. Weiner Company, said to WKTV Journal. “It has been from 1978 until now, really, that this shopping center had gone through a major transformation.”
The mall first opened in 1962, when it was called Southland Plaza. It was dedicated to Weiner’s grandfather, Harry, “who was a haberdasher on Ionia Street in Grand Rapids, who predicted the growth of this area,” Weiner said.
And over the years, through good times and not-so-good times, businesses have come and gone from the location, but Weiner said two things remained constant.
“The one constant, of Wyoming and this particular location, on Michael Avenue (SW), is 28th Street,” he said. “28th Street has always had great traffic, great volumes, and has made this location a viable one for over 50 years. The demographics have changed, in the marketplace, over that time, and in order to meet the needs of the marketplace we’ve had to change with those times in terms of the merchants who are here and the development we have. We think we have done that.
“The other constant has been a close working relationship with the City of Wyoming itself. The founding fathers — and founding mothers — of Wyoming, both the elected officials and the professional staff, have worked with us hand-in-glove over the years. And (did so) this particular public-private partnership, of putting in 28 West Place, the street.”
A key part of the redevelopment of the center was the city purchasing land and putting in a special street — 28 West Place Street — to allow better access to the businesses.
“Back in (20)08 I first got involved in this, when Carol Sheets was mayor, and we started to talk about it,” Sam Bolt, Wyoming Mayor Pro Tem, said to WKTV Journal. “When the developers wanted to get onboard, at that point, we had it pretty well laid out as to what we wanted.
“When the mall decided they wanted to go ahead with it, we bought the property … to get the street in,” Bolt said. “Last year at this time we got the street in, now we are breaking ground on it. It is just a beautiful project. It has revitalized this area. I think we have added 20,000 square feet to the mall already.”
28 West Place Street bisects the mall’s property to connect 28th Street to Michael Avenue. The new road is part of the City of Wyoming’s master plan to transform its downtown area into a pedestrian friendly oasis of shopping, dining, entertainment and housing, according to the city.
The public-private partnership to help redevelop 28th Street is in keeping with the city’s business-friendly outlook.
“Today we have a mindset, in the city, that we want to work with developers and retail people to revitalize the area,” Bolt said. “We work with them, not stand in their way, trying to make it a one-stop-shop, so that when they come in with a project that they want to do, they don’t have to talk to 10 different people, they talk to one person. They get their questions answered, and we go forward. … We know they have money on the line, and every day a project is not going forward is costing them dollars.”
The Oct. 21 with a ribbon-cutting and grand re-opening celebration was hosted by the Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce as well as the Downtown Development Authority.
In partnership with the city, the Meyer C. Weiner Company has completed construction of its multi-million dollar redevelopment on this mall property, according to the city. In 2016, work began to demolish approximately 58,000 square feet of vacant, obsolete building space. Construction began in 2017 to add 20,000 square feet of new energy efficient building space and two out-lot buildings of approximately 11,000 square feet, along with significant property improvements to upgrade the existing retail center and its surface parking lot.
Since the changes took place, three new tenants have moved in: CSL Plasma, Mr. Alan’s clothing store, and Simply 10 clothing store. Additional space is available for lease, including another 5,500-square-foot pad building with visibility along 28th Street.
