New dept store planned for GR Twp

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) -- - High-end department store Von Maur is planning a store at a new Grand Rapids Township shopping center.

A spokesman for the center's developer said a 120,000-square foot Von Maur store will anchor The Village of Orchard Hills, set to open in 2011 at the corner of East Beltline Avenue and Three Mile Road.

Von Maur, based in Davenport, Iowa, already runs department stores in Ann Arbor and Livonia. 

"The Village of Orchard Hills is an ideal location for Von Maur as we continue expanding our presence throughout the Midwest," the company's president, Jim von Maur, said in a statement.

The Orchard Hills development is expected to include retail, restuarants, a bookstore and 156 condominiums.  Construction is slated to begin in 2010.

A spokesman for developer Robert B. Aikens and Associates told 24 Hour News 8 the group has not formally announced other tenants for the project, but is in discusions with a large number of retailers.  He said to expect more announcements within the next month or so.

The shopping center -- designed as "lifestyle center" as opposed to an enclosed mall -- is modeled after the developer's existing project in Rochester Hills, a Detroit suburb.  The Village of Rochester Hills also features a department store, high-end traditional mall stores and 10 restaurants.