$1M grant to develop GR public market

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has awarded the City of Grand Rapids a $1 million grant to support the redevelopment of an underutilized downtown property into a year-round, indoor-outdoor public market.

The market will built on the former Sonneveldt property near Ionia Avenue and Wealthy Street, which is owned by the Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority. The site was chosen based on such factors as high visibility, potential to stimulate new investment, and convenient accessibility by car, foot and transit, according to a news release.

The grant, funded by the voter-approved Clean Michigan Initiative Brownfield program, will pay to clean up contaminated soils and remove existing dilapidated buildings on the site.

If the project raises the necessary funding on a timely basis, the project partners anticipate opening the market for the 2013 season.

Grand Action in March 2010 announced the findings and recommendations of a feasibility study, which determined a permanent public market could help catalyze urban revitalization, generate jobs and new economic activity, and expand access to fresh foods in downtown Grand Rapids.

The study recommended a mixed-use development concept combining facilities for food production and retailing, farmer produce distribution, tastings, a seasonal outdoor farmers market, as well as food and health education.

"We deeply appreciate the state's investment in the project and our community," said City of Grand Rapids Economic Development Director Kara Wood. "The urban market project will support West Michigan's growing local food movement, create opportunities for entrepreneurship, help stimulate hundreds of new jobs for area residents and serve as a catalyst for additional downtown redevelopment."

"This funding is a significant boost to the project and will allow our private fundraising effort to focus exclusively on building the market rather than cleaning up the site," said Jon Nunn, executive director of Grand Action, a not-for-profit organization of civic leaders focused on advancing urban revitalization projects in Grand Rapids. "We are extremely grateful for this contribution."

The total estimated project development cost is $28 million.

The funds enable the clean-up and building removal work to begin this winter.

The MDEQ grant comes in addition to about $4.7 million in support committed by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority in November 2011.

Grand Action continues to work closely with community partners to identify and pursue additional financing opportunities and develop a proposed construction timeline.