HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Holland Township will begin construction next week on a $14.7 million community center at the Westshore mall.

The 74,000-square-foot facility will occupy the former Younkers department store site.

Township Manager Steve Bulthuis says the project will include recreational facilities and space for events.

“We want to make this a center for all,” Bulthuis said. “We’re going to have a full-size, regulation basketball court and we’re going raise the roof from the current structure.”

The center will also have six pickleball courts, workout equipment and an indoor track on the second level.

“We’re going to have three multipurpose rooms that will have both fitness and non-fitness uses, so they’ll have audio and visual in there for classrooms and so forth, but also fitness classes like yoga,” Bulthuis said.

Bulthuis said the township has been wanting a space like this for some time.

“We’ve also been saving, so we’ve been putting aside allocations towards this project for many years,” Bulthuis said.

Between $3 million to $4 million in federal COVID-19 recovery funding from the American Rescue Plan Act helped make the project a reality.

The township manager hopes the center will give the area a greater sense of community.

“Townships traditionally don’t have downtowns, so we need to create other gathering spaces and we believe the community center is going to provide just that,” Bulthuis said.

Brandie Shooltz is a co-owner of Uptown Cheapskate Holland, a new addition to The Shops at Westshore. She said the store is ready to welcome the community center as its new neighbor,

“Everybody is really excited about it,” Shooltz said. “You’re bringing just another group of people that will come into this area that will help all of the businesses.”

The community center is expected to open at the end of spring or early summer 2025.