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Metro Health Village Filling Out, More
Retail, Restaurants Sought
Southwest Advance, Tim Disselkoen, April 7, 2008 - While it hasn't gone as quick as
planned, Wyoming's Metro Health Village is filling in quite nicely. There have been
challenges along the way, though.
"It's been a little bit of a learning experience," said Jason Granger, who markets the
property for Granger Group. "It's something unique and different."
In fact, it is the first of its kind--a health-related village surrounding a hospital. Granger
has had to essentially develop a model as to how to sell the concept to retailers who are
unfamiliar with this type of setting.
The demographics are fairly solid, as the surrounding areas boast middle and upper
middle class homes. But retailers are used to anchor stores such as a Best Buy, Lowes,
Target, or other big box stores that draw traffic.
What they have not seen before is a 170-acre health village area anchored by a hospital
and doctor's offices.
"They don't quite know how to include those numbers," Granger said. "We feel we have
a different market, or trade area. Really, we're focusing on niche businesses."
While national retailers have been a tough sell, local businesses have seen the potential
for the high traffic health village.
Medical goods retailer Wright & Filippis opened last week, and Kaczmarski Hearing is
adjacent to the hospital. Hoekwater Family Dentistry is now open.
A 60,000-square-foot Hyatt Place hotel is currently under construction as is a cancer
center and the new home of ITT Technical Institute. The Spartan YMCA will break
ground this fall.
Macatawa Bank and Bank of Holland are the newest tenants to announce, and more
will be coming.
Granger said National Retail Properties has helped them devise a plan to market the site.
A national convention of retailers will be held in Las Vegas next month, and Granger
hopes to recruit tenants there.
"They've been helping us get face time with national retailers," Granger said.
There's plenty of buzz around the site, and a grocery store could be in the works soon.
And part of the draw will likely be the success of the hospital, which has experienced a
22 percent increase in patients seen and a 15 percent increase in in-patient care in the
first four months of operation, according to Jim Childress, vice-president of marketing
and public relations for the hospital.
"The hospital has been more successful than we expected," Childress said. "We're very,
very busy and have experienced a noticeable increase in patient volume."
And they had high expectations.
Despite a soft economic outlook, the village is growing, and interest is piquing.
"It's progressing," Childress said.
