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Metro Village Blossoms
MiBiz, Karen Gentry, September 2, 2008 - Developers of Metro Health Village are
very pleased with the progress of the long-term project on 180 acres in Wyoming.
The Granger Group LLC President and CEO Gary Granger said his company knew
the project would be a major undertaking that would take upwards of 10 years to
develop.
"You always end up with little challenges in carrying out the execution of a project,
but for the most part it’s (Metro Health Village) been pretty much according to
plan," Granger said.
In 2003, Metro Health purchased 170 acres, a lot more property than what it needed
for the new hospital.
"We worked with them to figure out how they could offload much of the property,"
Granger said.
About one-third of the property is owned and controlled by Metro Health, another
third is in a partnership between Metro and Granger, and the final third - mostly
retail with some offices – is owned by Granger. Granger Group also purchased an
additional 10 acres for the project.
The Granger Group SVP of Development and Finance Greg Markvluwer said his
company decided the highest and best use of each of the areas of the former farmland.
It determined that commercial, retail, hotels and restaurants are the best use of land
fronting M-6 or Byron Center Avenue. Medical office buildings are best suited for
Gezon Parkway and the central core with its high elevation and visibility is the best
location for the hospital.
Early on Metro Health and The Granger Group decided that the entire Metro Health
project would be U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) certified.
"In a lot of ways we could set a new standard. It was the first time in the world a
project of this nature is LEED certified," Granger told MiBiz.
An architectural committee reviews every project to adhere to a set of project guidelines,
including LEED aspects.
The Granger Group has relied on a number of architects for Metro Health Village,
including Bob Gibbs from Birmingham, Mich.-based Gibbs Planning. Gibbs has been
involved in many pedestrian friendly developments and helped with the overall site
plan layout.
Some of the other architects involved included Omaha-based HDR and Beta Designand
Integrated Architects of Grand Rapids, all of whom were involved in elements of different
buildings.
Granger said many doctors have elected to be near the new hospital. Starbucks was one
of the first retailers to go into a new retail building, the first LEED-certified development
built in the country. Currently, about half of the 22,000-square-foot retail space is leased.
One of the challenges of the sustainable development has been educating retailers about
the benefits of LEED, even thought they often don’t fully understand the language of
LEED certification, Granger said.
Green features garnering LEED points in retail include material and equipment choices,
energy management systems, lighting selections and construction processes.
Two major buildings are under construction in Metro Health Village. One lot was sold
to ITT Technical Institutefor a 35,000-square-foot building that Markvluwer said is a
complementary fit for Metro Health Village. That building will be completed this fall.
Another parcel of land was sold for a Hyatt Place Hotel, a lodging establishment that
fits the profile of a first-in-class hotel for the campus.
The Granger Group also announced in July that a D&W Fresh Marketwill be built on
the corner of Byron Center Avenue and Gezon Parkway, with construction slated to
begin in spring 2009.
"It was very important to attract a grocery store," Markvluwer said. "The traffic volume
will have a dramatic effect on the balance of retail here on campus."
More retail buildings are planned. Other hotels like Hyatt Place are being recruited, and
a mix of local and national restaurants is planned along M-6 and Byron Center Avenue.
A groundbreaking is expected to take place this fall for the 130,000 square-foot, two-story
Spartan Stores YMCAon 10 acres on Gezon Parkway.
Macatawa Bank also purchased a lot in Metro Health Village and plans to start
construction of a 3,400-square foot branch next spring, according to Macatawa Bank President Phil Koning. The bank’s new location just off of M-6 is located in the center
of three other branches in Byron Center, Grandville and Clyde Park Avenue in Wyoming.
"We wanted to be part of that expansion," said Koning.
Rockford Construction Co. is constructing the ITT Technical Institute and Hyatt Place
and will construct the Spartan Stores YMCA. Rockford Construction Project Executive
Marty Schultz said LEED features of Hyatt Place include occupancy sensors, sustainable
landscaping and energy efficient car hookups. Renewable wood products are also being
used to build the 85,000-square-foot hotel.
"This is the very first Hyatt Place that will
be LEED certified in the United States and anywhere," Schultz said.
The Spartan YMCA will be a model of energy efficiency, according to Rockford
Construction Project Manager Pete Michell. There will be an abundance of natural
daylighting and durable, green materials. Michell said the ITT structure includes
mechanical energy efficiencies, lighting controls and low VOC materials.
The Granger Group’s involvement with Metro Health dates back several years when the
developer helped secure a Renaissance Zone for Metro’s former location on Boston Avenue
SE in Grand Rapids. Through significant financial planning, The Granger Group helped
Metro Health raise some equity to be able to develop its new hospital facility on Byron
Center Avenue through leasebacks of five of Metro’s medical plazas.
