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Boosting the Village: New YMCA
Brings Benefits
Business Review West, Olivia Pulsinelli, October 20, 2009 - The Spartan Stores YMCA at
Metro Health Village is scheduled to break ground march 2010, with an opening planned
for 2011. The planned start of construction on the Spartan Stores YMCA at Metro Health
Village could create benefits for the local economy.
For Jason Granger, director of development for The Granger Group, the fact that the
project is getting under way is a sign the economy is starting to stabilize.
“It’s a good sign of momentum for the Village,” he said. “Every new thing that goes
into
the Village brings more people there. It’s a very positive thing, especially given the
economy right now.”
Architectural designs for the $20 million, 96,000-square-foot facility were unveiled last
week. The groundbreaking is targeted for March 2010 with an opened planned for 2011.
Granger hopes to increase traffic at the Metro Health Village, at Gezon Parkway and
Byron Center Avenue in Wyoming, even more with a Spartan grocery store his company
is working on. He’s also talking with a couple of medium-sized retailers, which are
looking at sites throughout the Grand Rapids area.
“The whole mesh between health and wellness, and then mixing in retail and office — it’s
a fun concept,” Granger said. “It will be exciting to see how that takes off, and bringing
the Y there is one of those things that adds to that.”
Ron Nelson, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids, sees a lot of
positive economic impact from the new facility.
During the peak season, the new YMCA will employ as many as 300 people full and
part time.
“It will create a lot of jobs there that are new — it’s not like we’re just moving people
around,” he said. “The other thing to consider is the construction impact.”
Construction manager Rockford Construction estimates there will be a few hundred
people working on all the various aspects of the project, he said.
The YMCA can benefit Metro Health Hospital and other businesses in the Village as well.
Metro Health Restorative Care will locate in the YMCA, so physical therapy patients will
go there instead of the hospital for treatment. Nelson thinks this will be motivational
for patients.
“It’ll be an atmosphere where people are healthy, and that’s what they’ll want to be,”
he said.
Nelson hopes that they will become members at the Y after their treatment is finished.
He also believes the YMCA’s childcare will benefit Metro Health.
“It almost becomes a kind of competitive advantage, as they’re trying to attract nurses,
to have that where they can walk over at lunchtime and be with their kids, or simply
have that accessibility that fits their schedule,” Nelson said.
In addition to the hospital and the nearby Spartan Stores headquarters, Nelson believes
the childcare opportunity will appeal to employees at current and future Village businesses.
Other unique amenities of the LEED-certified facility, designed by Design Plus, include
family locker rooms, a family wellness studio and a café with a view to the pool and the
basketball court, Nelson said.
The new facility will build to the traffic at the Village greatly, Nelson added. He expects
the new YMCA to have 10,000 members.
“I haven’t heard anything but positive comments as far as what that impact will be on
other businesses around there,” he said.
Nelson expects the YMCA will benefit from the customer traffic to other tenants at the
Metro Health Village, perhaps generating memberships.
“We’re not 100-percent restricted to members, but we like to have people join the Y,
because it is more of the beginning journey of a life-long commitment,” Nelson said.
“When you come in for just a visit or two, that really doesn’t accomplish our goals of
helping people benefit with a lifelong activity they can stay with.”
