Corewell Health Parking

As of 10/26/2023- The planning commission has decided to push back on Corewell Health’s specials land use permit, as they tabled the request. They are requested to do proper community engagement and work with the area to adjust the development plan to better fit the Community Master Plan and the amendments to that plan as detailed in the example letter below that was sent to the city. The City received 60 letters requesting that the special land use permit be denied. They received 1 letter in support from Monroe North Business Association, of which Corewell Health is a paying member.

In order to increase the awareness of the publics opinion on this issue feel free to use this template to send to the city in regards to the Corewell parking lot plans. Please review the plan, submitted to the city here. The Grand Rapids Planning Commission will be reviewing this on Oct. 26th. Of note, is that in Phase 1 most of the land is designated as parking lot.

Per the Narrative, provided by Corewell:

TRAFFIC IMPACT: A traffic impact study had been performed previously for the SLU approval on April 8, 2021, for the CHP Tower and provided to the City. The future residential developments may require the expansion of this traffic impact study and will be addressed at the time these projects move forward for Planning approval. There should be no adverse traffic impacts due to the construction of the proposed parking lots.

There may not be traffic impacts due to the constructions, but the focus should be on the traffic impact post development. This should be studied along side the Land planning! The second devolvement phase also replaces the greenspace installed in Phase 1 with, you guessed it! More Parking!

Think of how many parking ramps are placed in this corner of town and how many cars get stored there, rather than on the street!

How to make an impact:

Address your email to the Planning Department at: planning@grcity.us, manager@grcity.us

BCC: mayor@grcity.us and your Commissioners- find them here!

Subject: Do not approve Corewell Health Special Land Use Applications

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to express opposition to the Special Land Use applications by Corewell Health to be heard by the Planning Commission on October 26th, 2023. These are PC-SLU-2023-0084, PC-SLU-2023-0085, PC-SLU-2023-0086, and PC-SLU-2023-0087.

Corewell Health’s investment in the Monroe North neighborhood is appreciated, as is their expression of intent to construct additional housing at some point in the future. However, Monroe North is a neighborhood and a central part of our city’s urban fabric. In recognition of the area as an urban neighborhood, the demolition of structures to create new surface parking is inappropriate and will be detrimental to both the economic vitality and the quality of life of the surrounding area.

The city has adopted several goals, plans, and projects which are incompatible with the construction of new surface parking lots:

• GR Forward Goal#1: Restore the river as the draw & create a connected and equitable river corridor.  

• GR Forward Goal#2: Create a true downtown neighborhood that is home to a diverse population

• GR Forward Goal#3: Implement a 21st century mobility strategy

• GR Forward Goal#4: Expand job opportunities & ensure continued vitality of the local economy.

• On May 23rd, 2023 the City Commission adopted an enhanced Downtown Height Overlay District ordinance which allows additional height of buildings in the neighborhoods surrounding the city center; this includes Monroe North. Granting permission to demolish structures in order to create surface parking is contrary to the intended direction of the area indicated by the Downtown Height Overlay District.

• The Michigan Street Corridor plan, which includes the southern third of Monroe North, specifies mode share targets by 2035 of 12% walking, 5% biking, 20% public transportation, and 20% ride share.  The construction of new surface parking in 2024 does not move the corridor towards those goals.

• Downtown Grand Rapids Inc and the Downtown Development Authority have moved forward with an ambitious project - in keeping with GR Forward Goal#1 - to construct both a tunnel park and a switchback park on Belknap Hill.  This will be a public investment of approximately $40 million.  The construction of new surface parking in an area which will be at the center of such an amenity is an inappropriate land use.

• The Monroe North Plan envisioned these parcels as a future development opportunity and specified that pedestrians be a priority on Ottawa, Main, Newberry, Fairbanks, and Trowbridge streets including that there should be “surface and ground floor parking screened from priority pedestrian streets by buildings/active uses”

I hope to see the city take seriously the resources - which includes the time residents spent in the public engagement - invested in these documents. We all desire to see our city become a more prosperous and equitable place, in all of its neighborhoods and communities. To do that we need to stay focused on the goals which have been established over the previous decade.

Thank you.