Grand Rapids Roundup: Parks Millage Investments, Equity Training And More

Press release from the City of Grand Rapids:

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The City Commission held its bimonthly meetings Tuesday and heard an update on the 2013 parks millage. It voted to remove a SmartZone boundary at 470 Market to make way for the development of residential apartments. The commission also approved contracts for equity and inclusivity training programs and set new dates for two public hearings. Here’s a recap:

Parks millage update

David Marquardt, parks and recreation director, provided an annual update on parks millage investments to the Commission on 36 recently completed, current and upcoming park improvement projects and 48 already completed between 2014 and 2019. The projects in design mark the final phase of the seven-year parks millage passed by Grand Rapids voters in 2013.

The park system’s second nature-based playscape and first gender-neutral restroom – which will serve as the standard for future park restroom projects – are among the highlights of the past year’s improvements.

Marquardt said that this year’s $4.4 million millage investment was supplemented by nearly $3 million of leveraged funding from external organizations and grants.

“We’ve engaged – even during this pandemic – well over 1200 individuals as part of the design process for each of those park renovations, and that’s pretty remarkable. It’s a testament of the voters’ and the residents’ passion for these improvements and the need that exists,” he said.

At the end of Marquardt’s presentation, Mayor Bliss and City Manager Mark Washington thanked community for its support of the 2013 and 2020 millages. They specifically acknowledged the work of the City’s voters, neighborhood associations, parks advisory board, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks and parks employees for their contributions in helping improve parks, pools and playgrounds over the past seven years.

For more information, CLICK HERE. To view the full 2013 parks millage PDF presentation, CLICK HERE.

SmartZone boundary removal at 470 Market Avenue

The Commission approved the removal of 470 Market Ave. SW from the Grand Rapids SmartZone Local Development Finance Authority’s (SmartZone LDFA) Certified Technology Park (CTP) boundary. The SmartZone LDFA is an economic development tool that provides support to high-technology entrepreneurs and businesses.

At the time 470 Market Ave. was added to the SmartZone LDFA CTP in 2016, it was considered for either maker space or coworking space, though the space continues to sit vacant. A development group from Chicago, Illinois is proposing a project to convert the building to a 167-unit $32 million residential apartment building. The Grand Rapids Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and the City Commission have approved a Brownfield Plan Amendment for the property which will provide approximately $4.1 million in tax increment financing over a 25-year period to support the redevelopment of the property and assist in meeting the critical need for additional housing in Grand Rapids. In order for the Brownfield tax increment financing to become available, the property must be removed from the SmartZone LDFA’s CTP allowing the future tax increment revenues to be captured by the Brownfield Authority and reimbursed to the developer.

Equity training programs

The Commission authorized contracts with two organizations for effective, accessible and equitable professional training programs. The $16,500 contract with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB) will facilitate a three-day virtual Undoing Racism® workshop for the City of Grand Rapids. Through programs like Undoing Racism®, the PISAB helps individuals, communities and institutions move beyond addressing the symptoms of racism to undoing the causes of racism so as to create a more just and equitable society. As part of the program’s model, community stakeholders may be invited to participate along with the City’s senior leadership.

The $20,000 contract with the Inclusion and Equity Institute at Grand Valley State University will facilitate the creation of effective and accessible e-learning professional training programs. This will adapt the City’s current Equity Foundations training into an e-learning module to be housed on the City’s learning management system. Converting the training to an interactive, self-guided online experience will allow all staff to complete the basic training more rapidly, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which will further the City’s objective to embed equity into all City operations.

Public hearings

The Commission rescheduled two public hearings for Tuesday, Dec. 15 to consider the establishment of an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation (OPRA) District and an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Exemption Certificate to 730 Leonard Street Partners for the redevelopment of the properties at 730 and 736 Leonard Street NW. The Commission originally scheduled these public hearings to take place Dec. 1. Since setting this date, it has been determined that improvements at 730 Leonard Street NW will extend over the property line to 736 Leonard Street NW. Now both locations will be considered for the proposed OPRA District and OPRA exemption. The public hearings will take place at 7 p.m. during the City Commission meeting, broadcast live on Comcast government access Channel 26 and streamed live on the City of Grand Rapids’ YouTube and Facebook pages.

The Commission held a public hearing on the measure to change the election of the mayor, comptroller, city commission and library board to even-numbered years. Voters approved the City Charter amendment during the November 3 general election. In accordance with Public Act 523 of 2012, the public hearing was a required procedure to make this change. Following the public hearing, the City Commission adopted a resolution required as a final step to enact the provision.

For a complete look at Tuesday’s City Commission meeting agendas, CLICK HERE.

This press release was produced by the City of Grand Rapids. The views expressed are the author's own.