Following years of development, Grand Rapids city officials today unveiled plans that will completely reshape how the Grand River is accessed and utilized in the future.
New parks, restaurants, outdoor concert space, bike trails and river access for kayaking are just some of the ideas the city’s "River for All" project is proposing, with the ultimate goal of providing a user-friendly and accessible 7.5-mile river trail that will flank both sides of the Grand River.
David Marquardt is the city of Grand Rapids Director of parks and recreation. He says, if all goes according to plan, the Grand River Corridor 10 years from now will look nothing like it does today.
“What you see today, you see a lot of floodwalls, and you see limited access down to the waterfront," Marquardt said. "The plans that were unveiled today talk very much about creating far greater and easier access to that waterfront.”
In all, the city unveiled six opportunity sites for restoration construction along the Grand River. One plan includes converting a large water tank at the decommissioned City Water Department storage yard into a reception hall for weddings and events.
City officials estimate the total cost to be north of $80 million, with construction hopefully set to begin in late 2019 or early 2020.
