GREDA Highway 2 West Land Use and Development Study

The Grand Rapids Economic Development Authority (GREDA) is developing a small area plan for the area along the Highway 2 corridor. GREDA, in partnership with the business community and property owners, has made significant public investment and aesthetic improvements to the blocks near the intersection of Highways 2 and 169.

There is still work to be done to increase economic development, activate underused properties, improve walkability, and make it easier and safer to get through the city and west along Highway 2. The Highway 2 West Land Use and Development Study will address these needs.

This project is made possible due to a generous grant from the Blandin Foundation.

Public input was combined with parcel data to identify parcels for potential redevelopment. These indicators include:

• The ratio of building value to land value for a site
• Total lot coverage by existing structures
• Taxes paid per acre
• Vacant sites (no existing structures on the parcel)
• Site ownership (whether privately or publicly owned), and/or
• An individual property owner’s expressed interest in redevelopment.

After the developable parcels were identified, likely timelines (phases) for redevelopment were determined for each property. A redevelopment phase is projected for each site based on several factors, including:

• The existing development on the subject property (if any)
• Current ownership by a public entity (City, County, or EDA)
• Presence of utilities or frontage on Highway 2
• The site’s location along the corridor, and
• The presence of any of the above factors on a subject property’s neighboring parcels.

This information was then used to identify three distinct areas. The city is working with planners to develop conceptual plans for land use, redevelopment and design elements for each area. 

• Hwy 2 and 10 ^th  Ave NW Node (outlined in red)
• Downtown Center (outlined in blue)
• Goods and Services Segments (outlined in gold)

The project team will engage the community, identify issues and opportunities, develop concept plans, and prepare a small area plan that will guide future development and investment decisions. You can be involved in many ways:

• Monitor the website regularly for project updates
• Take a survey to help identify priorities, issues, and opportunities for improvement
• Participate in one of the business and property owner focus groups
• Attend a community meeting or event

Scroll down for details about current opportunities!

You can get involved by clicking on the link below to take a brief visual preference survey to select potential types and styles of development for each of these areas.

 Grand Rapids EDA Highway 2 Land Use and Development Study Survey 

Planners working on the project will be at the Central Square Mall on March 27, from 2 to 4 PM with paper copies of the survey and boards with more information.

To gather input, last fall, the city conducted an online survey, facilitated several walking tours of the corridor, and held a workshop with the EDA members. Following is a summary of what we heard and how that information is being used to develop some conceptual land use and redevelopment plans for further public feedback.

The fall engagement focused on hearing from area residents and businesses about what they saw as the issues and opportunities for improvement. In general, most of the concerns and issues focused on the west end of the corridor including:

• A lot of vacant lots, parking lots and unmaintained properties
• Lack of signalized or marked pedestrian crossings of Hwy 2
• Visually unappealing with lack of landscaping or visual improvements combined with lot of signs that clutter the view
• Vehicles exceed speed limit and sounds of trucks and traffic make it loud and unpleasant to walk
• Curb, gutter, sidewalk and ramps in poor condition make it difficult and uncomfortable to walk or roll in this area

People identified several strengths or opportunities on the west end of the corridor including:

• Coordination with MnDOT and the Hwy 2 corridor study to make improvements to the road, intersections, and sidewalk
• People feel safer biking and walking along 5 ^th  Street
• Improvements could be made to the Blandin Beach Park to make it a destination and more visible
• Many vacant sites, including one owned by the city, could be catalyst for redevelopment

The biggest concerns with the downtown area are that it is confined by the river and bisected by two major highways and a railroad track. This makes it difficult to get around the area on foot, on bike or in a vehicle. Many people said that they cross Hwy 2 at 1 ^st  Ave NW and 1 ^st  Ave NE because they feel safer than crossing at the busy intersection of highways 2 and 169.

There were less issues identified with the east end of the corridor. Some redevelopment and property improvements are already occurring. And people seem more comfortable walking along or crossing Hwy 2 to get to local restaurants or businesses.

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