Grand Rapids looks for a developer to turn 6.4 acres along Monroe Avenue NW into housing and shops

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids is looking for a private partner to plan new housing and shops on about 6.4 acres just north of downtown, where city offices, parking lots and a retired pumping station sit today.

The city issued a request for qualifications Wednesday for three neighboring parcels at 1101, 1120 and 1165 Monroe Ave. NW, near Coldbrook Street in the River North area, WOOD TV8 reported. Crain’s Grand Rapids Business, which put the total at almost 6.5 acres, said the land sits on the east side of the Grand River.

The site includes the city’s Development Center and the historic Coldbrook pumping station, which was taken out of service in 2022. City documents describe the land’s current use as mainly administrative offices, parking and storage, according to WOOD.

Housing comes first in the city’s wish list. The request asks for an average of at least 40 homes per acre across the three parcels, a mix of housing types and at least 20% of units priced as affordable. By The Mitten Daily’s math, that density works out to roughly 250 homes or more on the full site.

The city also wants commercial space that favors local, independent and minority-owned businesses without undercutting shops already in the neighborhood, along with public access to the river, better walking and biking links, and what it calls environmental sustainability and economic viability.

“As Grand Rapids continues to grow, this site gives us a rare chance to shape the future of an important downtown district,” Sarah Rainero, the city’s economic development director, said in a statement quoted by WOOD.

The partner chosen would lead a year of due diligence and master planning before anything is built. WOOD’s report did not say whether the city intends to sell or lease the land, or what public incentives, if any, it would offer, terms that will matter to taxpayers once a plan takes shape.

Submissions are due Nov. 16. The city expects to pick a partner in December or January.

Sources:
WOOD TV8, “City seeks to redevelop 6.4 acres in northwest Grand Rapids,” Oct. 7, 2026, https://www.woodtv.com/news/grand-rapids/city-seeks-to-redevelop-6-4-acres-in-northwest-grand-rapids/amp/
Crain’s Grand Rapids Business, “Grand Rapids seeks developer for 6.5-acre riverfront site north of downtown,” Oct. 7, 2026, https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/real-estate/commercial/cgr-river-north-rfq-coldbrook-site-20261007/
Photo: Nbierma, “Monroe Avenue Water Filtration Plant 01,” March 4, 2024, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and color-corrected; derivative under the same ShareAlike license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monroe_Avenue_Water_Filtration_Plant_01.jpg

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