Twelve Weston rendering.jpg

Rendering of Twelve Weston, a 12-story office tower proposed by SIBSCO LLC at 35 & 41 South Division Ave. in downtown Grand Rapids.

(Courtesy | SIBSCO)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Developers are eyeing the hole next to Rockwell & Republic bar and restaurant for a 12-story office building called Twelve Weston.

SIBSCO LLC, a Secchia family holding company, presented plans for the building to the city's Historic Preservation Commission on Wednesday, Feb. 4.

The proposed office tower would occupy the corner of Weston Street and South Division Ave. in downtown Grand Rapids, where a pair of century-old buildings at 35 & 41 S. Division were demolished last year just prior to ArtPrize.

"It's incredibly exciting to think we can help bring vibrancy to this area along South Division," said Charlie Secchia, partner in the Twelve Weston development.

Mike Van Gessel, CEO of Rockford Construction, is a partner in the project, which developers say would be the first of its kind built in decades downtown.

Preliminary plans for the 150,000-square-foot building include restaurant and retail space on the ground floor, a multi-story parking deck and several stories of offices.

Developers are using a "bonus height" calculation to exceed the 85-foot limit on buildings in the Heartside neighborhood. City code allows developers to build higher if certain amounts of ground floor retail and "urban open space" are included.

The next discussions with the Historic Preservation Commission will be in about a month, SIBSCO said. The development ownership, construction timeline and lead tenants will be announced in the coming weeks.

The now-demolished buildings were constructed during a late 1800s building boom in Grand Rapids. City records show 35 S. Division was built in 1890, and 41 S. Division built in 1905. The city's historic preservation board approved their demolition in July.

The city forced action on the structures last spring. Engineers warned the two buildings, which had been leaning against each other for years, were on the verge of collapse.

Last fall, Secchia said the development would like to preserve a pair of vintage advertisements on the side of Rockwell & Republic unveiled by wreckers. He did not say whether plans for Twelve Weston would integrate the ads.

Garret Ellison covers business, government, environment and breaking news for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at gellison@mlive.com or follow on Twitter & Instagram