GRAND RAPIDS, MI – 616 Development plans to build 40 market-rate apartments on Plainfield Avenue NE in what the firm called the beginning of a growing presence in the Creston neighborhood.

The housing developer plans to raze a former billiards bar at 1359 Plainfield Ave. NE and build studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments atop 2,600 square feet of ground-floor retail space. 616 unveiled plans at a Wednesday, Oct. 22, press conference in the neighborhood, where founder Derek Coppess said to expect from his company "a little bit more of what you saw" in the future.

“I think you’re going to see a whole different neighborhood,” Coppess said. “There’s great bones here, great history, great traffic. You need an infusion of market-rate people who are here 24-7.”

616 announced its apartment project in conjunction with development plans of two other landowners: Greg Gilmore said he’s looking at putting a rooftop deck on his Red Ball Jet Café at 1431 Plainfield Ave. NE, and the new owners of Creston Market are renovating the store at 1403 Plainfield Ave. NE and doubling its size.

“Our hope is it encourages other developers, other businesses to come into the area,” said Monica Steimle, 616 spokeswoman. “We have been starting to look into the neighborhoods (for our housing projects). It’s really starting to come back as a way of life.”

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Right next to the 616 apartment site, the owners of Sun Title are renovating 1365 Plainfield Ave. NE and hoping to bring in a restaurant. They’re also overhauling the Creston Market, blowing out walls and bringing an old meat cooler back to life as a wine cellar. The store will stock more craft brews and put in a cappuccino bar, gourmet coffees and more take-out food and beverage.

“We’ll have our staple of things that people (living in the neighborhood) need, but it’s going to have a big convenience aspect as well,” owner Tom Cronkright said. “This is a huge corridor for commuters.”

Gilmore said the new investment in the Creston neighborhood is prompting him to dust off old plans for a rooftop deck at the Red Ball Jet Café. He’s also looking into how the restaurant might be able to use the adjacent stretch of Coit Avenue NE if the city were to vacate the road and cede the land to neighboring property owners.

Second Ward City Commissioner Ruth Kelly said there’s been new discussion about closing that stretch of Coit to traffic.

“We don’t want a neighborhood that’s a drive-through,” she said. “It’s our destination.”

Matt Vande Bunte covers government for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at mvandebu@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.