GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Grand Rapids Kent County Convention and Arena Authority (CAA) is taking the first steps toward building a 750-car parking deck that could connect to the south side of the Van Andel Arena.

Now they want to find out if any developers want to build it – and possibly something else – with them. The area south of the arena has been a hot topic of discussion in the past 18 months as city officials contemplate new growth and parking needs in the area.



The authority voted on Friday, Dec. 5, to start a proposal process that would invite other developers to join the project aimed at ensuring the arena will have enough parking as other projects soak up the sea of surface parking lots to its south.

The current parking lot behind the 18-year-old arena is not the “highest and best” use of the land, said CAA Chairman Steve Heacock. A parking deck also could provide new revenue for the arena, he said.

“We basically have an obligation to seek other uses,” Heacock said. “Secondly, we have one shot to build what’s going to be there for the next 30 years. We want to do it right. We want to make sure it’s the right answer for the long term.”

A parking deck south of the arena would rule out future expansion of the arena’s bowl and freeze the arena’s seating capacity at its current level of 10,800, Heacock said.

“The only time the full circle makes sense is for sports teams and it would never be big enough to give us the next level sports team in the NHL or the NBA,” he said. That would require a new arena.

Conceptual renderings from a feasibility study by Progressive AE and Walker Parking Consultants shows a four-story deck that would keep the rear of the current arena open as a loading area for tour buses, trucks and haulers that set up events ranging from circuses to rock concerts and dirt for motor sports events.

The drawings also showed ramps from each floor of the parking deck that would lead directly into the arena, allowing patrons to leave their coats in the car, according to Bryan Koehn, director of design for Progressive AE. The parking ramp would also appear to be seamless in relationship to the current arena, he said.

Before they seek potential partners, the CAA asked its lawyer, Richard Wendt, to produce a legal opinion that shows the authority is entitled to build on the land. They also asked for an analysis of funding options for the parking deck.

The “request for qualifications” process is designed to bring interested parties to the table. Those could include developers who want to want to build retail space or residential housing as part of the parking facility.

Arena Manager Richard MacKeigan said he hopes the authority will have proposals in hand by the middle of 2015.

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Jim Harger covers business for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.