November 2, 2003
MiBiz Network
By Tim Gwozdz

MUSKEGON - Edison Landing, the 32-acre Muskegon Lakeshore SmartZone property on the shores of Muskegon Lake, is taking shape. Chris Kelly of the law firm Parmenter O'Toole and partner in Lakefront Development LLC, the owner of the property, told MiBiz the pre-development phase of the site work is proceeding as scheduled. Work on the internal infrastructure of the property is complete, with water, sewer, power and telecommunications lines in place and some landscaping underway. The basic internal road system is in place with the entrance road paved, curbed and ready for traffic. Construction is on schedule for Edison Landing's vehicular gateway, the Business U.S. 31 Shoreline Drive extension. Utilities are in place along the roadway and asphalt could be poured as early as this month, according to Kelly. Permits have been secured from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality for the boardwalk/seawall construction and work will commence immediately. The seawall will line the entire property. Small inlets will be filled in to create a more uniform coastline. "We've ordered 8,000 cubic yards of stone to start that design of the waterfront," Kelly said. "We're filling in two small triangles and taking the hodge-podge design (of the coastline) and creating kind of a dangling L shape. We'll have all new seawall, all new stone and the boardwalk on top." The boardwalk will be in place before spring in advance of any further site development, according to Kelly.

A bevy of construction is expected to occur in spring 2004 as Parmenter O'Toole begins work on its new law offices and Lansing-based Gillespie Development starts preliminary work on its project. Gillespie intends to construct four buildings on lots bordering the entrance of Edison Landing. The two-story buildings will have the look and feel of the 1930s, with retail and office space on the ground floor and apartments on the top floor. Edison Landing's first tenant, Grand Valley State University's 25,000-square-foot Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC), has completed construction and is slowly ramping up its operations. The state-of-the-art facility will serve as a business incubator and research center. MAREC will be the first commercial project in the world to integrate photovoltaics, fuel cells, HVAC heat recovery systems and a nickel hydride battery storage system.

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This article appeared in the November 2, 2003 issue of MiBiz, read by upper management executives in West and Southwest Michigan. Print subscriptions are free to qualified individuals who do business in West and Southwest Michigan. For further information about MiBiz Network, visit www.mibiz.com.