Wednesday, August 31, 2005
By Dave Alexander, CHRONICLE BUSINESS EDITOR

Muskegon Chronicle

The support to begin redevelopment of downtown Muskegon was evident Tuesday morning in the crowd gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony for street and utility reconstruction.

Not only did the community celebration of another milestone in the redevelopment of the former Muskegon Mall property and historic heart of the central business district bring more than 200 people downtown, it brought them from all over Muskegon County.

The fact the event drew officials from Fruitport and Muskegon townships and Roosevelt Park reinforced the importance of the downtown road construction project for local, state and federal officials gathered at Third Street and Western Avenue.

"We are building a beautiful and shining city on the water," said Chris McGuigan, president of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County and key leader of the Downtown Muskegon Development Corp. -- the nonprofit community consortium that owns the 23-acre former mall site.

"This road that we can imagine right now will usher in the next Muskegon," McGuigan said of the planned reconstruction of West Western Avenue from Third to Terrace streets. "This road will take us there."

The first step in the redevelopment of the former Muskegon Mall site was Downtown Muskegon Development's gaining control of the property in 2003 and unchaining the parking lots. Next came demolition of the mall except for five buildings.

The property has sat for more than a year awaiting reconstruction, which will now begin with the development of West Western Avenue and underground utilities. A combination of federal, state and city funding sparked the first phase of construction.

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, was in Muskegon Tuesday to celebrate the road project and the expected redevelopment of the property into a mixed-use residential, office, retail and entertainment center. Community leaders -- with the help of citizens who designed a plan called Imagine Muskegon -- hope to create a downtown in which people can "work, live and play."

Key to the overall road and utility construction is a $2.32 million grant put into the five-year, $285 billion federal highway bill by Hoekstra. The roadwork also is supported by a $1 million community development block grant and $700,000 land assembly loan from the Michigan Economic Development Corp., along with $617,000 from the city.

"What some might call pork, we call community investment," Hoekstra said of the federal Western Avenue funds, which are being granted by declaring the street a "highway." "You folks send a lot of money to Washington, and my job is to get as much back in as many creative ways as possible."

Hoekstra said the federal government has helped Muskegon in redevelopment of the Amazon Building into affordable housing, the Grand Valley State University Lake Michigan Center and the Edison Landing SmartZone business park.

"Now we will help Western Avenue," Hoekstra said, indicating more downtown assistance can be expected from Washington. "This gives us such an opportunity few communities in the country have -- to rebuild a downtown. We have such a great potential ahead of us."

Work will begin soon as Milbocker & Sons of Allegan is expected to complete the initial $1.246 million contract by June 2006. City Manager Bryon Mazade said that after Western Avenue is completed, the city will begin the engineering and contracts for the side streets -- First, Second, Jefferson and Market.

The fact that "positive" work is beginning on the downtown site is the most important message from Tuesday's ceremony, community leaders said.

"The important thing is that there is a sense that something is happening," Muskegon Mayor Steve Warmington said after the event. "Those of us working on it behind the scenes have known of the progress. Now everyone will understand that."