60 Letters Stopped Buildings Being Torn Down for Parking

*Members of Strong Towns Grand Rapids gathering to discuss the next steps in their advocacy efforts. (Source: Strong Towns Grand Rapids.)*

Sixty letters of opposition from local advocates in Grand Rapids, Michigan, halted an irreversible decision: the teardown of five downtown buildings for surface parking lots.

Healthcare company Corewell Health approached Grand Rapids with a plan to demolish vacant buildings to construct four parking lots, making 320 parking spaces. They claimed the parking was needed to meet expected employee demand at a newly built eight-story office center, as well as ease the displacement of other parking spaces for a future housing project. These four lots would be created in addition to two already approved parking structures with 420 spaces each, and a 100- to 150-space surface parking lot.

While the development of an office center and housing are wanted in Grand Rapids, the extra parking lots are not.

When advocates from Strong Towns Grand Rapids caught wind of the proposal, they shared the plan with residents throughout the city and garnered numerous letters opposing the project. Many locals, including other neighborhood advocacy groups, showed up at the planning commission meeting, where the decision on whether or not to approve the parking lot project would be made.

“We'd like the development, but there's adjustments that need to be made to it that will fit better with current city plans and, really, what the community wants,” said Andrew Carley, director of outreach for Strong Towns Grand Rapids.

Grand Rapid locals want a city that enriches their lives, with a balance in transportation options (versus a full reliance on automobiles), as reflected in the citywide plan. An overabundance of asphalt from extra parking lots is not a part of that vision.

“Adding more parking lots here is just not a good idea and doesn’t make it seem like a walkable or good community,” said Commissioner Lawrence Williams during the meeting, as reported by Crain's Grand Rapids. “It doesn’t fit with the whole character or neighborhood we want here.”

The 60 letters of opposition brought the demolition proposal to a standstill. The mass of individuals against the hospital company's plan caused commissioners to question if the hospital had conducted proper public outreach for the project. By the end of the meeting, the city gave Corewell instructions to properly present a proposal to residents and stakeholders before approval could be considered. Corewell will either need to create a new plan to solve their parking concerns, or drop the parking plan efforts altogether.

“Out of respect to our community, it is incumbent on you to take that initiative and I’m disappointed to see you … haven’t maintained that communication line,” Commissioner Adrienne Wallace told Corewell Health officials during the meeting (as reported by Crain's Grand Rapids). “It’s not often we get sixty letters of opposition to something. That tells me there is a disconnect.”

Why Strong Towns Grand Rapids Says “No” to More Surface Parking

“Mass swaths of parking doesn't build a city,” said Andrew Carely. “They build an area where people store their private property at the expense of the community.”

Excess parking, most commonly caused by parking mandates, costs the public in extra infrastructure maintenance without creating a taxable base to match those costs. It also limits the possibilities of productivity in a community. For example, a study in Toronto revealed that by dedicating curbside parking to dining patios, they made 49 times more money than the parking spots.

If five buildings were demolished for parking, Grand Rapids would lose out on other development opportunities. “Prior to Corewell buying those properties [they hope to demolish], there were businesses existing in the buildings,” said Anna Carely, president of Strong Towns Grand Rapids.

In addition to infrastructure costs and not creating a people-centered environment, there’s another reason the city doesn't want more surface parking downtown: land is limited. There are only so many vacant lots available for development. And with a push to create more housing, city officials have stated that surface parking lots are not the best use of resources.

The Next Steps

After commissioners responded to the letters by putting a pause on Corewell’s demolition proposal, a small shift occurred within the community.

“I've noticed that people are more willing to start engaging in local civics,” said Anna Carely. “After this, they now realize, ‘Oh, the city will listen to us and we can voice our opinion on things.’”

Strong Towns Grand Rapids and others throughout the city now have hope that they do have an influence on how their city is built.

This is all good news for local advocates, because the work of changing how their city addresses its parking and transportation has just begun. Even though Grand Rapids has put the brakes on this parking project, there are others still in line for approval.

“We’re celebrating, but there are other projects that we have to work on,” said Anna Carely.

Even during the busiest shopping season, we have too much parking. Help document this disconnect by participating in #BlackFridayParking today!

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Seairra Jones

Seairra Jones serves as the Staff Writer/Story Producer for Strong Towns. In the past, she's worked as a freelance journalist and videographer for a number of different organizations. She currently resides between small-town Illinois and the rural Midwest with her husband, where they help manage a family homestead. When Seairra isn’t focusing on how to make our towns stronger, you can find her outside working on the farm, writing fictional tales in a coffee shop, or reading in a hammock.