OCTOBER 28, 2024
Tribe’s redevelopment of U.S. 131 corridor starts to take shape Initial plans call for housing, commercial, light industrial and retail on 1,800 acres By Kate Carlson
Microsoft Corp.’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash. | BLOOMBERG
MICROSOFT
LANDS IN WEST MICHIGAN Tech giant buys nearly 600 acres in Allegan and Kent counties for potential data centers By Kate Carlson
Microsoft Corp. has purchased nearly 600 acres of vacant land in Allegan and Kent counties for potential data centers, Crain’s Grand Rapids Business has learned. The parcels include two adjacent properties totaling 316 acres in Gaines Charter Township south of Grand Rapids that
the Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant bought from Steelcase Inc. The irregularly shaped vacant property is located at the northwestern corner of the Patterson Avenue and 76th Street intersection. Microsoft Corp. officials say the company’s Kent County acquisition is part of the tech giant’s ongoing search for development opportunities in Michigan, add-
ing that project details will be forthcoming. “This 316-acre site was identified in collaboration with The Right Place as part of our ongoing search for development opportunities in the Michigan market,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “While project plans, capital investment, and potential employee numbers are yet to be finalized, we will provide updates as information becomes available.” See MICROSOFT on Page 28
The Gun Lake Tribe has unveiled conceptual plans for a mixed-use housing project that will serve as the northern entrance to the tribe’s broader redevelopment of about 1,858 acres north of Gun Lake Casino. The Match-E-Be-Nash-SheWish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, known as the Gun Lake Tribe, for years has been acquiring land along U.S. 131 in Wayland Township for a massive development. The project is being led by Gun Lake Investments (GLI), the tribe’s non-gaming economic development arm. The Wayland Township Planning Commission approved rezoning a property for the project at its Oct. 9 meeting. The tribe plans to construct up to 130 units of low-income housing units on the parcel with an element of ground-floor commercial space that could house up to six businesses at the corner of West Superior Street and Reno Drive. “The township has always been really welcoming to the tribe, and they’ve been really excited just to understand what we’re trying to do with this proj-
Monica King, CEO of Gun Lake Investments. | COURTESY PHOTO
ect,” Monica King, CEO of Gun Lake Investments, told Crain’s Grand Rapids Business. The development team plans to apply for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits in April, and hopes to break ground on the project at the end of 2025. Gun Lake Investments has been working with WBK Engineering, which is owned by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s Mno-Bmadsen investment arm, and is in the process of finalizing another See TRIBE on Page 27
Tommy’s Boats liquidates assets Watercraft, property and equipment among inventory to be sold By Abby Poirier
Embattled Grand Rapids-based boat dealership group Tommy’s Boats LLC plans to liquidate all of its remaining assets over the coming weeks, effectively ending a 43-year run as an operating business. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas on Oct. 10 approved a motion by the
company’s trustee to hire a former Tommy’s Boats employee as a consultant tasked with selling off all the company’s remaining watercraft and its property, equipment and other inventory. The wind-down process aims to maximize the value the company receives for its assets, funding it ultimately will use toward paying its debts after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May.
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The move signals the end is near for Tommy’s Boats, which was founded in Denver, Colo. in 1981 by Wakeboard Hall of Fame member Tommy Phillips. The company was later acquired by entrepreneur Matthew Borisch and members of his family. At the time it filed for bankruptcy in May, the company listed 15 See TOMMY’S on Page 29
Tommy’s Boats has started the process to liquidate all of its remaining inventory and assets. | JOE BOOMGAARD
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT City advances $565M incentives plan for riverfront project
NONPROFITS AND PHILANTHROPY Nonprofit shedding church shelter program, staff and property
NOTABLES Meet West Michigan’s Notable Health Care Leaders
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