8/10/2023 0 Comments Muskegon incubator kitchenMidtown is its own business corridor that connects to downtown. The project is expected to begin after Labor Day and has a variety of funding partners, including $200,000 from Consumers Energy, $40,000 from Community Foundation for Muskegon County, and the rest from the Downtown Development Authority and money budgeted for major street repairs. Other amenities include new landscaping, trees, benches and streetlights. Plans also call to widen sidewalks on both sides of Third Street to improve walkability and create outdoor seating for restaurants such as Hamburger Mikey and Curry Kitchen. ![]() ![]() The Midtown project includes reconstructing Third Street with asphalt pavement, a new water main and streetscaping between Muskegon and Merrill avenues. Muskegon has other street improvement projects planned in Midtown, which spans several blocks of Third Street from Muskegon Avenue on the west to Jefferson Street, and one underway in the Lakeside neighborhood. Focus on streetscapingĮfforts to increase retail and foot traffic and beautify business districts have moved beyond the city’s downtown. Ultimately, some of the food and beverage startups that sell small batches of their products at Muskegon Farmers Market may use the incubator to ramp up production, expand statewide or have a retail presence in the city, Peterson said. The incubator can accommodate food research, fruit and agriculture processing, beverage and distilling, and food manufacturing and packaging, while offering flexible lease and space options. The facility, being built on the former Muskegon Farmers Market property on Yuba Street, will provide food-grade industrial space for companies ranging from startups to well-established businesses in the food industry. The West Michigan Shoreline Food Processing Initiative received a $2 million state grant to help fund the business incubator. “When you add them all up, it gives them a really robust and diverse clientele to stop and eat or shop,” Peterson said.Īnother economic engine on the horizon is the Food Forward FARM incubator that focuses on food processing businesses. The other pieces needed to support a healthy mix of retail and dining options include downtown and regional residents, cruise ship visitors, tourism and festivals. “We think the convention center, the goal of that, is it will bring in people mid-week and help them (businesses) do OK in the winter months to help sustain those businesses,” Peterson said. But having the convention center in the heart of downtown will draw in more people throughout the year, increasing foot traffic during the slower seasons.Īlong with visiting neighboring breweries and restaurants, some convention attendees may want to take home a souvenir or need to shop for convenience-type supplies while they’re in town. Neither Peterson nor Dave Alexander, executive director of Downtown Muskegon Now and soon to head the Downtown Development Authority, expect the convention center will have a huge effect on retail shops in the city. They’re also considering the potential for small shops on a Fourth Street pedestrian promenade between the Delta hotel and Racquets, Peterson said. Private developers have expressed interest in redeveloping a vacant lot beside Racquets Downtown Grill and a parking lot across from the arena on Western Avenue. ![]() Walker Arena, but the convention center won’t have retail shops. Already, a new restaurant is planned in the adjacent L.C. Walker Arena.Ĭity Manager Frank Peterson said new retail opportunities could pop up around the convention center, which is expected to spur economic activity throughout the year. Slated to open in early 2021, the venue will connect the renovated and rebranded Delta by Marriott hotel to L.C. The city vacated Fourth Street between Western Avenue and Shoreline Drive for the new convention center. Work on the $19 million facility is expected to begin this summer. ![]() In coming years, more restaurants and retail shops also seem likely in the blocks around the Muskegon Convention Center, which held a groundbreaking in early May. MUSKEGON - City leaders continue to explore ways to move Muskegon’s retail sector forward by enhancing business districts outside of the downtown core.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |