Signature Associates

Grand Rapids riverfront transformation: See where 6 major projects stand today

Posted By: mlive on December 18, 2025.  For more information, please click here to read the source article.

Work continues on a wave of projects in Grand Rapids that seek to transform the riverfront into a major destination for recreation, tourism and entertainment, and create new housing and commercial activity. Some of the projects, such as Acrisure Amphitheater, are on the verge of being complete. Others, such as three high-rise towers that would contain housing, offices, retail and a hotel, remain in the planning phase. Here’s a look at where the projects stand today:

Acrisure Amphitheater

The 12,000-capacity riverfront venue at 201 Market Ave. SW is about 80% complete, said Kara Wood, executive director of Grand Action 2.0, the private economic development firm that’s led the push to build the amphitheater. With much of the exterior complete, construction workers are largely focused on the interior of the venue, which includes restrooms, numerous concession stands, a bar and lounge-type spaces for performers. Acrisure Amphitheater is set to open May 15 with a performance by Lionel Richie, a Grammy-award winning artist and judge on “American Idol.” A host of other concerts, including MGK, Jack Johnson and Russell Dickerson, have been booked for the venue’s opening season. The $184 million, publicly owned venue is being funded through $114 million in taxpayer dollars and $70 million in private donations. One of the major private donations was a $30 million naming-rights agreement with Grand Rapids-based financial technology company Acrisure. Public funding includes a $30 million state grant, publicly backed bonds set to be repaid with revenue from Kent County’s 8% hotel tax, a $17.2 million transformational brownfield tax incentive approved by the city of Grand Rapids and the Michigan Strategic Fund, and more. The venue will be operated by the Grand Rapids–Kent County Convention/Arena Authority (CAA), which also oversees Van Andel Arena, DeVos Place and DeVos Performance Hall.

Amway Stadium

The 8,500-seat soccer stadium, set to open in March 2027, is beginning to take shape in downtown Grand Rapids. Steel beam construction began in September on the $175 million stadium, located on a 7-acre site on Grand Rapids’ West Side, adjacent to U.S. 131 and the David D. Hunting YMCA on Lake Michigan Drive NW. Masonry work on the structure is also underway and “significantly complete,” said Wood, of Grand Action 2.0, which in addition to the amphitheater has also led the campaign to build the stadium. Once open, the stadium will be home to Athletic Club Grand Rapids, the MLS Next Pro soccer team owned by the families of David Van Andel and Dan DeVos. The team will play 28 games per season, with half of them taking place at Amway Stadium. In addition to professional soccer, the venue is also expected to host youth and amateur sporting events as well as cultural events and activities.

Grand River Greenway trail

Work is progressing on the Grand River Greenway, a regional 85-mile trail network along the Grand River that aims to connect Grand rapids to the Lake Michigan shoreline. The project is being completed in phases. A portion of the trail between Millennium Park, near Grand Rapids, and Lowell is expected to be finished by 2031. Once fully complete, the project will connect more than 20 riverfront communities, dozens of existing parks, and several hundred miles of existing trails in Kent and Ottawa counties to Lake Michigan. Today, work is underway on a portion of the trail that runs alongside Acrisure Amphitheater in downtown Grand Rapids from U.S. 131 to the railroad tracks along Market Avenue SW. Construction has also begun on a project that will expand and renovate Oxford Trail, a pedestrian path that connects downtown Grand Rapids to two Southwest Side neighborhoods. Construction bids are being sought for other portions of the greenway that pass through Grand Rapids. That includes a trail that would run from Leonard Street to Ann Street, just south of Riverside Park. Over the next two years alone, a $150 million investment will add 31 new miles of trails to the Greenway project, including new river access and public space in the Market Avenue corridor of downtown Grand Rapids, new trail connections in Kent County from White Pine Trail State Park to downtown Ada, and new Ottawa County trail connections to and through Bass River State Recreation Area. The $150 million of work being completed through 2026 is being funded by both public and private dollars, including American Rescue Act funds and philanthropic donations. Over $7.2 million in philanthropic funding has been raised for the project, according to its website.

High-rise project being developed by DeVos, Van Andel families

A project that would transform a roughly 7-acre riverfront parking lot with three new high-rise towers remains in the planning and design phase. The development, which would include high-end apartments and condos, offices, retail, a hotel and on-site parking, is seeking a $565 million state and local tax subsidy from the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF). Officials working on the project previously said they hoped the request would go before the MSF for consideration this year, but that didn’t happen. The MSF’s final scheduled meeting of 2025 was held Dec. 9. The $797 million development was proposed last year by Fulmar Property Holdings, a company comprised of members of the DeVos and Van Andel families. The families own the 500-space parking lot at the corner of Fulton Street and Market Avenue, just north of Acrisure Amphitheater, where the project would be built. The parking lot was formerly home to Charlie’s Crab restaurant. A portion of it has also been used by AHC Hospitality, formerly known as Amway Hotel Corporation, for employee parking. The families recently tapped Chicago firm Magellan Development Group to lead the push for their vision. If built, the project would be one of the largest developments in the city’s history, and, through the construction of three high-rise towers, add a new dimension to the city’s skyline.

Grand Rapids Whitewater project

Officials are hopeful that a project to restore the Grand River’s rapids in downtown Grand Rapids will kick off next year. However, they’re still awaiting the completion of a federal review process, leaving the start of the project in limbo. The project, expected to cost around $20 million, involves removing four low head dams just north of Bridge Street south to Fulton Street and adding about 20,000 tons of natural rock and boulders to the river. Project leaders say restoring the rapids will create a more accessible river and opportunities for more recreation in the waterway, including paddle boarding, tubing, kayaking, canoeing, rafting and angling. The city of Grand Rapids is seeking $11 million in financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the project. Meanwhile, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has promised $2.1 million in grants to prevent the spread of sea lamprey as part of the project. Grand Rapids Whitewater is the private entity behind the project. It’s leading the project in partnership with the city of Grand Rapids.

John Ball Zoo Aquarium

John Ball Zoo envisions the construction of a sprawling waterfront aquarium in the Grand Rapids area that would rival Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. The zoo is pursuing the development of a large-scale aquarium on a 190-acre site in Walker, near Wilson Avenue and Butterworth Street, that formerly housed the Fenske Landfill. The zoo has an option with the property’s owner, New Era Land, an entity affiliated with West Michigan apartment developer Dan Hibma, to purchase the property. The project is still only in the preliminary planning phases, and many details have yet to be worked out, including environmental due diligence and how the project would be financed. But John Ball Zoo released new conceptual renderings this summer that provide a glimpse of the zoo’s ambitions for the proposed project. Peter D’Arienzo, CEO ofJohn Ball Zoo, previously told MLive he would like to see the aquarium open by 2031, but added that it could be later than that. He said the project is expected to cost upwards of $370 million.