The VanGessel family has owned a vacant parcel at 516 Alabama Ave. NW on Grand Rapids' West Side for years, watching the neighborhood change around it. Now they've picked partners to build on it.
Voyage LLC, the family's company, is teaming up with Talbot Development and Pinnacle Construction Group on a mixed-use development with about 231 residential units, according to the partners' announcement, published Oct. 14 by West Michigan Newspop. The partners put the price at $55 million.
"We've held 516 Alabama through a lot of change on the West Side, and we never wanted to rush," said Tony VanGessel, president of Voyage. "But given that the West Side has evolved, the players have changed, and a new generation is looking at what comes next, now feels like the right moment to carry forward my dad's longstanding commitment to the neighborhood."
A team that's done this before
This isn't the first time Talbot and Pinnacle have worked together. The announcement says the two most recently teamed up to complete Verdant, an apartment complex on Bridge Street on the West Side, and The Current, a residential building in the Creston neighborhood. The partnership combines development, investment, design and construction expertise, according to the announcement.
Pinnacle has deep roots on the West Side. Its headquarters is on Front Street, and the company was founded and is led by President Michael Garrett. His son, Jack Garrett, a principal at the firm, is helping carry the company forward.
"The West Side isn't simply another place where we do business; it's where Pinnacle calls home," Jack Garrett said. "We care deeply about what gets built here, and we're excited to bring our experience with the Talbot team to 516 Alabama and create something that belongs on the West Side."
Ryan Talbot, owner of Talbot Development, said the team wants to understand the history, architecture and energy of the area before designing anything. "We believe the right partners and the right opportunity have come together to give this space new life," he said.
Voyage has other roots in the area. The announcement notes the company recently strengthened its commitment to the nearby New Holland Brewing property and owns the Rockford Office Building.
Still early
The partners stressed that the deal isn't final. They're still formalizing the development partnership and planning the site, and the design, amenities and timeline will be announced as plans move forward.
In an interview with WZZM 13, which described the project as more than $50 million, the developers said they hope to have shovels in the ground by mid-2027 and that the building would include commercial space.
Talbot told the station the building's height was chosen with costs in mind. "If you jump to higher buildings than this, you jump up in construction costs, and so each of you may be building more units, but you're also going to have to charge a lot more rent for those," he said. "So, this is actually inherently a nice balance between density and affordability."
Parking is still being worked out. VanGessel told WZZM there's a garage at Bridge Street Market nearby, "but there's probably a good spot there for another garage."
Garrett called the project "the third and next best iteration" of what the team has been building together.
The partners haven't formally said which firm will build it, though Pinnacle Construction Group is the construction company in the partnership.
Why it matters for Contractors
Two hundred thirty-one homes plus commercial space is a big job for Grand Rapids, and it adds to the apartment work Talbot and Pinnacle have already done on the West Side and in Creston. With Pinnacle Construction Group already part of the development partnership, the construction side is likely to run through a firm that knows the neighborhood. Trades who have worked on Verdant or The Current are in a good spot to hear about bid packages early. The talk about keeping the building at a height that controls costs is worth noting too: a building of moderate height could keep the job within reach of a wider range of concrete, framing, MEP and finish subs than a tower would. With design not finished and a mid-2027 target for groundbreaking, there's time to get on the bid list.