Bus line expected to revamp South Division Avenue corridor

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The vision of a transformed South Division Avenue corridor near54th and 60th streets has a face. Now it is up to Kentwood, Wyomingand Gaines Township planners and elected officials to craft rulesluring developers who can move concepts from paper to pavement.
Bus Rapid Transit, an express bus system, is expected to launch in2012. The 9.8-mile, $40 million service will extend from 60thStreet north on Division to downtown Grand Rapids and through theMedical Mile area on Michigan Street NW.
Planners looked to residents, developers, business owners and otherstakeholders to help conceive development concepts that willattract a new type of commuter, consumer and resident.
A design team organized by the Grand Valley Metro Council recentlywrapped up a six-day, information-gathering session. Regionalarchitects, engineers and students joined neighbors to determinewhat they want to see become of underutilized properties.
Thirty attended a recent workshop to offer input on the creation ofan "organic street network" with "good, walkable areas," MetroCouncil senior planner Jay Hoekstra said.
The empty space at 54th Street and Division is painted in adifferent light. Renderings show a series of tight three- tofour-story buildings unified in appearance with wide walkways and amedian. Single-family houses stand in a thickly wooded areaoverlooking Kellogg Woods Park, east of Division and north of 56thStreet. Two sides of a drainage stream near a recreational vehicledealership north of 60th Street and Division are connected by afootbridge. The list goes on.
"It's a very gracious place," Hoekstra said of the proposedDivision community. "There's all sorts of things which make it veryinteresting and supportive of social life."
Wyoming principal planner Tim Cochran said he anticipates the 54thStreet and Division intersection will be the first area built tosee significant activity.
A planned park-and-ride area containing about 200 spaces could be abusy spot, with residents, riders and travelers sharing common lotsand apartments, offices and retail establishments such asbookstores and coffee shops.
"From there, it's a matter of building momentum," Cochran said."One thing will build on another. We truly believe this will bemarket-driven."
The hustle and bustle will take time, with new residentialcommunities attracting the retailers, Cochran said. Buildout maytake from five to 30 years, he said.
City officials aren't standing idly by, Cochran said.
Wyoming soon will begin to develop a zoning code addressing theentire city, with pace expected to pick up around January, he said.
Kentwood Community Development Director Terry Schweitzer said asubcommittee of Wyoming and Kentwood planners is tentativelyplanned.
"A lot of our zoning regulations or the zoning of the propertyitself would not fit within our current codes," Schweitzer said.
Possibilities including allowing for more planned-unitdevelopments, which offer greater flexibility than universal zoninglaws.
Developers also could be enticed by the idea of buildings allowedcloser to sidewalks, which probably would bring more traffic thanif they are tucked behind long, landscaped setbacks, Schweitzersaid.
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