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Votes push ‘GR Forward’ plan to the next step

Posted at 1:03 PM, Nov 11, 2015
and last updated 2015-11-11 13:10:00-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The 'GR Forward' plans moves a step closer to its overall goal on Wednesday as both the Downtown Development Authority and North Monroe TIFA voted to approve the plan.

Both organization met at the Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. office early Wednesday morning where the final draft for the plan was presented.

The very extensive plan focuses on restoring the 5 mile stretch of the Grand River corridor through downtown Grand Rapids.  Some of the proposals include creating a 10 mile urban park with a trail system, designing public spaces to accommodate the winter weather, and upgrading major streets like Fulton and Ionia Avenue.

During the meeting, members touched on many areas where they'd like to see improvement in their community. This included things like creating a system where everyone can get around with a special emphasis on pedestrian safety and focusing on advancing our local school system.

The plan will be presented to the planning commission Thursday morning and if it's approved it will then go to the full City Commission on Dec. 15.