GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Roosevelt Park in Grand Rapids is starting to see some major developments and multimillion-dollar renovations come to this neighborhood. It started when leaders got together and decided how to breathe new life into the area.
“It's always been called the Ellis Island of Grand Rapids,” said Pastor Reginald Smith, the Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association Board President. He says this area has always been a melting pot for immigrants starting with the Dutch and Germans.
“Then people from all kinds of Latino countries, from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, all came here and, for the same reason, to make a better life for themselves and a better life for their families,” said Pastor Smith.
To help residents succeed, Grand Rapids is targeting the neighborhood for improvements, like rebuilding Cesar Chavez Avenue that runs through the heart of the area.
Pastor Smith says, “So we see a lot of people are really coming back to Roosevelt Park.”
He says four major developments have been announced for the community.
“These big projects that we have going on right now are set because we are being seen again as a comeback neighborhood because ... people want to invest here,” said Pastor Smith.
The investments include renovating a former factory into apartments and an entertainment center. Super Mercado Mexico is refurbishing a vacant building into their corporate headquarters and a new grocery store. The West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is moving their offices to an old factory on Godfrey, and the Hispanic Center is renovating a former church into a community center.
“It's finally nice to see Roosevelt Park is getting some love,” said Pastor Smith. He says it started when Grand Rapids Public Schools built a new middle-high school and new housing was built around it, saying, “Almost 10 particular companies and nonprofits came together and said, 'How can we begin to invest and build anchor projects like the school, like factory yards?'"
Pastor Smith says Roosevelt Park is the comeback neighborhood for the city and that these investments will help the community prosper, saying, “This is a place on the move and great people live here."
Smith says the Cesar Chavez Avenue construction should be done by the end of summer.
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