GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kent County will spend $18.5 million on an eight-story office tower in downtown Grand Rapids and plans to make it the new home of the county prosecutor and several court-related offices.
The Kent County Board of Commissioners signed off on the deal Thursday. The building, south of Michigan Street, has about 138,000 square feet and is nearer to the county courthouse, a few blocks up Ottawa Avenue. County leaders said it also brings 154 more parking spaces.
The tower at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW would take in roughly 250 workers now based at 82 Ionia Ave. NW, a county building that County Administrator Al Vanderberg said the county has outgrown. Those moving include the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office, the Friend of the Court staff and the probation office for the 17th Circuit Court.
Officials put renovation costs at $13 million to $15 million, covering new carpet and paint, heating and cooling work and a new roof, for a combined total of up to about $33.5 million. Planning is expected to take roughly six months and construction another six, with a target move by the end of 2027.
Money will come from the county Strategic Capital Fund, and a budget amendment is set to reach the board finance committee on Nov. 5. The county plans to sell 82 Ionia afterward.
Section: More Grand Rapids MI politics news
Filed under: Grand Rapids MI Politics News
