The Village of Orchard Hills

Media Coverage of Von Maur Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:08:00 +0000

Department store Von Maur recently announced that they had agreed to join the Village of Orchard Hills in Grand Rapids, Mich. The announcement has generated healthy interest from the national and local media.

* Real Estate Business, the national real estate trade publication, covered the story

* WZZM Channel 13 (the local ABC affiliate) produced a TV news report

* WXMI Fox 17(the local Fox affiliate) covered the story online

* WOOD TV 8 (the local NBC affiliate) also covered the story online

Von Maur in Grand Rapids, Mich: The Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:50:00 +0000

Fashion department store Von Maur signed a Letter of Intent to join the Village of Orchard Hills in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Village, which will debut in 2011, will be Western Michigan’s first and only Main Street lifestyle center.

Below I’ve included the full press release announcing this news. You can also download the release as a pdf.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Paul Kesman
248.258.2333
pkesman@identitypr.com

VON MAUR WILL ANCHOR THE VILLAGE OF ORCHARD HILLS DEVELOPMENT IN GRAND RAPIDS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., November 10, 2008 — Birmingham, Mich.-based commercial real estate development firm Robert B. Aikens & Associates, LLC today officially announced that Von Maur will join its The Village of Orchard Hills in Grand Rapids, Mich., serving as the center's primary anchor. The announcement was made by Bruce Aikens, Vice Chairman for Robert B. Aikens & Associates.

Von Maur, an upscale retailer selling brand-name clothing, accessories, cosmetics, shoes and jewelry, will occupy 120,000 square feet and use The Village of Orchard Hills to make its debut in Western Michigan. Von Maur currently operates 23 stores in nine states, including stores in Ann Arbor, Mich. and Livonia, Mich.

“We are thrilled Von Maur is joining The Village of Orchard Hills,” said Aikens. “The addition of a retailer with the experience, track record and success of Von Maur to the project sets the tone for the high-quality, family friendly retail environment we wish to develop in the community."

“The Village of Orchard Hills is an ideal location for Von Maur as we continue expanding our presence throughout the Midwest,” said Jim von Maur, president of Von Maur. “Grand Rapids is a major shopping destination for those living in Western Michigan, and we look forward to bringing our high-quality merchandise and outstanding service and benefits to this part of the state.”

The Village of Orchard Hills is a 400,000-square-foot mixed-use lifestyle center project, located at the corner of Three Mile Road and East Beltline Avenue in Grand Rapids Township, Mich. Featuring a mix of retail uses, including a department store, restaurants and a bookstore, as well as future development of 156 condominium units, the project will be patterned after the company's successful Village of Rochester Hills project located in Rochester Hills, Mich. Construction is scheduled to start in early 2010, with completion scheduled for Fall 2011.

About Von Maur
Von Maur was founded 130 years ago in downtown Davenport, Iowa, by C.J. von Maur. The company currently operates 23 stores in nine Midwestern states. Von Maur is known for its outstanding customer service experience and benefits, including an interest-free credit card, no-questions-asked return policy and free gift wrapping and shipping services. The company also offers its associates above-market wages, excellent benefits and flexible, family-friendly scheduling. At Von Maur, customers find a great selection of merchandise including first-in-the-market fashions and a wide selection of brands such as: Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Kenneth Cole, Garfield & Marks, Misook, Austin Reed, Tommy Bahama, and Joseph Abboud.

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Von Maur in Grand Rapids, Mich: What This Means for National and Local Retailers

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:43:00 +0000

Even in this volatile economic market, fashion department store Von Maur is growing across the midwest. Just this fall they opened in Dayton, Ohio, and Kansas City, Kansas. As The Kansas City Star put it, “Consumers are cutting back. So retailers are, too … Then there’s Von Maur."

This is good news for Grand Rapids. The addition of a great store like Von Maur to the Village of Orchard Hills will help attract other great national and local tenants to join the project. This will spur much needed economic activity in the region.

Here’s a quick bit of Internet research to demonstrate this fact:

Von Maur opened a new store on September 13th, 2008 at The Greene, a lifestyle center in Dayton, Ohio developed in 2005 by Steiner and Associates.

In an August 18th article in the Dayton Business Journal, Steiner president Barry Rosenberg argued that the store will give the project a strong fashion anchor and make the project more attractive to other potential local and national tenants. Rosenberg said, “It’s kind of a stamp of approval.”

As Von Maur’s president, Jim Von Maur, told the Business Journal, “We compete with Nordstrom’s. We compete with Macy’s. So it works.”

True enough! As reported in the Dayton Business Journal's September 19th follow-up, the Von Maur opening made a big impression on other retailers. Here’s a clip from that piece:

“Beau Arnason, executive vice president with Steiner and Associates said nearly a dozen (local and national) retail stores will be opening before Christmas, bringing the center to more than 80 retail tenants …

These new tenants (including Forever XXI, Fossil, Espressionne, DorAnne’s Gifts and Gourmet, and JennaClaire Handbag Studio) come on the heels of Von Maur opening at The Greene this month. As the lifestyle center’s only true anchor, Von Maur brings a new level of shopping to The Greene. The new tenants are hoping to build off of the buzz Von Maur has been receiving.”

We think that Van Maur will enhance our leasing program at the Village of Orchard Hills in Grand Rapids like it did for the Greene in Dayton.

Stay tuned!

Von Maur in Grand Rapids, Mich: What This Means for Michigan’s West Coast

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:28:00 +0000

Von Maur in Grand Rapids will help to draw shoppers from across Michigan’s West Coast, from St. Joseph to Traverse City, to shop, eat and enjoy themselves at the Village of Orchard Hills.

So, what’s Von Maur like, and what do customers say about them? When the new store opened in Dayton, Ohio last September, 2008, the Dayton Daily News tried to answer these questions for their readers. Although particular to the store in Dayton, this September 11th, 2008 article gives you a sense of what to expect from Von Maur. A second article in the Daily News on the same day offers some glowing customer testimonials.

Grand Rapids has community strategy, access to cash, 'can-do' spirit

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:26:00 +0000

Grand Rapids this year hosted "West Side Story", the name of the 2008 real estate forum put on each year by the Urban Land Institute and the University of Michigan.

In a feature news story covering the event, Crain's Detroit Business reported to their southeast Michigan readership on the remarkable revitalization effort taking place on the West Coast of the State.

"What has made the situation in Grand Rapids unique", proposed Jim Becker, managing director in the Detroit office of Jones Lang LaSalle, "is the combination of access to capital and a cohesive development plan." Becker continues, "Usually, communities have one or the other, a vision but no investment or a lot of capital and no vision. Grand Rapids is a case study on what can happen when there is an integrated community strategy and a capital strategy."

Read the full story at Crain's Detroit Business

The Village of Rochester Hills on Youtube

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:55:00 +0000

I recently found a cool video on youtube featuring our project in metropolitan Detroit, the Village of Rochester Hills. The video gives a pretty good sense of what Grand Rapids' Village of Orchard Hills will be like. Check it out!

Grand Rapid's JW Marriot: First in the Midwest

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:59:00 +0000

Andy Dragt at Rapid Growth Media published a youtube video profiling the new JW Marriot in Grand Rapids for its first anniverary.

It turns out that there are only 40 upscale JW Marriots in the entire chain of 3000 hotels; and that the JW Marriot in Grand Rapids is the first in the midwest. As General Manager George Aquino puts it, "Having a JW Marriot here provides curiosity for people and they want to come here. Once they're here, it's pretty easy to sell the city of Grand Rapids."

Check it out for yourself on youtube, or visit Rapids Growth Media.

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:45:00 +0000

Rapid Growth's Managing Photographer, Brian Kelly, recently published a photo-study about Grand Rapids, "A city undergoing a radical transformation". This piece chronicles from the air the many construction projects that foretell a story of explosive growth for the city and region over the coming years.

Richard Florida on Grand Rapids

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:43:00 +0000

Richard Florida
Originally uploaded by aikens_scott

Richard Florida, the Hirst Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University, and author of The Rise of the Creative Class, recently spoke with Rapid Growth Media about his most recent book, Who’s Your City. In this excerpt he discusses Grand Rapids, MI, in particular:

“What's your view of Grand Rapids, MI?

I love Grand Rapids. I've been there a bunch of times. Some of my earliest work on creativity was done with Steelcase. Clearly the legacy of innovation, and if you think about the creative economy, the work systems that actually make you productive, it seems to me that there's no better place than Herman Miller and [the local office furniture industry]. And it's not just making furniture. It was started by hardwoods there and they made this great furniture for the industrial age. But it's been on the cutting edge of root-based work, making creative work teams more effective.

Plus that lake! We spent a lot of summer time in Northern Michigan, is there any more beautiful place in the world? So I think Grand Rapids is suffering less from the problems in Michigan than the rest of it, but as the state begins to turn around over the course of the next four or five years, I think Grand Rapids is a place with a very bright future, because of its mix of the area, lakefront amenities which can be very exciting for empty nesters' second homes but it has this incredible core of research and innovation in its work.”

To see the full interview at Rapid Growth Media, click here.

West Michigan’s life sciences industry marches toward the future

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:02:00 +0000

alberts
Originally uploaded by aikens_scott

Grand Rapids Magazine recently reported on the development of Western Michigan's multi-billion dollar "medical mile" life sciences district.

The article discusses leaders in the effort such as Art Alberts. When he was being recruited to be the senior scientific investigator at the Van Andel Institute, Alberts, then a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco was eager to understand the Grand Rapids life-style.

This is what Grand Rapids Magazine reported that he found:

“I flew in one night in October with no preconceived notions of Grand Rapids or the Midwest,” recalled Alberts. Exhausted at the end of a long trip, he skipped touring the city and settled into his room at the Amway Grand Plaza.

“I opened the drapes and there was this guy standing in the middle of the river who had just hooked a salmon,” Alberts recalled. “I said, ‘Wow, that’s pretty cool.’”

Alberts later returned with his wife for a closer look at West Michigan. They ended up buying a home in Lowell, and eight years later, Alberts has become a Grand Rapids ambassador on the international stage ...

Development Update and New Site Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:12:00 +0000

vooh blog site plan 5-8
Originally uploaded by aikens_scott

We're working hard on the Village of Orchard Hills.

First, we've updated our corporate Web site with the latest site plan. Please look it over. Let us know what you think. (FYI - we're moderating our comments here, but there are plenty of places around the Internet for free-wheeling discussion.)

Second, this weekend our team is headed out to Las Vegas to attend the ICSC convention. This is the place where thousands of developers meet with national retailers to woo them into projects in new markets. Despite Michigan's economic woes, we feel that Western Michigan is rock solid. Once you sit down with folks and explain the good news, the market's an easy sale.

We have a great team, we're working on a great location, and we're trying hard to do something that folks in Grand Rapids will appreciate. Thankfully, despite a tough market, our vision continues to be persuasive.

Imagining the Village of Orchard Hills

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:53:00 +0000

vorhfestivalpark
Originally uploaded by aikens_scott

The Village of Orchard Hills in Grand Rapids, MI, will be based on the successful Village of Rochester Hills that was built in metropolitan Detroit in 2002. These photos from Rochester Hills provide a sense of what's coming soon to Grand Rapids and Western Michigan.

Main Street at the Village

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:50:00 +0000

VORHstreet1
Originally uploaded by aikens_scott

Main Street is the major attraction at the village that draws the crowds for shopping, leisure, and community.

Fountains at the Village

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:48:00 +0000

vorhfountain
Originally uploaded by aikens_scott

Fountains in the park at the village provide feelings of peace and tranquility.

Little Bear at Festival Park

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:47:00 +0000

vorhlittlebear
Originally uploaded by aikens_scott

Sculptures and other playful features in the parks entertain children and adults alike.

Civic Art at the Village

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:46:00 +0000

vorhcivicart
Originally uploaded by aikens_scott

Creative civic art, like this tile, is integrated throughout the village to the delight of visitors.

Good to go ...

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:37:00 +0000

We're good to go. The Village of Orchard Hills in Grand Rapids Township has received final approval from the Township Board.

Read more about it in the Grand Rapids Press:

Orchard Hills housing-retail gets final approval

Township Tweaks Orchard Hills Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:18:00 +0000

The Grand Rapids Press reported in a Wednesday, February 27th article on a decision by the Planning Commission in Grand Rapids Township to have 11 acres taken off of the Village of Orchard Hills project. The article, also published on mlive.com, points out that this will not in any way hinder the developer's goal to create a retail village with the feel of a small town.

Urban Planet in Grand Rapids

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:05:00 +0000

Rapid Growth is a great Web site in Grand Rapids, MI, that focuses on development and the built environment. Lately, they've been producing a series of videos about cool things around town.

For example, check out this video about Urban Planet. It's a new media community that uses the Internet to help folks discuss community issues similar to those that Rapid Growth focuses on. Urban Planet is based in North Carolina, but the Grand Rapids community is one of the largest in the country with over 250 users, 2100 conversation topics, and 70,000 replies. Perhaps, most importantly, as you'll see in this video, the social media site is also spurring face-to-face gatherings.

The Village Web site

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:57:00 +0000

Visit the Web site for the Village of Orchard Hills for our latest leasing plan and other important documentation.

Blog Mission

noreply@blogger.com (Scott A.) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:54:00 +0000

This is the official BLOG for the Village of Orchard Hills in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Village will premier in 2009 as the first and only main-street lifestyle center in Western Michigan. This BLOG will be used to update our friends and colleagues on our progress as we create what we hope will be a special place for Western Michigan.