A five-story mixed-use development on Eighth Street has earned approval from the Holland Planning Commission, with dozens of apartments and ground-floor retail space anticipated.
GDK Construction presented final plans for the development on the corner of Pine Avenue between Eighth Street and Ninth Street on July 14. The project includes 10,400 square feet of retail space on the first floor, 83 apartments on the upper floors and 17 underground parking spaces within a 101,700-square-foot building.
Amenities include fitness rooms on the second and fourth floors, community space on the third floor and a shared outdoor pergola on the fifth floor. There would be 49 one-bedroom, one-bathroom units; 16 two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom units; 17 two-bedroom, two-bathroom units; and one studio apartment.
GDK appeared before commissioners during two recent study sessions. The approved plan incorporated feedback from those meetings, including additional landscaping to soften the building’s edge and more glazing and architectural detail along Ninth Street.
GDK representative Doug DeKock previously described the property as “complicated” because of a 14-foot elevation change. He also called the space an important endcap to the downtown area.
“This project is the final capstone project for the block, culminating with this final, thoughtful piece of architecture,” developers wrote. “We have worked with, listened to and (responded) thoughtfully to input and suggestions.”
Mayor Nathan Bocks praised the revised plan and the company’s willingness to make changes. He also highlighted the addition of new housing units downtown.
Planning Commission Chair Brooke Anderson, however, questioned the project’s height and aesthetic fit with the surrounding community.
Officials ultimately voted 5-1 to approve the site plan and three waiver requests, with a disseting vote from Anderson.
DeKock told The Sentinel the business hopes to start construction in October. The complicated nature of the site could stretch the timeline to 18 months.
GDK completed major renovations between River Avenue and Pine Avenue in 2019. Those developments now house residential units, Sperry’s Moviehouse, Bondi Salon, Mezkla Taqueria and a non-public office for The Sentinel.
Learn more at gdkconstruction.com.
— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: GDK earns approval for five-story bookend to Eighth Street in Holland
Reporting by Austin Metz, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Austin Metz, Holland Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
