The billionaire families of DeVos & Van Andel have hired a Chicago-based Real Estate developer for the 3 tower project in Grand Rapids
There has been some news coverage of the decision by the DeVos and Van Andel families to hire the Magellan Development Group to work on the three towers project at Fulton and Market streets in downtown Grand Rapids.
This comes as no surprise considering the kinds of high-end projects that the Magellan Development Group features on their website. I mean, let’s be clear, the DeVos and Van Andel three towers project is about making money and attracting members of the Capitalist and Professional classes to live in the condos and apartments that will be part of the project.
The three towers project will include 76 condos, a 130-room hotel – with rates that start at $400 a night, plus there will be 595 market-rate apartments that will cost $2,643 per month for a studio apartment, $2,833 for a one-bedroom, and $3,401 for a two-bedroom. Most people who live in Grand Rapids can’t afford these prices, which is why I say the housing options will be for the Capitalist and Professional classes.
This is not just my opinion, since LinkedIn released its new list of cities on the rise, which highlights emerging U.S. cities that offer both “vibrant job markets and growing professional communities.” In fact, LinkedIn named Grand Rapids, Michigan, area the No. 1 spot in the country.
Then there is the little matter of what the President of Magellan Development Group said about the DeVos and Van Andel families:
“The DeVos and Van Andel families’ long-term stewardship of Grand Rapids makes this opportunity so special — and their vision aligns perfectly with our commitment to build something that truly belongs here and serves the city for generations.”
What this statement clearly signifies is that the President of the Magellan Development Group embraces the same worldview and ideological framework that the DeVos and Van Andel families do. If this guy thinks that they are stewards of Grand Rapids, then the DeVos and Van Andel families made the right choice to hire the Magellan Development Group.
An article on the GR& Riverfront site also clarifies why the billionaires families chose the Chicago-basrd real estate developer. They write:
“For Magellan, Grand Rapids stood out as a city ready for this scale of investment.
- Civic alignment: With community, business, and elected leaders rallying behind the Acrisure Amphitheater, Amway Stadium, and riverfront redevelopment, Grand Rapids signaled it is in growth mode.
- Market demand: The city is primed for new levels of residential and hospitality offerings, with unmet demand for high-quality urban living spaces.
- Stewardship: The ownership families’ stewardship and commitment to the community were decisive factors.
For Ryan Schell, Magellan’s Vice President of Development, the decision was also personal. A Michigan native, Schell has spent time in Grand Rapids throughout his life and returns often with his family. “I’ve seen this city grow and evolve,” Schell said. “To now help shape this site — steps from the amphitheater and riverfront development — is incredibly exciting. The opportunity is here, and it’s exactly the kind of project that aligns with our expertise.”
For those of us who actually live in Grand Rapids and have not bought into the DeVos and Van Andel model of entrepreneurship, we see them as occupiers, looters and exploiters. Remember, the Three Towers project, which is estimated to cost $738 million, was gifted $565 million in tax breaks. DeVos and Van Andel are just the opposite of stewards.
Being a steward means carefully and responsibly managing something that has been entrusted to your care, but does not belong to you. The opposite of being a steward would then be someone who carelessly and irresponsibly disrupts or destroys something that does not belong to them. This defines who the DeVos and Van Andel families really are.
GRIID articles on the billionaires families of DeVos & Van Andel and their three towers project:
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 
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