What’s Happening in Ada?

Whether it’s because they work at Amway or travel down M-21 to Grand Rapids, area residents have undoubtedly noticed a significant change in Ada. In recent years, Lowell’s neighbor to the west has completely transformed its commercial district.

To learn more about how it all happened and what else is planned, we traveled to Ada to take a tour and meet with John Said, director of planning for Ada Township, and Kim Rantala, executive director of the Ada Business Association. We also reached out via email to CDV5, a development firm founded by Cheri DeVos, which was instrumental in making the redevelopment happen.

Here’s what they told us about what’s been happening in Ada.

Envision Ada: Catalyst for Change

Those new to the area may not realize that until a few years ago, the property along Ada Drive near the Fulton Street intersection was dominated by a parking lot dotted with a few buildings and a strip mall.

While discussions about improving Ada’s commercial district – commonly called Ada Village – can be traced back to as early as the 1980s, the recent transformation is a result of the Envision Ada 2013 plan. Developed after an extensive series of meetings with stakeholders and the public, the plan called for opening up space along the Thornapple River, increasing walkability and changing traffic patterns by reconfiguring Headley Street.

Amway, which has its world headquarters across street, was a major player in making the changes to Ada Village happen, and it pledged $3.5 million toward the project, according to news reports.

“If you think about it, they have all these employees and no place for them to go,” Rantala describes the situation at the time. “It would be good for their employees to have more options.”

She remembers when O’Brien’s Market and Deli was one of the few places in Ada for workers to grab a quick bite to eat. It wasn’t within walking distance, and it always seemed packed. Now, the redesigned Ada Village has more restaurants and shops as well as the Ada Fresh Market which sells groceries and has a grab-and-go deli.

Going from Vision to Reality

Said credits Amway and CDV5 as the driving force behind the new Ada Village. “People had a vision,” he says. “They came in and did it.”

“As a longtime member of the Ada community, it has always been Cheri DeVos Ehmann’s mission for CDV5 to invest in properties and areas that support our neighborhoods and create positive experiences and environments across West Michigan and beyond,” says Jennifer Bonney, commercial property manager at CDV5 Properties.

Today, CDV5 owns most of the property in the section of Ada Village between Ada Drive and the Thornapple River. Rantala says it’s her understanding that the development firm also worked to recruit Michigan and West Michigan-based businesses to set up shop there.

“Construction in the village began in the summer of 2015 with the goal of expanding retail, residential and restaurant options,” Bonney says. Since then, the new commercial space has spurred growth and events outside the property owned by the company. “We never could’ve imagined the complete engagement and invigoration of this local community…to create what the village has become today,” she notes.

Separate from the Ada Village development, property along Headley and Fulton Streets saw new commercial growth, including the addition of a Spectrum Health Integrated Care Campus. Kent District Library has also opened a new branch in Ada: the Amy Van Andel Library.

Planning Changes Required to Make Project Happen

Creating the new Ada Village involved more than simply tearing down the existing strip mall and constructing new storefronts. The elevation on the north side of Ada Drive was raised to address potential flooding concerns. Ordinance changes also needed to be made, and a new zoning district was approved to facilitate the planned development.

“Basically, you’re trying to create a form-based, walkable [area],” Said says. Form-based zoning is an approach focused more on the look of buildings rather than how they are used.

In Ada Village, zoning changes meant that buildings had maximum setback requirements, instead of the traditional minimum ones. That was to bring buildings closer to the road and improve walkability.

Then, parking was moved to the rear of the buildings, and parking requirements were reduced to 60% of what they would normally be under the township’s regular zoning requirements. Of all the changes, this may have been the one that received the most pushback from the community.

“People expect to be able to park right in front of a store or restaurant,” Rantala says.

That may not always be possible in Ada, particularly during special events, but Said says there is plenty of parking in the village. Through agreements with other businesses and organizations, visitors can park at the library, banks and a local church in addition to using public parking lots.

“We joke we don’t have a parking problem; we have a walking problem,” according to Said. “We have a perception problem.”

To combat that perception, Said has previously shown people a map of Ada Village overlaid with an image of a large Meijer store to demonstrate that walking from an outlying lot is no different from walking from the back of the superstore’s parking lot to get milk inside.

As for the number of spaces, he says there are plenty available. As an example, he points to a summertime Beers at the Bridge event that attracted approximately 3,000 people and didn’t encounter any problems with people being unable to park.

Creating Community Spaces

When it comes to community events, Ada’s historic covered bridge and its new Legacy Park have been focal points.

Beers at the Bridge was a popular recurring event this summer that featured live music, food vendors and, of course, locally brewed beer. It was held at Leonard Park with the covered bridge as its backdrop. Said says an upcoming project in the township will be to renovate Leonard Park on the south side of the bridge, and property currently containing homes on the north side is slated for private redevelopment as well.

Meanwhile, a music series was also held this past summer at Legacy Park, which runs along the Thornapple River and behind Ada Village. The township piloted a social district during the music series to allow people to purchase alcohol from participating businesses and enjoy it outside while listening to the music.

Outside the village area, the township is in the midst of a major trailway project that will create 4.2 miles of trail from Chief Hazy Cloud Park to Knapp Street. The $3.9 million project is being funded through a special millage.

Up Next: More Businesses and Homes

Looking to the future, Rantala sees an opportunity to make Ada Village a destination, particularly given the hotel that is currently under construction. She says residents’ wish list for new businesses include a movie theater, sushi restaurant and independent bookstore. While the movie theater doesn’t seem likely to happen, the latter is already a reality with the recent opening of Plumfield Books.

In addition to the hotel, which is a CDV5 project slated to be complete in 2023, other construction is planned by different developers. Residential homes have been proposed by Mosaic Properties for south of the Thornapple River in the vicinity of Leonard Park. Another residential development is also underway at the east end of Ada Village.

Said says one of the challenges for the township is improving walkability and connections between the new Ada Village and the commercial area west of Headley Drive. Ideally, both he and Rantala would like to see the south of Ada Drive – which currently houses two banks – be redeveloped to match the aesthetic of the new Ada Village.

“Change can be hard,” Rantala says, acknowledging that not all longtime residents are pleased with everything planned for the area. However, from her view, the updates have all been very positive.

Balancing the old with the new has been on the mind of CDV5 as well. “The town of Ada has always had immense respect for its history. One of our main goals was to ensure this rich, historical spirit was captured throughout the process,” Bonney explains. “And we wanted to be sure that if we did this right, it would continue to feel like home.”

Given the amount of public engagement that has been present throughout the years, Bonney doesn’t see the new commercial space as simply a CDV5 project. According to her: “Ada Village was truly built by this community.”