GRAND RAPIDS — The Grand Rapids Economic Development Agency will use funds from the state Department of Employment and Economic Development to help redevelop the Highway 2 corridor.
The $420,000 demolition loan will be used to clean up the former Itasca Farm Co-op site. Site preparation is expected to begin in July, according to Director of Community Development Rob Mattei.
The city also received a $175,000 grant to remediate the site from the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation.
The property has historically been used as a gas station, oil facility and agricultural chemical storage, according to a news release from DEED. The city said the site has the potential to support two commercial buildings with shared parking. The EDA owns the property.
The co-op closed and filed for bankruptcy in 2021. The EDA purchased the site from Deerwood Bank in 2024, "to better control the outcome of the re-use of the site" so that it fits with plans for the corridor.
The Grand Rapids EDA is in the process of revitalizing a 1.5-mile stretch of Highway 2 West from 17th Avenue Northwest to Fifth Avenue Northeast.
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