Major upgrades planned for Grand Haven social district

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (WOOD) — City leaders in Grand Haven are gearing up for the busiest time of year and those preparations include getting ready to close a portion of Washington Avenue in the Main Street Social District.

“We’re really trying to make the first block more active to keep people downtown for the season,” said Chandi Pape, executive director of the Grand Haven Main Street Downtown Development Authority.

Like many other cities, Grand Haven implemented its social district in 2021 as a way to increase activity and create more outdoor dining spaces during the pandemic. Now, visitors look forward to beverage trailers, public seating and games that take over the first block of Washington Avenue.

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“It’s just like having no cars around where people can just walk back and forth freely really opens the space up I think for people to kind of have fun together,” said Tiana Staehlin, a server at Lucy’s restaurant.

With 2.1 million visitors each year according to 2016 data, the city serves a vital purpose in West Michigan. Between coffee shops, ice cream parlors, restaurants and the waterfront, Grand Haven has plenty to offer.

“It’s like small-town charm, it’s the beach … it kind of has a little bit of everything,” Staehlin said.

Though the beach might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the lakeshore city, the downtown area has also grown in popularity.

The Main Street Social District and corresponding seasonal closure of Washington Avenue have historically been approved on an annual basis. This year, the city council made the decision to approve it for the next three seasons.

“What three years approval allows us is to really kind of develop that programming and expand on it every year without having to keep coming back and asking for the same thing every year,” Pape said. “There will be an evaluation period and they’ll look at how we’re improving and what we’re doing but it gives us more opportunity to establish something over the long term.”

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The plan, Pape added, is to add on to many of the things that have been in place the past three years.

“We’ll still have the beverage trailers and we’ll still have cornhole, but we’re partnering with other local organizations to bring in more games like Connect Four and Jenga and hopefully maybe shuffleboard or some of those. We’re going to expand the outdoor dining so it will be closed (on Washington Avenue) from 1st (Street) to Harbor (Drive) entirely.”

The DDA plans to have a Monday night summer author series, yoga, game nights and kids’ night. Staff with the Must Love Dogs pet store also plan to offer dog training classes.

With concrete barriers and road closed signs, one of the concerns with the social district, specifically among some commissioners, has been the appearance. Pape said the DDA is working to improve the aesthetics in the area.

“One of the committees under Main Street DDA is we work on the appearance of downtown in general and so that committee, we’re working with them to create better signage, to work with the businesses to have more flowers maybe less road closure type signs things like that,” Pape explained.

The artist who painted some of the barricades in 2021 is also expected to return and help beautify the space.

“We’re excited about it. We’re thankful that we have the social district and the street closure. We’re super excited that it’s been approved for three years now,” said John Motz, general manager of Odd Side Ales.

Motz said the business has seen a major uptick in sales during the summer months and he’s excited to be able to build on what they’ve already done. Odd Side plans to have a trailer outside for the first time that will serve beer, wine, seltzer and hard cider.

“I think all the businesses down here have been enjoying it and even the ones you know, retailers, the restaurants that don’t serve alcohol, I think everybody’s benefiting from it,” Motz said.

Some of the businesses have changed over the years, but the majority in the first block of Washington Avenue remain food and drink establishments. The former site of Mr. Kozak’s is under new ownership, expected to re-open as a fish restaurant in the near future.

“Grand Haven’s so great because it’s a great place to come because of the beach and because of a lot of other things so I hope that people see the value in coming to downtown as well as going to the beach and spending time on the water,” Pape said.

The DDA will begin the process of getting Washington Avenue ready for the closure the week of May 20. The street will be closed to traffic from May 24 through Labor Day.

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