Letter: Kent Co. aquarium in ‘early stages of planning’
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Grand Rapids city leaders are in the early stages of planning an aquarium, according to a letter sent to the Kent County Board of Commissioners.
There’s talk of the aquarium in a letter signed by several local leaders, including Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, Experience Grand Rapids President and CEO Doug Small and Grand Action 2.0 Executive Director Kara Wood.
“The community is … in the early stages of planning for a nationally significant aquarium,” the letter states.
In February of 2021, John Ball Zoo said it was exploring the possibility of an aquarium. At the time, it said it could happen in 5 to 10 years.
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“I think there’s … a growing momentum for an aquarium, which is not quite as far along in the development process as the (amphitheater and soccer stadium),” then-Grand Action 2.0 co-chair David Frey said at the time.
In October of that same year, the zoo said it was conducting an economic and feasibility study to see if it would make more sense to have it in Grand Rapids or Muskegon.
Grand Action 2.0, the organization behind the planned soccer stadium and Acrisure Amphitheatre, on Monday told News 8 there’s no current plans for it to be part of the aquarium project.
The project could be funded in part by a hotel tax, which would tax visitors staying in the county for less than 30 days. Kent County currently has a 5% hotel tax. A new state law allows that tax to be raised to 8%.
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The Kent County Board of Commissioners is set to vote Thursday on putting the issue before voters in the Aug. 6 primary.
The hotel tax can pay for entertainment facilities like sports complexes and aquariums. It would also help fund the planned amphitheater and soccer stadium.
In the letter sent to the board of commissioners, city leaders said the three projects “are projected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in net new economic impact.”
“This means new business activity, more well-paying jobs, more in-fill development, and a higher quality of life for our residents,” the letter goes on to say. “We are collectively asking the Kent County Commission to allow voters to consider an increase in the Lodging Excise Tax from 5% to 8%.”
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