Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids assesses 66,283 parcels at $12.78 billion and publishes every commercial sale it studies with address and price. The City publishes no owner names, but Kent County's GIS parcel services do. They show Amway Hotel Corporation holding the Amway Grand Plaza and 11 other downtown parcels, and the arena and convention centre held by City and county authorities. The biggest taxpayers are two utilities and Amway Hotel Corporation.
9 buildings · 9 with an owner established · 25 sources · 9 tier A · prepared 2026-10-14
Michigan records title by deed with the county register of deeds, which for Grand Rapids is Kent County's. Every deed must state its price or carry an affidavit of value, because the state charges $3.75 per $500 in transfer tax and the county another 55 cents. The City Assessor publishes roll totals, its ten largest taxpayers and, in its sales studies, each commercial sale with address and price, but no roll with owner names. Kent County's open-data parcel layer leaves owners out, but two other county GIS parcel services carry the owner of record for each parcel. The county's geospatial data licence permits use, reproduction and distribution, provided derivative works carry its attribution notice. A single parcel's owner can be looked up on BS&A Online, whose terms forbid scraping and permit commercial use only on a paid per-lookup basis.
- bsaonline.com — “BS&A Software expressly prohibits the use of any software, including scripts, bots, automated processes, devices or any processes ... to scrape data, content, products or services made available by or through bsaonline.com. ... Use of this service for commercial benefit, either monetary or informational, is prohibited except as follows: With the acceptance of these terms, and the receipt of payment for services from you on a pay-per lookup basis.”
- rapidgrowthmedia.com — “You are permitted to use the website only for your personal, private and non-commercial use. You may not ... create a database ... republish ... by caching, scraping, harvesting, framing or otherwise without the prior written consent of the Publisher.”
- fox17online.com — “use an automatic device (such as a robot or spider) or manual process to copy or 'scrape' the Services or Service Content for any purpose without our express written permission ... provided for your information and personal, non-commercial use only.”
- devosplace.org / vanandelarena.com (Legends) — “solely for personal, non-commercial use ... Systematic retrieval of all or any part of the Material ... to create or compile ... a collection, compilation, database or directory of information is prohibited without the prior written permission of the Company”
- corewellhealth.org — “you are expressly prohibited from: ... (ii) using data mining tools, bots, spiders, scrapers or similar data gathering techniques and tools”
The marquee buildings
The towers that set the tone of the core, and who holds them. A price is the price a document states, on the date it states — not an estimate of what the building is worth now.
| Building | Use | Owner | Owner type | Last price paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amway Grand Plaza Hotel 187 Monroe Ave NW |
Hotel | Amway Hotel Corporation Kent County's parcel layer: parcel 41-13-25-225-001, 187 Monroe Ave NW, 2.13 acres, class 201 (commercial), owner AMWAY HOTEL CORPORATION, SEV $32,452,000 (taxable $21,467,348). The same owner name stands on 11 other downtown parcels, among them 218 Pearl St NW and 220 Lyon St NW and a run of lots on Market Ave SW. The City ranks Amway Hotel Corporation its third-largest taxpayer in 2026 ($49,940,301 taxable, 'Hospitality'). Who stands behind the corporation is not stated in the county layer. |
Private company | —A |
| JW Marriott Grand Rapids 235 Louis St NW |
Hotel | HP3 LLC Kent County's parcel layer: parcel 41-13-25-257-014, 235 Louis St NW, 1.51 acres, class 201, owner HP3 LLC, SEV $23,299,800 (taxable $18,323,128). HP3 LLC also holds a commercial condominium unit at 75 Campau Ave NW. The City ranks HP3 LLC a top-ten taxpayer ($31,575,694 taxable in 2026; FY2025 business type 'Lodging, dining, retail'). Who stands behind the LLC is not stated. |
Private company | —A |
| Van Andel Arena 130 Fulton St W |
Civic | Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority Kent County's parcel layer: parcel 41-13-25-433-007, 130 Fulton St W, 6.87 acres, class 701 (exempt), owner 'G R DOWNTOWN DEV AUTHORITY', second name line 'VAN ANDEL ARENA', SEV $0. So the DDA, a City component unit, holds title; the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority oversees the arena (Senate Fiscal Agency, 2013) and Legends operates it. |
Government | —A |
| DeVos Place (convention center and performance hall) 303 Monroe Ave NW |
Civic | Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority Kent County's parcel layer: parcel 41-13-25-207-023, 303 Monroe Ave NW, 2.91 acres, class 701 (exempt), owner 'GR-KENT CO CONVEN AR AUTHORITY', SEV $0. The same owner holds the adjoining parcel 41-13-25-207-020, 333 Monroe Ave NW (1.99 acres). The CAA was created in 2000 by the City and Kent County. The City's FY2025 report says the 2001 Joint Building Authority bonds that financed DeVos Place are 'payable from the proceeds of semiannual rental payments', and that Kent County alone repays them. |
Government | —A |
| Bridgewater Place 333 Bridge St NW 400,000 sq ft (as reported) |
Office | Hertz Grand Rapids One LLC Kent County's parcel layer: parcel 41-13-24-451-015, 333 Bridge St NW, 3.19 acres, class 201, owner HERTZ GRAND RAPIDS ONE LLC, SEV $21,074,800 (taxable $15,114,893). The layer gives no sale date or price. Earlier: Michigan Public reported on 26 Jan 2011 that the tower 'sold for $34 million at a public foreclosure auction' to the mortgage lender's entity, 'GMAC 2001-C1 Bridgewater Industrial Associates LLC'. |
Private company | —A |
| Grand Rapids Public Museum 272 Pearl St NW |
Civic | City of Grand Rapids The City's FY2025 financial report: under a July 2007 agreement the museum 'uses the museum building from the City for $1 per year for a period of 99 years', with an option to renew for 50 years, and 'The City retains title to the buildings and all improvements, fixtures, or other types of fixed property appurtenant to the buildings and property located thereon, as well as the collection on display'. The operator is a tenant; the City is the owner. Kent County's parcel layer agrees: parcel 41-13-25-254-005, owner CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS, care of 'MUSEUM', 2.57 acres, exempt. |
Government | —A |
| Grand Valley State University, Pew Grand Rapids Campus and Health Campus West bank of the Grand River at Fulton St W and the Michigan St health campus |
Institutional | Grand Valley State University GVSU's Five-Year Capital Outlay Plan FY2027-2031, filed with the State: 'Currently, the university owns approximately 71 acres in the City of Grand Rapids', including land for the health professions campus, plus 11 acres on the Walker line for parking. The plan lists four buildings 'obligated to the State Building Authority' under SBA leases. Two are in Grand Rapids: the School of Business and Graduate Library (lease to 30 Nov 2035) and the Health and Medical Sciences Lab and Classroom Building (to 30 Jun 2056). GVSU is a state university. |
Government | —A |
| Van Andel Institute 333 Bostwick Ave NE (Medical Mile) |
Institutional | Van Andel Research Institute Kent County's parcel layer: parcel 41-14-30-101-014, 333 Bostwick Ave NE, 2.73 acres, class 701 (exempt), owner VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, SEV $0. VAI's own site says its building was designed by Rafael Viñoly and built in two phases, finished in 2000 and 2009, and holds more than 650 staff. |
Institution | —A |
| Fifth Third Center 111 Lyon St NW |
Office | CWD 111 Lyon LLC Kent County's parcel layer: parcel 41-13-25-227-013, 111 Lyon St NW, 2.58 acres, class 201 (commercial), owner CWD 111 LYON LLC, SEV $12,927,400 (taxable $9,597,900). The layer gives no sale date or price, and who stands behind the LLC is not stated. |
Private company | —A |
The core land
The most valuable ground in the city, and what the public record says about it.
Michigan assesses property at 50% of true cash value (MCL 211.27a), so every assessed figure here is half the Assessor's market estimate. Taxable value, which tax bills are based on, is lower still because annual rises are capped until a property sells. The City publishes roll totals and its commercial sales studies but no parcel roll. Kent County's parcel layer was read one parcel at a time, not ranked, so the single most valuable parcel is not named. The largest sales the Assessor's 2026 studies record are two shopping centres, not downtown towers.
Who owns the town
At this scale the significant owner is rarely a trust or a fund: it is one or two local holding companies, a family in its second or third generation, and often the land around the town rather than the buildings in it.
Grand Rapids does not publish its roll with owner names, so holdings cannot be counted parcel by parcel as they are in Detroit. What the public record does show: the City Assessor's 2026 report counts 2,288 exempt real parcels among 66,283. The public and educational holders publish their own land in their financial statements and state capital-outlay filings. The largest private taxpayers are two utilities, whose pipes, wires and substations count as property, followed by a hotel company and a handful of single-purpose LLCs. Figures are as each source states them: acres where stated, book value (historical cost) for public land, taxable value for private taxpayers.
| Name | Type | Holding as stated |
|---|---|---|
| City of Grand Rapids Book values from the FY2025 financial report's capital-asset note, which records land at historical cost rather than market value. The City also keeps title to the Public Museum building, which is leased to the museum's operator for $1 a year for 99 years. In the DDA's 2024 plan, City Fleet Management and Parks and Recreation land in District Q is the 'anticipated site of future amphitheater development'. |
Government | Land $30,982,309 at cost; buildings and structures $183.7M gross (governmental activities, 30 Jun 2025)A |
| Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority A City component unit funded by tax increment. The FY2025 financial report gives its capital assets. The 2024 Development Plan maps 'DDA Owned Land' (Map 4, Feb 2024): about a dozen parcels west of the river and south of Fulton St. The 2026 roll report puts $726,673,105 of taxable value inside DDA tax-capture districts. Kent County's parcel layer shows it as owner of the Van Andel Arena parcel (130 Fulton St W, 6.87 acres). |
Government | Land $11,008,005 at cost; buildings and structures $60.2M gross (30 Jun 2025)A |
| Grand Valley State University Stated in GVSU's FY2027-2031 Five-Year Capital Outlay Plan: 'Currently, the university owns approximately 71 acres in the City of Grand Rapids', including land for the health professions campus. University-wide it owns 1,464 acres in Ottawa, Kent and Muskegon counties and Detroit. Two Grand Rapids buildings are obligated to the State Building Authority. |
Government | about 71 acres in the City (plus 11 acres on the Walker line)A |
| Grand Rapids Community College GRCC's FY2025 Five-Year Capital Outlay Plan (approved 16 Oct 2023): 'GRCC's downtown campus encompasses an eight-block area located in downtown Grand Rapids', plus a second campus 'located in the Heritage Hill neighborhood, two blocks east'. 'No additional land is owned for development opportunities.' The Main Building (lease to 31 Mar 2037), Cook Academic Hall (to 31 Aug 2050) and the Applied Technology Center (to 30 Jun 2056) are obligated to the State Building Authority. |
Government | downtown campus of 'an eight-block area' plus a campus in Heritage Hill; 3 buildings obligated to the State Building AuthorityA |
| Consumers Energy Company City Assessor 2026 roll report, all rolls, real and personal property combined. The same report's SEV table puts utility personal property citywide at $231,040,200. The City's FY2025 financial report also ranks Consumers Energy first ($127,590,381, 'Electric Utility'). Which parcels and lines make up the total is not published. |
Public company | $152,705,950 taxable value, the City's largest taxpayer (2026)A |
| DTE Gas Company City Assessor 2026 roll report. The FY2025 financial report lists it third ($68,346,700, 'Gas Utility'). |
Public company | $73,749,900 taxable value, second-largest taxpayer (2026)A |
| Grand Rapids Land Bank Authority Created under the Land Bank Fast Track Act 'to acquire, hold, manage, and redevelop vacant, abandoned, foreclosed, or blighted properties', with a seven-member board appointed by the mayor (FY2025 financial report). Its parcel count is not published in the documents opened here. |
Government | not statedA |
| Interurban Transit Partnership (The Rapid) The DDA's 2024 Development Plan lists 'The Rapid's Operation Center' among the public uses in District Q, beside City fleet and parks land and GVSU's Pew Campus. The Rapid's own land holdings and its Central Station were not established from a source opened here. |
Government | Operations Center in DDA District QA |
Where property meets office
Recorded only where a public record states it — a disclosure registry, council minutes, a land-use decision. Stated as fact, with nothing inferred from it.
| Holder | Office | Holding |
|---|---|---|
| City of Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority (board) | Nine-member board: the mayor and eight members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Commission | By the board's own rules, 'Not less than a majority of the members shall be persons having an interest in property located in the downtown district', or officers or principals of such holders The City's board page sets out this property-interest requirement among the board's 'Specific Requirements'. The DDA collects tax increment on $726,673,105 of 2026 taxable value and owns land downtown (Map 4 of its 2024 plan). This record names no member and draws no inference about any member's holdings. A |
Who builds the houses
New-home building in this market: the volume, and the firms behind it. Ownership of a builder matters as much as its volume — a private-equity platform and a family firm behave differently.
Grand Rapids builds a few hundred homes a year, nearly all of them apartments. The Census Bureau's permit files count 286 units permitted in the city in 2021, 234 in 2022, 495 in 2023, 859 in 2024 and 801 in 2025. Of the 2025 units, 117 were single-family, 36 in two-unit buildings, 3 in 3-4-unit buildings and 645 in 8 buildings of five or more units. Much new rental housing is income-restricted and pays a service charge in lieu of taxes: the Assessor's 2026 report counts 401 PILOT parcels with 6,060 affordable units, 281 of them added for 2026. No roll with builder or owner names is published, so the builders below are those the City names in its own funding records, with the units each record states. This is not a league table, and none of the national production builders appears in any City record opened here.
| Name | Type | Units in City funding records |
|---|---|---|
| Amplify GR (Boston Square Together II) City Affordable Housing Fund project status report (27 Jan 2026): $540,000 ARPA award, performance period 1 Sep 2024 to 30 Sep 2026, '62% of construction completed', $490,000 drawn. |
Institution | 57 affordable rental unitsA |
| Genesis NHC (Leonard Apartments) $1,200,000 ARPA award; 'Construction completed. In lease-up phase.' (status report, 27 Jan 2026). NHC is a nonprofit housing corporation. |
Institution | 55 affordable rental units for seniorsA |
| Commonwealth Development Corporation of America (Lexington Apartments) Completed project; $1,500,000 ARPA expended (status report, 27 Jan 2026). |
Private company | 39 affordable rental units for seniorsA |
| Habitat for Humanity of Kent County (Pleasant Hills Phase III) '27 condominiums for sale to income-qualified households (All units under 120% AMI with 16 units under 80% AMI)'; $546,000 Affordable Housing Fund award made 20 May 2025, none drawn by Jan 2026. |
Institution | 27 for-sale condominiumsA |
| LINC Up NHC (Avenue II Apartments) Completed: an addition to an existing 10-unit building; $394,418 ARPA expended. |
Institution | 10 affordable rental units for seniorsA |
| Seeds of Promise (scattered-site 'Smart Homes') Brownfield plan amendment heard 2 Dec 2025: 14 new homes on 13 scattered parcels in the southeast of the city, for buyers at or below 120% AMI; $3.8 million total cost; up to $1.2 million brownfield reimbursement. The briefing names the project, not its legal form. |
Institution | 14 for-sale homesA |
Commercial landlords
The commercial side, counted separately from housing: who holds the office, retail and industrial floor area.
Grand Rapids' commercial tax base is spread thin, and the largest private holders on the roll are single-purpose LLCs whose owners the City's reports do not name. The City Assessor's 2026 report and the City's FY2025 financial report each list the ten largest taxpayers, and the FY2025 list gives each one's type of business. Between the two lists the Centerpoint retail taxpayer changed from 'G&I X Centerpoint LLC' to 'B33 Shops at Centerpoint III LLC', and 'Studio Park Lofts LLC' dropped out. Figures are taxable value, real and personal property combined. Taxable value is capped below the 50%-of-market assessed value until a property sells, so it understates market value. Steelcase Inc ($31,626,086) and Meijer Inc ($26,574,661) are also top-ten taxpayers, but they are operating companies, not landlords.
| Name | Type | Taxable value (2026 roll) |
|---|---|---|
| Amway Hotel Corporation Third-largest taxpayer in 2026. FY2025 business type: 'Hospitality' ($50,031,313, rank 4). In FY2016 it ranked third ($38,139,639). Kent County's parcel layer shows it as owner of 12 downtown parcels, the Amway Grand Plaza (187 Monroe Ave NW) the largest, plus 218 Pearl St NW, 220 Lyon St NW and lots on Market Ave SW and Fulton St W. |
Private company | $49,940,301A |
| B33 Shops at Centerpoint III LLC Fourth in 2026. In FY2025 the fifth-ranked taxpayer was 'G&I X Centerpoint LLC', 'Retail Shopping Center' ($33,922,616), and in FY2016 'Centerpoint Owner LLC' ($31,646,900). No sale price was read. Separately, the Assessor's 2026 Commercial ECF Study records a $70,000,000 multi-parcel sale on 30 Dec 2024 of a 521,735 sq ft 'SHOP MALL' at 3665 SE 28th St. The study names no grantee, so the two records are not joined here. |
Private company | $34,420,300A |
| HP3 LLC FY2025 business type: 'Lodging, dining, retail' ($29,894,728, rank 8). Ranked 5th in FY2016 ($24,156,021). Kent County's parcel layer shows it as owner of the JW Marriott parcel (235 Louis St NW) and a commercial condominium unit at 75 Campau Ave NW. Who stands behind the LLC is not stated. |
Private company | $31,575,694A |
| GRIP Medical Properties I LLC FY2025 business type: 'Medical Office Building & Research' ($30,222,077, rank 7); not in the FY2016 list. |
Private company | $30,502,002A |
| Breton Village Owner LLC Ninth in 2026; not in the FY2025 top ten. The 2026 Commercial ECF Study records a $71,560,082 sale on 20 Jun 2025 of a 194,153 sq ft community shopping centre at 1830-1930 Breton Rd SE, without naming the grantee. |
Private company | $26,327,900A |
| Brix Grand Rapids Holdings LLC Tenth in 2026. FY2025 business type: 'Real Estate' ($23,392,513, rank 10). |
Private company | $24,768,856A |
Looked for and not found
Claims this page would have made if a source could be opened. They are left out rather than guessed.
- How the Joint Building Authority's 2001 DeVos Place bonds and their 'semiannual rental payments' relate to the CAA's title to 303 Monroe Ave NW. The county parcel layer shows title only.
- Corewell Health (formerly Spectrum Health) holdings on the Medical Mile. The FY2025 financial report ranks 'Spectrum Health' the City's second-largest taxpayer ($86,770,405 taxable), but the 2026 roll report's top ten omits it under either name. corewellhealth.org's terms forbid bots, so its own facility pages were not read.
- The Grand Rapids Innovation Park medical building. GRIP Medical Properties I LLC is a top-ten taxpayer ('Medical Office Building & Research'), but no opened document names its building.
- Grantees of the $70,000,000 (28th St SE mall, Dec 2024) and $71,560,082 (Breton Rd SE, Jun 2025) sales. The Assessor's study gives price, date and floor area only.
- Holdings of Kent County, Grand Rapids Public Schools, The Rapid (beyond its Operations Center), the railways and the Grand Rapids Land Bank Authority. Kent County's site is Cloudflare-blocked, and the others were not reached in this pass.
- Bridgewater Place's sale to Hertz Grand Rapids One LLC: date and price. The county layer names the owner but no sale. Reports of a 2013 sale for $26.5 million are on sites whose terms forbid reuse or that were not opened.
- The Warner Building. No opened source ties the building name to an address, so it was not looked up.
- Whether Kent County's licence of July 2022 is still the current text. The live copy at accesskent.com redirects to the Cloudflare-blocked kentcountymi.gov. Pages built from this record should carry the county's attribution notice (s25).
Sources
- 2026 Assessment Roll Report (parcel counts, SEV and taxable value by class and roll, school districts, ten largest taxpayers, tax capture districts), dated 22 May 2026 — City of Grand Rapids, Assessor's Office · openA
- Assessor's Office page ('Every taxable property is assessed at 50% of the TCV'; Property Lookup via BS&A Online) — City of Grand Rapids · openA
- Request an Assessor Record Card (size, taxable value and sales history emailed as a PDF within two business days) — City of Grand Rapids · openA
- BS&A Online Terms of Use — BS&A Software · openA
- Parcel Related Layers (OpenData) map service, layer 0 'Parcels With Condos': fields PNUM, address, class, governmental unit, school district, acreage; no owner fields; licenseInfo empty — Kent County GIS · openA
- State Real Estate Transfer Tax Act, MCL 207.525 ($3.75 per $500; instrument must state value or carry an affidavit) — Michigan Legislature · openA
- County transfer tax, MCL 207.504 (55 cents per $500 in a county of under 2,000,000) — Michigan Legislature · openA
- Register of deeds fees, MCL 600.2567 — Michigan Legislature · openA
- General property tax act, MCL 211.27a (assessed at 50% of true cash value; taxable value capped, uncapped on transfer) — Michigan Legislature · openA
- Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, year ended 30 June 2025 (notes on the DDA, Land Bank, JBA and CAA; Public Museum agreement; JBA DeVos Place bonds; Principal Property Tax Taxpayers) — City of Grand Rapids, Comptroller's Office · openA
- Senate Fiscal Agency bill analysis, S.B. 123 (2013), Convention Facility Authority Act amendments — Michigan Legislature, Senate Fiscal Agency · openA
- Bridgewater Place in Grand Rapids sold at foreclosure auction (26 Jan 2011) — Michigan Public · openA
- Five-Year Capital Outlay Plan FY2027-2031 (land owned; State Building Authority obligations) — Grand Valley State University, Facilities Planning · openA
- About VAI (building, Medical Mile, staff) — Van Andel Institute · openA
- 2024 DDA Development and TIF Plan Amendment (DeVos Place bonds; DDA owned land map, Feb 2024; public uses in Districts Q and R) — City of Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority (Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.) · openA
- State of Michigan FY 2025 Five-Year Capital Outlay Plan (approved by the Board of Trustees 16 Oct 2023) — Grand Rapids Community College · openA
- Affordable Housing Fund Board agenda packet (Feb 2026), incl. Affordable Housing Fund Project Status Report dated 27 Jan 2026 and Emerging Developer Grant update — City of Grand Rapids, Community Development Department · openA
- Seeds of Promise Development Project, Brownfield Plan Amendment public hearing briefing (Dec 2025) — City of Grand Rapids, City Commission · openA
- Building Permits Survey, place-level annual files (Midwest region), 2021-2025: Grand Rapids city, MI (FIPS place 34000) — U.S. Census Bureau · openA
- 2026 Commercial ECF Study (sales 1 Jan 2023-31 Dec 2025 by ECF area, with sale price, instrument, terms, floor area, assessment and appraisal) — City of Grand Rapids, Assessor's Office · openA
- Commercial Land Study (land sales and extraction, per-sq-ft land rates by land table, 2025 vs 2026) — City of Grand Rapids, Assessor's Office · openA
- Economic Condition Factor Studies page (residential, commercial and industrial ECF and land studies) — City of Grand Rapids, Assessor's Office · openA
- Downtown Development Authority board page (composition; property-interest requirement) — City of Grand Rapids · openA
- FGDBParcels map service, layer 0 (owner of record, taxpayer, property address, class, SEV and taxable value, acreage per parcel; service description 'Local Copy of Parcels for Pivot Point'), single-parcel queries by address and owner name, read 14 Oct 2026 — Kent County GIS · openA
Reproduced with permission granted by the County of Kent, Michigan. Some information has been provided subject to a non-exclusive, limited, and revocable license granted by the County of Kent, Michigan. - Kent County Geospatial Data License Agreement (GIS_DataDownloadLicense.pdf, linked from the county GIS Data Library), read from the Internet Archive copy of 14 Jul 2022 — County of Kent, Michigan · openA