Company plans suburban HQ with 670 employees

Company plans suburban HQ with 670 employees

A partial rendering of the office building. Courtesy Cascade Township

A pair of partners are looking to bring a big employer to a Grand Rapids suburb.

Glenwood Development Partners submitted a request to the Cascade Township Planning Commission to redevelop a vacant seven-acre property at 5526 Glenwood Pkwy SE, which is part of Glenwood Hills Office Park.

Glenwood Development is a partnership between Portage-based Hinman and Grand Rapids-based Rockford Construction.

Both firms engaged with the unnamed global corporation, which is interested in building its new headquarters on the site.

Glenwood Development did not disclose the name of the company because of the sensitivity of negotiations.

The client is rated among the top 10 in its industry worldwide and promises to bring an estimated 670 employees to the new site, according to Glenwood Development Partners. The company would enter a long-term lease with Glenwood.

Glenwood’s plans call for the construction of a 136,000-square-foot office building with 670 parking spaces.

To help spur development, Glenwood submitted a request to the Planning Commission in January for a basic plan review and to amend the planned unit development, or PUD, zoning for the site. Currently, the PUD zoning limits building height to three stories.

Before the project can proceed to a public hearing, the Planning Commission requested the applicant submit additional information.

A construction date is unclear as of press time.

Blue Cross Blue Shield had planned to develop a new office building on the site, but the plans never came to fruition, according to the township PUD ordinance.

Rockford Construction entered an agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield to purchase the property in 2004.