Orion juggling multiple summer projects

Orion Construction is having quite a busy summer.

Juggling several development projects, the Grand Rapids-based contractor has announced a number of updates on current projects, many of which are on schedule.

For starters, the Hyatt Place, a six-story, 125-room hotel, located in Eastwood Town Center in Lansing, is scheduled to be finished in spring of 2015, said Jason Wheeler, public relations coordinator for Orion. The $10 million, 80,640-square-foot hotel, located at 2401 Showtime Drive, was designed by Chicago-based architectural firm Built Form and engineered by Chicago-based firm Desman Associates.

The hotel is looking to draw additional business to the area, said John Wheeler, Orion’s director of business development.

“We understand the function and guiding principles of mixed-use development and are impressed with the level of planning and involvement of Lansing Township here at Eastwood Town Center,” he said. “This town center has all the right pieces for success, and Orion will deliver a high-quality, attractive hotel to inspire visitors to return to Lansing.”

Orion’s other Lansing project is The Heights, a five-story, 43,772-square-foot apartment building at 2505 Showtime Drive that will add 120 apartments to the residential mix. Texas-based Barry Engineering, Grand Rapids-based Structural Associates and Lansing-based Engineering Applications will perform the engineering for the project.

In the West Michigan area, Orion has three major projects underway. This fall, Orion is looking to finish work on Seventh Street Lofts, a project that is converting the former Aslan Building at 600 Seventh St. NW on Grand Rapids’ west side into a mixed-use apartment building. The project will offer 32 apartment units and a 5,000-square-foot restaurant/pub space on the ground floor.

Orion’s second apartment project in Grand Rapids is Eastown Flats, 1400 and 1415 Wealthy St. SE. The project will add 35 apartments and two ground-floor retail spaces to the Wealthy Street neighborhood. Integrated Architecture is the architect for the project, which will be completed next spring.

Orion also is working on Grand Villages, a sorority/fraternity housing project near Grand Valley State University’s Allendale campus. Completion of the first phase of the six-phase project is scheduled for this month.