If good things truly come to those who wait, Jorge Vasquez and his partners at VB Development may have a bright future ahead of them.
“Patience and perseverance,” Vasquez said during a brief groundbreaking ceremony for The Reserves of Coopersville, the city’s newest housing development. “It’s been 12 years since we first came to Coopersville and looked over this property.”
Approvals in hand, construction was set to begin in 2008, but then the housing market collapsed and the developers were forced to put the project on hold. But Vasquez said he never gave up on their vision for building a new development “that everybody in Coopersville can be proud of.”
Located on 61 acres along Coopersville’s eastern edge at the corner of 48th Avenue and Campus Drive, the proposed development will feature 90 houses and 64 condos, as well as 18 acres of open space, including a 10-acre nature preserve and a 3.5-acre, man-made pond. Fourteen single family houses and 15 condominiums are slated for the first phase of development.
“This is going to be a real gem for the city,” Coopersville City Manager Steven Patrick said. “I congratulate VB Development for continuing to have the confidence and vision to make this development happen.”
Throughout the delay, Patrick said he kept in contact with the developers and tried to remain optimistic. “My job over the years has just been to keep the dream alive,” he said.
Plans call for the initial construction of three models – one ranch-style home, a two-story house and a multi-unit duplex. Crews want to get the units enclosed by fall so work can continue during the winter. The goal is to have the models built in time for the spring Parade of Homes show, Vasquez said, adding that special promotional offers will be announced soon for teachers and school employees, along with 5-, 10- and 20-percent down mortgage options through Northpointe Bank, which is handling the financing.
VB Development is opening an office in Coopersville Town Square, at 25 68th Ave. Suite F, said Vasquez, who has temporarily relocated to Allendale from North Carolina.
Flanked by representatives from City Hall, City Council, the Downtown Development Authority and the Planning Commission, he said he is looking forward to being part of the community and plans to join the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce.
Coopersville Mayor Rodney Lloyd said the development will add to up to 500 more people to the community’s “wonderful family.”
“We grow with each other, we help each other and this is what makes our community so much more,” he said. “The Reserves of Coopersville will add to that and it will produce more beautiful homes that will house more families that will add to our amazing family here in Coopersville.”
Republished with permission from the Coopersville Observer.