Billboard Giant Makes Historic Move Downtown

A billboard advertising company will be the first tenant in the massive Factory Yards redevelopment project near downtown Grand Rapids, marking a significant milestone for the southwest side industrial area.

Outfront Media plans to relocate its Grand Rapids office to a new facility at 565 Godfrey Avenue, where it will break ground this month on a 22,200-square-foot build-to-suit office. The project is being developed by Heritage Development Partners as part of the Factory Yards mixed-use redevelopment.

A Century of Grand Rapids Ties

The out-of-home media company has maintained a presence in Grand Rapids since 1885 through predecessor companies and has operated from its current location south of downtown since the 1960s. Brad Eldridge, Vice President for Grand Rapids at Outfront Media, highlighted the company's long connection to the city.

"Our company and its predecessors have been intertwined with Grand Rapids, its community and businesses, for more than a century," Eldridge said. "When we realized our current space could no longer support our growing team in one place, we knew our next location needed to be downtown."

The new office will consolidate the company's front office and operational teams into a single location closer to the city's downtown business district and growing development corridor. Eldridge noted that Outfront has not made a move in the Michigan city in roughly 60 years.

Factory Yards Takes Shape

The new office is being developed within Factory Yards, a 15-acre mixed-use redevelopment that will include residential units, retail space, restaurants, and community gathering areas. The project was the first in the city to receive transformational brownfield incentives, repurposing a vacant industrial site on Grand Rapids' southwest side.

Construction on the Factory Yards project is set to begin after three years of planning. The $147 million development represents a major investment in the southwest side of Grand Rapids and signals growing confidence in the area's future.

The location at 565 Godfrey Avenue places the new Outfront office in a prime position for the company's continued growth and expansion. As the first tenant, Outfront Media will help establish Factory Yards as a premier mixed-use destination in Grand Rapids.