It was in January of this year that we were invited to meet Ryan Leestma at Adelaide Pointe for the first time, and with limited exposure to Ryan other than what most of the world sees on his pretty dominating social media presence, we kinda went in there not sure what to expect. Ryan is a very bold visionary, and while his "damn the torpedoes" approach has given some a reason to say...wait a minute, he's been delivering on all he's said so far, so, to catch up on what's been going on at his development, let's go back!
The work at Adelaide Pointe is part of one of the more rapid times of growth that's happened here in Muskegon. From furs, to lumber, to the industrial revolution and war economy of the Greatest Generation, the up's and down's of life in Muskegon have been exhausting. We are a community worn out on a few things. 1) What's been taken away. 2) The image that's been unduly placed on us and 3) Promises that have not been kept by developers who come in with all these plans, and then when the first wrinkle hits....they blow away like tumbleweeds and leave us empty. Our work here at the Muskegon Channel has been trying to lower the slope of those issues and give you enough content from those willing to share to understand the long term plan and the people who are putting those plans into place. We are here to build an equally equitable media resource as we see others working to build their dreams that will benefit us all.
With the work going on....at levels I can't even comprehend when it comes to planning, funding and pulling off the developments that are under construction or being proposed, I have made a few attempts to bring in all of the players in the development game and couldn't get a consensus agreement to meet with them all. I respect that decision. It is however important to step in once and a while to gather perspective from those who don't know the world of giant development. To give consideration to the idea of vast amounts of land and how they can be productive for a community's benefit for the long term is a key piece of envisioning the long term success of what we will leave behind for the next generations, compared to how we've seen others come in to town in the past focused on profits and the idea of buy low, sell high.
Building an equitable and sustainable use of the lakefront properties around Muskegon needs to be thought of in the longest and most beneficial ways. Residential development is wonderful and moving more here to enjoy what we all have...part of the goal. With that water, and the industry it can provide....Ryan's suggestion is pretty solid. He's calling out developers to compete against him. Bring MORE entertainment. Bring MORE hospitality. Bring MORE people in to enjoy a destination that will give splendor to all, jobs to those who seek them and a sustainable way into the next revolution that's already happening. As Ryan explains in the video, competition really brings out the best for everyone and maximizing the use of our assets for industry, residential purposes or other scenarios needs to be thought about long and hard. We've seen what's happened in the past, and as the generation that went before us begins to fade, some idea driven by those planning for the future needs to be embraced and it's imperative that we carefully and purposely decide on that.
Discussion on this matter could very well happen with the City of Muskegon Planning Commission on October 11th and 12th at the Planning Commission Work Session and you are encouraged to be a part of that in person or they will be aired on both the City Of Muskegon's Facebook Page and on Channel 96 Muskegon if you are an Xfinity subscriber. If you are not able to see the meeting live, it's available on demand on the City's FB page and on Channel 96.
Our thanks to Ryan for the update as well as his thoughts on our developing area. It's looking like it's going to be an exciting summer at Adelaide Pointe in 2024. We hope to visit again.
