Kent County is spending $18.5 million on an eight-story office building in downtown Grand Rapids, with plans to gut-renovate it and move the prosecutor's office there from its current home a few blocks away. The Kent County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, and county officials say the goal is to have staff working out of the new building by the end of 2027.
The county is purchasing 300 Ottawa from DP Fox Ventures, according to MLive, which first reported the board's vote. Once renovated, the building will house the prosecutor's office and other county operations currently based at 82 Ionia Ave. NW. County Administrator Al Vanderberg framed the move as a long-term space play rather than a quick fix. “We're really planning for the future with our growth to figure out how best to strategically utilize our space downtown,” Vanderberg said.
Vanderberg also pointed to practical gains beyond square footage. He said relocating the prosecutor's office to 300 Ottawa would put staff closer to the county courthouse, Grand Rapids District Court and the public defender's office, while also giving the county more room to grow. The purchase itself will be funded through the county's strategic capital fund, which Vanderberg said was created in part to reduce the county's reliance on debt for major projects.
Money, Timeline and the Fine Print
The purchase price covers just the building. The county expects to spend an additional $13 million to $15 million on renovations, pushing the combined cost of buying and fixing up 300 Ottawa to somewhere between $31.5 million and $33.5 million, per the same MLive report. A budget amendment to formally move the purchase money is expected to go before the county board's Finance and Physical Resources Committee on Nov. 5.
“The decision's made to buy it. Now we just need to move the money to do it,” Vanderberg said. Facilities Management Director Tim Bradshaw said the building's layout is similar to what the county needs, and planned work includes new carpeting and paint, heating and cooling upgrades, and a roof replacement. Bradshaw estimated the design and planning process will take about six months, followed by roughly six months of construction.
300 Ottawa Avenue NW is a 131,000-square-foot building on a 2.2-acre lot, according to a CommercialCafe listing, which also notes the Class B property was constructed in 1967 and includes 383 parking spaces across its eight floors. The building was previously used mainly for law offices, and some current tenants have already moved out while others are expected to relocate. Vanderberg said the county could retain some tenants under longer-term leases, including the West Michigan Sports Commission.
Why Not Just Stay at 82 Ionia
Vanderberg said the county's current building at 82 Ionia has capacity limitations that will not meet its future needs, and he specifically cited parking as a driving factor. He called downtown parking a “precious commodity” and said 300 Ottawa offers more of it than the county's existing building.
Once the move is complete, Kent County plans to sell 82 Ionia, though the building is not currently listed and officials have not determined when it will go on the market. Vanderberg suggested the empty building could draw interest for a housing conversion or other redevelopment project. “When you look at what's happening with downtown buildings right now, and this will be an empty building, that sets that building up nicely for renovation and reuse,” he said. A separate report from Crain's Grand Rapids notes that a sale of 82 Ionia has been put on hold before, though that report does not address the county's current relocation plans.
A Downtown Office Market With Room to Spare
The purchase lands in a West Michigan office market that opened 2026 on relatively steady footing. A Colliers market report found vacancy edged down from 10.3% to 10.2% in the first quarter of 2026, with leasing activity topping 62,000 square feet, driven largely by deals in the Central Grand Rapids submarket. Average asking rents rose to $24.38 per square foot during that same period, while no new office construction was delivered, keeping supply flat.
Downtown Grand Rapids has generally fared better than the national office market. A 2024 Development Report cited by WOODTV found the downtown business district's vacancy rate sitting just under 13%, well below the nationwide office vacancy rate of 19.8% reported by Moody's Analytics around the same period.
Kent County's move also echoes a larger real estate maneuver happening in California. Santa Clara County recently signed a 30-year lease for two eight-story office buildings and an adjacent retail center in North San Jose, according to the Mercury News. That deal, involving buildings purchased by TMG Partners and KKR for $75.5 million, is financed in part through a construction loan of up to $230 million from the county, with occupancy not expected until early 2029 after extensive renovations.
