John Ball Zoo is continuing plans for a world-class aquarium in the Grand Rapids area after the originally selected site was rejected by organizers, prompting officials to search for a new location.
Proposed Aquarium for Grand Rapids, Michigan
John Ball Zoo has spent nearly a decade advancing plans for a large-scale aquarium, evolving from a modest expansion proposal introduced in 2017 into a more than $400 million investment in a major standalone destination attraction.
Between 2020 and 2021, John Ball Zoo and planners in Grand Rapids began developing concrete plans for a destination aquarium designed to compete with major facilities in Chicago and Atlanta . In the years that followed, planners concluded that Kent County offered a more practical and sustainable location for the project than Muskegon County .
Over the past year, John Ball Zoo evaluated a potential aquarium site in Walker , but ultimately decided to pursue a new location due to challenges specific to the property.
Grand Rapids Aquarium Plan Needs a New Home
According to WOOD-TV, the John Ball Zoo Aquarium Committee had previously identified a 190-acre site in Walker along the Grand River, including the former Fenske Landfill, as a potential location for the aquarium, but ultimately concluded the site was unsuitable for the project.
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The committee is now evaluating other sites throughout Kent County for the aquarium project, emphasizing that a world-class attraction of this scale requires extensive planning and due diligence, particularly with an investment exceeding $400 million. Officials remain optimistic about selecting a location and completing the project by 2031…