Why Meijer Paid $7 Million To Move A Gas Station 300 Feet

I recently moved into a new place and have spent a lot of time going up and down Kalamazoo Avenue, transporting things from one spot to another. It's been a tedious process, but I've been using the 28th and Kalamazoo Meijer as a halfway point between places as a little motivation marker. I've passed this fenced-in building each time and have been wildly curious about what was happening behind it.

⬇️INSIDE THE FIRST MEIJER IN 1930⬇️

The Christian Reformed Church announced it was looking to relocate from the headquarters building it has been in for the last 65 years, and their neighbors across the street, Meijer, were quick to jump on the offer. What are they planning to do with the massive new lot? Build a new gas station. Queue Joni Mitchell.

Back in October, Meijer purchased the land of the old headquarters for $7.6 million and announced they would be building a new gas station on the land that better connects to 28th Street, with additional building plans in the future. The current gas station that is a mere 300 feet away is set to be demolished.

READ MORE: The Curious Case of Caledonia’s Lone Meijer Gas Station |

It does seem rather Sims-like to demolish a perfectly fine gas station just to move it up the street a little, but it makes sense. This Meijer is called 28th and Kalamazoo, so having a gas station that is on both of those streets makes sense. Plus, the current gas station has always felt oddly claustrophobic, like it was shoehorned into the area, so better traffic flow is a welcome change.

A Meijer spokesperson reported to WOODTV 8 that demolition for the old headquarters is expected to take about a month, and there has been no word on when the next phase of construction will take place.