GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A home in Grand Rapids is currently the subject of controversy over events held on its property. Neighbors say the problem has been going on for more than a year.
The city issued a violation notice to the owner of the historic Wander Jagt home after another recent incident occurred on the property.
A Grand Rapids home is now at the center of a dispute as the owners hosted several events on the premises
Owners TJ and Max Budzinski purchased the home on Plainfield Avenue in 2021. It is said that hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent to restore it.
“We were scared because it was a big investment and there was a lot of work that needed to be done. But we were never afraid to make the choice to restore this house. It’s been a long time since we were kids. I love this house,” said Max Budzinski.
Because Vander Jagt is not the couple’s primary residence, many neighbors question the future of the property and the Budzynskis’ intentions.
Some neighbors have put up signs.
“It just says, ‘Shut down Vander Jagt. Keep our neighborhood residential.'” When it says, ‘Shut down Vander Jagt,’ it means keep it residential. It’s just meant to be used as an event space, not as an event space or anything like that,” neighbor Kevin Reilly explained.
This house was completed in 1940. The home is located in the Creston neighborhood, deep within the Riverside Gardens neighborhood, which is zoned as a low-rise residential area.
“I like the trees. I like the plane trees, I like the street trees. It’s just a peaceful, nice neighborhood. I mean, everyone’s very friendly,” Riley said.
Riley lives around the corner from the house in Kitten. He said the peace was interrupted earlier this month by a wedding on the grounds attended by dozens of people.
“I had to turn up the volume on the TV because I could hear music and people’s voices and things like that,” Riley said.
The Budzinskis explained to FOX 17 that the wedding was for their cousins, not strangers or clients.
“We’re not going to open a wedding venue,” Max said.
“We are not here for the Party Palace because we live in the neighborhood. That is one of the gossips going around. It would imply destruction,” TJ Budzinski added.
Now, the city of Grand Rapids is also involved. City officials told FOX 17 homeowners have held several events over the past year. The Budzinskis say these events have been community-based.
“The bylaws simply say that as a resident, you are allowed to have four events a year as long as they don’t generate revenue and benefit nonprofits and the community,” TJ said. Told.
The city disagreed, and after several violations, the Bujanskis received a civil violation in June. The city said the Budzinskis were given a second violation because the wedding was an additional event. However, the city told FOX 17 it could not comment further on this “pending litigation.”
“Please apply for a private party permit,” TJ said.
“So that’s why it’s difficult for us. We’re being told, ‘You have to apply for a permit.'” And it was denied. We were then told that we could have a private party, but we did not apply for a permit after that. ” Max added.
The city did not specify how many people were included in the “large event,” but issued the following statement to FOX 17:
“Although residents are permitted to hold private events in their homes, enforcement actions will be fact-specific and based on the totality of the circumstances.”
Riley explains that they don’t want something like this to happen every weekend.
“I can speak for everyone who is a little bit wary about this. Whether it’s three or four times a year or two a year, there’s something out there that we “If you’re aware of it, that’s fine. But that’s every weekend,” he said. Added.
So FOX 17 asked the owner about the future of the home. They have a lot of ideas for the future.
“What if we fixed it up and got it up and running again and people wanted to stay here,” Max said.
“Or why not come visit and get involved? It’s been locked behind gates for a long time,” TJ said.
“For 80 years, we were technically the first company to open our doors because the previous two owners were widows,” Max added.
“And to be able to share that or say, ‘CNA contacted us in 2022 and asked if we could host a pancake breakfast,’ we said, ‘Of course. , that’s possible,”’ TJ said. .
The Budzynskis said they intend to fight the city’s latest violations.
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