HOLLAND, MI – The city of Holland is accelerating plans for its first-ever bicycle park, approving a construction contract this week.
The contract for $703,630 with the American Ramp Company got approved during the Sept. 17 city council meeting. The funding is for the creation of a bike park and pump track to be located at 97 N. River Ave., part of the Window on the Waterfront Park system.
The site is located just north of the Unity Bridge, and is next to the Macatawa River Greenway Trail and U.S. Bicycle Route 35 where they meet along North River Avenue.
Construction is anticipated to begin in the spring/summer of 2026, with completion scheduled by Oct. 1 the same year.
A breakdown presented to city council included a $623,730 contract with American Ramp, with $280,000 estimated for the beginner pump track and $350,000 for the intermediate pump track.
The total project cost also includes $55,000 for site amenities, $25,000 in contingency and a $6,370 mobilization discount.
Thelen said the city has received a $185,600 Revitalization and Placemaking grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to support the project, but grant paperwork is pending. The grant isn’t yet factored into the cost.
The Holland City Council previously approved the purchase of the design agreement with American Ramp Company on June 19, 2025. The city Planning Commission reviewed the project during a study session March 11.
The contract will also be subject to final approval by the city attorney. Along with its initial approval, City Council approved amending the Municipal Capital Improvement Fund budget to match.
The first phases of the project will feature a public plaza and approximately 600 feet of asphalt pump track, including a beginner/adaptive pump track and an intermediate pump track. Pump tracks are paved continuous loops that include rollers and berms.
It will also include site amenities, like benches, bike racks and a pavilion.
The bike park initially centered around a five-phase construction concept, with more trails and features, like a ride-through windmill and a tulip slalom, considered. There is currently no timeline to construct phases 3, 4 or 5.
Garrett Thelen, assistant director of parks and recreation, said the city wants this project phase to “have a level of finality to it.”
“We want this to be able to stand alone,” he said, “but we’re going to design it with the ability to expand in the future if the community appetite is there for it.”
Thelen said the project has been in the works for about 18 months, with fact finding sessions and public meetings held.
The finalized design includes different courses with varying difficulties.
“We feel like we have a design here tonight that really aligns with what we do as far as the programming side of recreation,” he said, “and that there’s a low barrier of entry with opportunity to improve and expand on skills.”
The beginner/adaptive pump track was described by Thelen as available for children who may want to learn to ride a bicycle, along with “anybody who wants to take their first ride on a pump track without feeling like they’re going to put themselves in harm’s way.”
He described the intermediate pump track as “full-scale,” with a wide range of difficulty levels all in one.
Thelen likened it to skiing, with anything from blue square (intermediate) runs to double back diamond (most difficult).
He said the city designed the asphalt track to be sustainable, not requiring continual maintenance.
“That’s one of the biggest things we found in our fact-finding session,” he said. “There was a bike park we visited that was closed more than it was open because of the amount of maintenance that was required, and because of the rain moisture that would take a toll on the track.”
He said the city’s parks and recreation department won’t have to hire any additional staff to maintain the park.
The lot itself is 16 acres, Thelen said, but only about three to four are able to be built upon, after a state inspection from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
City officials described the bike park as a “great use” of the space that probably wouldn’t otherwise be very viable.
Visitors who wish to use the site can use the Window on the Waterfront lot, which was recently redone. The city is still in talks with local businesses to utilize other area parking.
The city also considered security options, with Councilmember Michael Schultheis asking about the possibility of fencing.
At this point, the plan is to wait and see how much traffic will be on site at night, city officials said. With the option for fat tire bike riders to utilize the site in the winter, the goal is to leave the option for four-seasons use open.
The site will have on-site security lighting, which city leaders said won’t impact nearby homes.