Martin Luther King Jr. Street and César E. Chávez Avenue

Street name changes are coming to Grandville Avenue and Franklin Street. Grandville Ave will become César E. Chávez Avenue and Franklin Street will become Martin Luther King Jr. Street. As the Moving Ahead for Remarkable Civil Rights Heroes Committee (M.A.R.C.H.) stated in their original request:

"Honoring their lives and legacy by boldly and jointly renaming these streets is a unifying act for our city. It promotes our shared goal of creating a welcoming environment for all."

Request for Name Change

The City received requests from M.A.R.C.H. for the renaming of Franklin Street from Oakland Avenue to the East City Limits as Martin Luther King Jr. Street, and if such renaming is approved for the Commemorative Designation of Martin Luther King Jr. Street as Franklin Street, and for the renaming of Grandville Avenue from the West City Limits (Clyde Park Avenue) to Weston Street as César E. Chávez Avenue, and if such renaming is approved for the Commemorative Designation of César E. Chávez Avenue as Grandville Avenue. Download the Requests from M.A.R.C.H(PDF, 367KB).

City Commission Approval

On September 28, 2021, public hearings considering the name change requests for Franklin Street and Grandville Avenue were held. All owners of record of properties directly abutting the portion of streets to be renamed were notified in advance of the hearing by mail. The M.A.R.C.H. also engaged in the notification process and led the outreach to property owners and various other interested parties.

On October On October 12, 2021, the Grand Rapids City Commission voted on a street name change resolution formally approved:

• Martin Luther King Jr. Street as the official name of the street previously named Franklin Street
• César E. Chávez Avenue as the official name of the street previously named Grandville Avenue
• Grandville Avenue as the commemorative name for the street named  César E. Chávez Avenue
• Franklin Street as the commemorative name for the street named Martin Luther King Jr. Street

This change has an effective date of Tuesday, February 22, 2022.

Implementation

We sent letters to property owners and residents who live along these two streets with the information that follows. 

Key Takeaways

We want this to be as easy as possible for you and others located along the corridor, so here are the key takeaways.

• You can use Franklin Street or Martin Luther King Jr. Street and Grandville Avenue or César E. Chávez Avenue as the street name for any mail/package delivery services and navigation services
• We'll coordinate updates to address records for city services, major utilities, and voter records
• Over time, we encourage you to update your mailing address with other entities who send you mail

Street Sign Changes

New street signs will list the commemorative street name and the official street name at every intersection. We will:

• Remove the green Grandville Avenue and Franklin Street signs
• Replace these with green César E. Chávez Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Street signs
• Install blue, commemorative signs displaying Grandville Avenue and Franklin Street
• Complete the work as close as possible to February 22

Navigation Services

Popular navigation services will update their records. They will recognize addresses listing either Franklin Street or Martin Luther King Jr. Street and Grandville Avenue or César E. Chávez Avenue as the street. This includes services like Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, and others. You will be able to use these tools in the same way you always have with either street name.

Mail and Package Delivery

U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will update its records. These records are often used by other shipping services. USPS and other shipping services will deliver to addresses listing either Franklin Street or Martin Luther King Jr. Street and Grandville Avenue or César E. Chávez Avenue.

City Records

We will update our records. Property address will list Martin Luther King Jr. Street or César E. Chávez Avenue as the street in the following record systems:

• Assessing and property tax
• Water billing
• Permitting and inspection
• PayIt payment app
• Other applicable records and systems

Utility Companies

Major utility companies will update their records. Your property address will list Martin Luther King Jr. Street or César E. Chávez Avenue as the street in their systems.

Voter Record

Michigan Secretary of State (SOS) will update its voter records. Addresses of existing registered voters will list Martin Luther King Jr. Street or César E. Chávez Avenue as the street in SOS records.