It began with medical-related development in the Hillside District of Grand Rapids, bordering both sides of Michigan Street.

More than a decade later it encompasses an area five times larger, expanding east further down Michigan St.and north across Interstate 196.

It has since expanded to include the Grand Rapids Community College's Calkins Science Center across Bostwick Avenue, Corewell Health's expanded Butterworth Hospital complex, Grand Valley State University's Health Campus, and Michigan State University Secchia Center Medical School, among other facilities in the area.

[4] Initially, most of the research was funded by an endowment from Jay Van Andel, which has been estimated at $1 billion.

[4] The new facility houses the Van Andel Education Institute's PhD-granting graduate school, which was founded in 2007.

[4][7] The building was designed by "world-renowned architect"[4][8] Rafael Viñoly[9] and is LEED platinum certified.

By 1887 a need for further expansion led Richard E. Butterworth to offer the present site of Michigan Street and Bostwick Avenue.

In 1987, Health Connections started Aero Med to provide air transport service, and in 1993 the Helen DeVos Women and Children's Center was opened.

[19] The original $100,000 donation allowed it to be opened the next year, and in the next decade the need for more services grew substantially.

In 1990, Richard and Helen DeVos donated $5 million to expand its services and to offer specialized pediatric care.

[20] This facility called the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital wheeled its first kids through the doors on January 11, 2011.

Ferris State University's College of Pharmacy is located in the 25 Michigan NE RDV/Christman development.

It consists of 26,000-square-feet of space on the building's seventh floor and houses classrooms and clinical equipment.

[22] The Grand Rapids Community College Calkins Science Center was opened in the winter semester of 2000.

It is located on Bostwick Avenue across Crescent Street, with Butterworth Hospital on its north side.

[23] The GVSU Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences is a 273,000-square-foot (25,400 m2) facility opened in 2003 by Grand Valley State University.

[26] It also houses a portion of the GVSU library system in the Frey Foundation Learning Center.

[28] Also in the facility is the West Michigan Science & Technology Initiative, a GVSU project that is designed to aid medical business by providing lab space and allocates around 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) allocated for this purpose.

[30] The Daniel and Pamella DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health was opened on June 21, 2021, to students.

It is a 5-story, 166,000 square foot facility that contains technology and instruction space for the 20-plus health science programs that GVSU offers.

[35] In 2017, the biomedical research center was completed on the site of the former Grand Rapids Press headquarters.

[36] The Mid Towne Village is the first Planned Redevelopment District in the 2003 Grand Rapids passed zoning law.

It is designed to be a mixed use facility and is at the northeast corner of Michigan Street and College Avenue.

Along with being the first in project of this type in the state it is also the second to receive Brownfield tax credits for a blighted neighborhood.

At the facility is a lower floor that includes an estimated 500 square feet (46 m2) conference room.

On the third floor is the University of Michigan Health - West's Heart & Vascular specialists.

It was a $250 million project that is jointly owned by RDV Corp. and The Christman Company, collectively known as Michigan Street Development, LLC.

The design of the facility includes a four-story, 2,300 space underground parking structure with four buildings built on the top levels.