Old Rafferty's, Marina to Become Conference Center

August 23, 2009
Dave Alexander
Muskegon Chronicle

The addition of a conference center at the Shoreline Inn would be a huge boost for community attempts at attracting larger groups and business meetings. In the process, a formerly successful waterfront restaurant could receive new life.

Grand Rapids real estate developer Jon Rooks -- the new owner of the Shoreline Inn, Terrace Pointe Marina and Rafferty's Dockside Restaurant -- has significant changes planned for the restaurant facility. The goal is to get the waterfront hotel, restaurant and marina to work in concert, he said.

Rafferty's has been closed since Rooks obtained the property in April in a mortgage transfer with former owners John and Susan Payne.

Built as part of the SPX Corp. development of Terrace Pointe in 1989, Rafferty's had been one of the premiere restaurants in Muskegon when it was operated by the Lister Restaurant Group. But in recent years, it had fallen on hard times.

Now Rooks wants to take the 8,900-square-foot Rafferty's building that had been a restaurant, bar and banquet room and create a conference center for business meetings and parties. He told The Chronicle he hopes to have the conference center, which will have a new restaurant, open by next spring.

Plans for a conference center fit with county tourism marketing efforts.

"I already see cooperation between the two downtown hotels," county tourism Manager Jill Foreman said of the Shoreline Inn and the Holiday Inn Muskegon Harbor. "We have a real opportunity now to all work together to go after larger meeting business."

To develop a conference center and new restaurant, Rooks said he will either sell the Rafferty's building to a third party operator, find a restaurant management company, pursue a national chain restaurant or hire a restaurant manager for an in-house operation. He said he currently is working through those options.

"Whatever we do, our strategy is to be open by April 2010," Rooks said.

The Muskegon City Commission unanimously recommended last week a Michigan Liquor Control Commission request to transfer the Payne's liquor license to Rooks' Waterworks GR LLC.

In redeveloping the Rafferty's building, Rooks said he would reconfigure the space for a conference room so it would hold 275 people and would open up the room to the marina docks. A huge 11,000-square-foot outdoor area would be built north of the building to expand the size of warm-weather events, Rooks said.

The current bar and a portion of the restaurant area would be redesigned for a new restaurant, he said.
© 2009 Muskegon Chronicle. Used with permission