KALAMAZOO / PORTAGE / BATTLE CREEK | Development Thread

[deja vu]

A few updates from here & there -

Kalamazoo -

KDPS Station No. 2 had a ribbon cutting last week. It's definitely a level-up from the architecture of Station No. 1 -








Source: Facebook | Becky Holland Fuller

Pavilion Township -

First buildings complete in 344-unit project that adds ‘significantly’ to Kalamazoo County housing stock
Rachel Watson | Crain's Grand Rapids Business
October 16, 2023

Source: Crain's Grand Rapids | Courtesy Photo

Portage -

The members-only Beacon Club closed it doors a few years ago, due to declining membership. I has since been purchased by local Frenchman Francois Moyet, and reimagined as 'A La Ferme' (At The Farm), a restaurant that will be open to the general public. Moyet is also the current owner of the Henderson Castle. I've never been, so I can't discern from these photos how much was really updated from the Beacon Club days. But it doesn't look like much. The décor looks pretty old & tired, unless that was an intentional choice -

Beacon Club in Portage transforms into 'A La Ferme,' opening doors to the public
WWMT News Channel 3
October 17, 2023

Source: Pat Hagan | WWMT

[deja vu]

Foundations have started at 530 S Rose Senior Housing -













NACD Infill -

[deja vu]

Maybe 4th time's the charm?

KP Cinemas set to open inside shuttered downtown Kalamazoo AMC Theatre
Katie Sergent | WWMT News Channel 3
October 26, 2023

They are moving at a pretty fast clip, at 530 S Rose. It's almost as if they want to get the foundations done before winter comes! Photos taken this morning -

[deja vu]

If there was any doubt out there about the scale and scope of the Kalamazoo Country Club expansion (estimated at over $100 million), feast your eyes on this -





You can really see the underground parking garage coming into form -

Source: Facebook | John Lacko

[Velvet_Highground]

I’m sure most people have heard of Battle Creek’s Moniker Cereal City but has anyone ever heard of Kalamazoo’s Celery City? Apparently Kalamazoo was THE world center of celery production popularizing and producing the vegetable into what we know it as today. Michigan is the nations #2 celery producer behind California. I was going to post a video from Restless Viking about Arcadia Creek but somehow I clicked on a video about celery and found it interesting.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nFy4Q_BAbv8

A walk down Arcadia Creek and its history. Gotta hand it to
the man Restless Viking finds and makes niche history interesting.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dtNCcAhFirs

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by Velvet_Highground

I’m sure most people have heard of Battle Creek’s Moniker Cereal City but has anyone ever heard of Kalamazoo’s Celery City? Apparently Kalamazoo was THE world center of celery production popularizing and producing the vegetable into what we know it as today. Michigan is the nations #2 celery producer behind California. I was going to post a video from Restless Viking about Arcadia Creek but somehow I clicked on a video about celery and found it interesting.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nFy4Q_BAbv8

A walk down Arcadia Creek and its history. Gotta hand it to
the man Restless Viking finds and makes niche history interesting.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dtNCcAhFirs

Neat videos - thanks for sharing.

Yeah, the Celery City moniker doesn't really make any sense in the collective conscience anymore, though I do still see reference to it from time to time, but really only on the micro-local level.

Watching that first video reminded me of this "classic" Portlandia Sketch:

• Video Link

Other "nicknames" that Kalamazoo has held through time, to varying degrees of popularity:

• Bedding plant capital of the world*
• Paper City (for it's one-time abundance of paper manufacturing, which there is still a hint of)
• Mall City (for its claim of having the first outdoor pedestrian mall in the country)
• Beer City / Beer Town (along with hundreds of other cities these days)
• The Zoo (and other variants, like KZoo, K'zoo, Kazoo, etc.)
• Windmill City (another antiquated manufacturing industry)
• Debt-Free City (only city in the country of 50,000+ to have its debts paid during the Great Depression)
• Weed City (for the over-abundance of pot shops)

*Pretty wordy and not-at-all sexy, but Kalamazoo County produces the most bedding plants in Michigan and around 75% of all bedding plants in the country.

[deja vu]

530 S Rose progress, taken during my lunch, yesterday -

[deja vu]

Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken Jr. dedicate $5M Kalamazoo Central H.S. ballfields
Al Jones | Second Wave Media
November 16, 2023

Source: Joel Bissell | MLive

[deja vu]

A mishmash of things today, including several aerial views that I have been saving up, from some of our local, talented drone photographers -

City skyline, from about a month back, with the changing leaves -


Source: Facebook | William Dolak

Another angle, with a closeup on the new(ish) 180 E Water St. / Catalyst Development -


Source: Facebook | William Dolak

This former bank building, at the corner of Burdick and Crosstown Parkway, had construction fencing and equipment, as of a few weeks ago. I was able to confirm that Bronson Methodist Hospital purchased it. Rumor has it that this is being abated for asbestos / hazardous materials, and that it is going to be torn town, once abatement is finished. It was definitely oversized & outdated, for the way most modern banking happens today. It was most recently a 5/3rd Bank. In the past, it was Old Kent & others. It originally opened as American National Bank, about 60 years ago, in 1964 -


Source: Facebook | John Johnson

A late summer aerial photo from near Kalamazoo / Battle Creek International Airport, right beneath the final approach vector for runway 35. This is a great shot that really exemplifies the natural "valley" topography of the city -


Source: Facebook | Caleb Stauffer (Stauffer Aerial)

Another great aerial shot of the sun setting beyond WMU's Waldo Stadium, just before kickoff of the big MAC rivalry game, WMU vs. Central Mich. (the Broncos won) -


Source: Facebook | Caleb Stauffer (Stauffer Aerial)

These next three are all aerial views concentrated on the four blocks of Arcadia West, which are being cleared & vacated for the future event center. The last few of the old buildings on these blocks are now cleared -


Source: Facebook | Caleb Stauffer (Stauffer Aerial)


Source: Facebook | Caleb Stauffer (Stauffer Aerial)


Source: Facebook | Caleb Stauffer (Stauffer Aerial)

A unique, low-altitude fish-eye rendering of an empty downtown Kalamazoo on Thanksgiving day -


Source: Facebook | William Dolak

This vanilla-looking, 7,500 SF, $4 million Hamptons Plaza at 6289 W. Main Street in Oshtemo Township (developed by Battle Creek-based Carroll Development) is finished. It will include up to 5 commercial storefronts, the first of which sounds like it will be a nail salon -


Source: MLive | Joel Bissell

Demolition of the unassuming 40 Winks Motel began yesterday. This old roadside relic was located along Douglas Avenue just north of the US 131 business loop. It opened in late 1954 and declined over the decades. It served as low-cost lodging, including rooms rented by the hour. One of its more unsavory nicknames was "40 Wanks". Most-recently, it served as a kind of halfway house for folks struggling on the doorstep of homelessness. The property is zoned 201 - Commercial (Kalamazoo Township) and owned by The Colby Family Trust. No word on if there are plans for the cleared lot -


Source: Facebook | Mark Cottingham

Someone on Facebook posted this old postcard of it, from 1955 -


Source: Facebook | Dorothy Decker

Some views of the new Women's Basketball locker facilities at WMU -







I'm diggin' the wall graphic showing the downtown street system -




Source: LinkedIn | AVB

[BrewInKzoo]

Originally Posted by deja vu

These next three are all aerial views concentrated on the four blocks of Arcadia West, which are being cleared & vacated for the future event center. The last few of the old buildings on these blocks are now cleared -


Source: Facebook | Caleb Stauffer (Stauffer Aerial)


Source: Facebook | Caleb Stauffer (Stauffer Aerial)


Source: Facebook | Caleb Stauffer (Stauffer Aerial)

I still don't know how these two projects can coexist -

https://wwmt.com/news/local/kalamazo...ention-center-

I think the apartment project has to be dead given the plans for the arena, and how there have been zero updates, though the original announcement said that the arena would not impact this project.

[deja vu]

My only guess is if these towers are designed to remain entirely south of Arcadia Creek, and then the arena lies entirely north of it, it could all fit. Of course, the latest public renderings of the event center depict a parking garage, south of the creek. It seems like the two design + development teams have been working in separate silos. But now that plans have been made public and stuff seems to actually have the momentum to move forward, maybe there is some behind-the-curtain collaboration happening, that we just don't know about yet.

For example, maybe they are working through a plan to integrate housing atop a parking garage, or else only constructing one residential tower, in the southwest corner.

Related, I noticed a double-wide jobsite trailer has appeared, near where the funeral home was, in the northwest quadrant.

[deja vu]

The new courthouse is done. The official public opening is this coming Monday. They are packing up and moving out of the old building this week. Now the public's attention will turn more intently to what PlazaCorp has planned for the old courthouse building. I'd be amazed / impressed if they proposed anything other than a residential conversion, given the current lack of appetite for commercial real estate, but we will see. There is an interesting provision that the building façade cannot be altered until 2037 (when it turns 100-years old) -


Source: LinkedIn | Vince Roberti

1937 Kalamazoo courthouse closing for good, as operations move to new $95M facility
Brad Devereaux | MLive
December 3, 2023

Kalamazoo County's Michigan Avenue Courthouse to close for justice center move
Samantha May | WWMT News Channel 3
December 4th 2023

Pretty cool photos at this article link -

See historic photos from 1937, as Kalamazoo’s courthouse was built
December 6, 2023
Brad Devereaux | MLive

They were pumping concrete this morning when I walked by 530 S Rose -

[deja vu]

A couple photos (taken & found), of progress on the KRESA Career Tech Center -

Clerestory framing going up -


Source: LinkedIn | Blake Nichols, EIT, STSC (CSM Group)


Source: LinkedIn | Blake Nichols, EIT, STSC (CSM Group)

The rest are my own, taken Friday -

[DetroitMan]

New $40M youth sports complex considered for Kalamazoo County

A new youth sports complex is being considered in Kalamazoo County, after a study suggested the investment could generate more than a billion dollars for local economy over 20 years.

The estimated cost to build it would be around $40 million. The idea is still in its early phase, and key details haven’t been ironed out yet, like location for the facility and who would pay for the project. Despite those significant pieces on the to-do list, there is interest in moving the project forward, said Brian Persky of Discover Kalamazoo.

“Youth participation is exploding in sports,” Persky said. “It’s almost as if the country hasn’t kept up with the demand. That’s why you’re seeing facilities pop up everywhere, because destinations are realizing there is a return on this and it brings hundreds of thousands of people to your community,”

The study shows the biggest opportunity is for basketball and volleyball courts, partly because of demand and existing offerings in the region, Persky said.

An indoor artificial turf area would also likely be included in the estimated 100,000-square-foot to 140,000-square-foot facility, he said.

The ideal facility would have eight to 12 basketball courts, which could be configured as 16 to 24 volleyball courts, Persky said. It would take about 12 acres of space to build on, he said.

A hypothetical draft of the plans shows eight basketball courts (or 16 volleyball courts in their place), though those plans may change depending on partnerships that develop and other factors, Persky said. It could also be configured for other sports, and organizers envision it being used seven days a week, he said.

https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo...oo-county.html

[deja vu]

^ I'm very skeptical that something like this would generate a billion dollars over twenty years. Maybe I'm way out of touch. The study concluded that there are 20 million people within a 3-hour drive. Are they really banking on people traveling from Waukegan to Kalamazoo for a youth sports complex? There's probably a thousand existing facilities between here and there that would serve whatever need they might have. It's sort of an absurd fact to try and justify this with.

It's also just kind of hard to get excited about a suburban sports complex in general, which for that budget, will likely be little more than a pre-engineered metal box sitting out in the middle of a field in Texas Township.

Sorry, I guess I'm just in a pissy mood today.

[deja vu]

The fourth sign to grace this downtown Kalamazoo cinema was installed two weeks ago. You can still make out the echo of the former AMC signage -


Source: Facebook | Kalamazoo Gazette (MLive)

The first two out of four infill houses on the Northside are wrapping up. The last two are fully-enclosed -








Source: Facebook | Abonmarche Byce

I spotted no less than four moving trucks at the old courthouse on Friday. I can't imagine the task of emptying the entirety of the contents of this building. Imagine some of the documents stored in there...







The reconstructed Lake Street, near the Expo Center / fairgrounds, is complete -






Source: LinkedIn | Prein & Newhoff

[deja vu]

Here is a quick flyover of the KRESA Career Connect Campus -

• Video Link

[deja vu]

The next phase in WMU's Hilltop Village campus reimagining is underway. From their capital projects website:

Following closely on the heels of Arcadia Flats and the new Student Center and Dining Facility, this project begins to focus on the infrastructure of the larger master plan, which includes new pedestrian and vehicular walkways, outdoor spaces and the development of stronger campus connections.

This phase includes an extension of a loop road that will connect with the current Arcadia Loop, as well as pedestrian walkways (including a new bridge), expansive "viewshed" green space, and a 5-story parking structure with initial capacity for 357 vehicles (and the ability to expand to a future total of 570). The parking structure will be located directly behind the new Arcadia Flats (where the old Ernest / Smith Burnham Residence Hall used to sit - demolished last winter). You can see the beginnings of the new parking structure foundations at this live construction camera.

Hilltop Village parking structure rendering -



Pedestrian bridge rendering -



And an overall site plan -


Source: WMU Capital Projects - Parking Structure

Construction camera views from earlier today -


Source: WMU Facilities Maintenance Webcam 2


Source: WMU Facilities Maintenance Webcam 3

Loop road extension detail -


Source: WMU Capital Projects - Hilltop Village Loop Road and Open Space

Also, unrelated to the above, the veranda which spans the north façade of Miller Auditorium was entirely replaced this past summer. The new design added accessible ramps and a grand stair facing fountain plaza. New lighting, seating, and landscaping were also part of the project. I have not been to see it in-person yet, but judging by the below, it is a bit clunky-looking (then again, so is Miller Auditorium) -




Source: WMU Capital Projects - Miller Auditorium Veranda Replacement

[deja vu]

Hardly even post-worthy, but I noticed yesterday while picking something up at Kalamazoo College that there is a small, unremarkable addition / remodel happening at the K College Facilities Building (this building that parallels the train tracks and Stadium Drive). Looks to be some additional garage bays and support space -

[deja vu]

Happy New Year, and Happy 1,000th post on this thread!


Thanks to everyone who checks-in and contributes here. It means a lot to me to see that this thread that only started in 2017 already has 443,799 views (which is a higher view count than many other threads on SSP that represent areas that are much bigger than Kalamazoo and that have been around much longer. But who knows, maybe most of those views are just my own ).

Below are some quick 2023 Kalamazoo highlights, plus some 2024 predictions. 2023 was not as big a banner year as some previous years, but there were still some notable milestones. What are your development predictions & hopes for the new year?

2023 Highlights

• ~ $25 million(?) 530 S Rose St (senior living apartments) begins construction (total guess on my part for the cost).
• ~ $94 million "Judge Charles A. Pratt" Justice Center opens downtown.
• ~ $95 million Zoetis expansion wraps up.
• ~ $100+ million Kalamazoo Country Club expansion begins construction.
• ~ $100+ million KRESA Career Tech Center begins construction.
• ~ 300+ million downtown arena / event center plans pick up steam, and the practical pieces required to make it a reality begin to fall into place.

2024 Predictions / Hopes

• Downtown arena / event center breaks ground.
• We see an actual redevelopment proposal get approved for 116 W Cedar St. (the former downtown fire station).
• Development plans for the new Kalamazoo College Dormitory along W Main St. will be revealed.
• We learn something about PlazaCorp's plans for what will come of the old courthouse.
• Projects that WILL break ground (and actually start construction): The Legacy, Hawthorne Park, Arcadia Lofts, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kalamazoo, & Bank Street Farmers Market Phase 2 (indoor, year-round event space).
• Projects that will NOT break ground (not my hope, but my prediction nonetheless): River's Edge (River Caddis Development), Hard Rock Reverb Hotel & Gibson Guitar Museum, 140 S Edwards St. Redevelopment, 619 Porter Development, 902 W North St / Jabez (I suspect this is already dead, but nothing officially announced), 718 N. Burdick St. development, & Kalamazoo Northside Tiny Homes.
• WMU Broncos (football team) will have a better campaign than 2023 and will have a winning record and make it back to a bowl game.