I just discovered that this construction camera exists for the new downtown justice facility. It updates every hour or two during working hours with a new still image. It's at a good angle, and it has pretty good resolution. This one is from 4:00pm local time today -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/j69trzvsu5...lity.png?raw=1
Source: senserasystems.com

Two posts ago, I mentioned that 530 S Rose St. was back in the queue for site plan review. It turns out that there is a new rendering after all, found at the article below. As I suspected, it looks relatively unchanged from the previous version (aside from the removal of the second garage door) -

There is a ton of info packed into the article above. It discusses 19 proposed housing initiatives that are receiving support from the county. The first 11 were approved on April 5 and amount to $2.6 million in funding support. The last 8 were previously approved on March 15 and amount to $7.2 million in funding support. Highlights below (a few have been previously discussed on here) -

1. $311,862 to support the construction of a new house on Ransom Street for a family earning 30 percent or less of the Area Median Income. One of four homes being developed by the Northside Association for Community Development.

2. $300,000 to support the construction of two houses in the City of Portage for families at 80 percent of the Area Median Income. Being developed by Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services.

3. $170,000 Funding to support the construction of four houses in Kalamazoo’s Eastside Neighborhood by Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity. Will be for families earning 30 percent of the Area Median Income.

4. Ampersee Home Start Initiative - $318,138 to support the construction of ten tiny homes along Ampersee Avenue (near a former homeless encampment), in Kalamazoo's Eastside neighborhood. five tiny homes on foundations and five “tiny” homes on wheels in the area of Ampersee Avenue and the Kalamazoo River in the City of Kalamazoo. Developed by Playgrown -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/50r3aa4ljo...ive.jpeg?raw=1
Source: Second Wave Media | Kalamazoo County

5. $75,000 for Better World Builders to perform critical repairs on up to four houses in the City of Galesburg.

6. $15,000 for supplies, exterior doors, porch materials, and replacement windows for homes in the Ada Street corridor in Kalamazoo’s Northside Neighborhood. The work is being administered by Building Blocks of Kalamazoo.

7. $221,465 for a Community Development Block Grant allocation for housing rehabilitation in the City of Portage.

8. $688,535 for home repairs in the form of a grant / recoverable loan program for low & moderate-income families in Kalamazoo Township through the Homeownership Preservation Partnership.

9. $400,000 for the preservation of the Pinehurst Townhomes Project, a 96-unit development at 6740 Andover St. in Oshtemo Township. The project, administered by Full Circle Communities Inc., is intended to provide renovated space for families earning 30 to 60 percent of the Area Median Income.

10. $100,000 for the purchase of a four-unit house at 913 S. Westnedge Ave. to provide affordable / workforce rents for young people in need of assistance navigating life skills and employment. The project is being developed by Layla’s Cool Pops.

11. An additional $500,000 in grant funding to help support the Mt. Zion Northside Housing Senior Project (a housing project for individuals earning less than 30 percent of the Area Median Income (*BrewInKzoo, this is the Hollander Development project that you mentioned in post #813, located at 125 E North St -see also #17, below).

12. $400,000 for Bogan's development (mentioned in an earlier post) to convert a contaminated former manufacturing site at 315 E. Frank St. into a nine-unit, multi-family housing development with a mixture of affordable and market-rate units as well as an on-site daycare center.

13. $2 million, in the form of a 9% tax credit for a 64-unit, mixed-income senior housing development at 522-530 South Rose St. Working as PGJ Developers LLC, the sponsoring partners of the project are Phil Seyfert, Garrett Seyfert, and Jon Durham, who were partners in the development of the nearby Harrison Circle Apartments -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8z0zjrxqwx...ring.jpg?raw=1
Source: Second Wave Media | Kalamazoo County

14. $1 million to help Young Kings & Queens Inc. to build BRIDGES Housing, a four-unit apartment building that would be built at 719 N. Burdick St. to provide housing for young adults with no previous renting experience -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/npm71te781...YKQ.jpeg?raw=1
Source: Second Wave Media | Kalamazoo County

15. $1.5 million to develop the 344-unit Abbey42, multi-family housing at 5283 East O Ave. in Pavilion Township.

16. $500,000, in the form of a 4% tax credit to support the development of two 12-unit, affordable housing complexes to serve as permanent housing and provide support services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking at 3405 Duke St. The units are targeted to serve households whose median incomes are less than 30 percent of median incomes in Kalamazoo County. The project, which has a total cost of $5.4 million, is working with several partner organizations including Housing Resources Inc., and YWCA Kalamazoo.

17. $740,000 for the development of the Mt. Zion Northside Senior Housing Development, a 74-unit multifamily apartment community for seniors to be located on land acquired from the Kalamazoo County Land Bank and the Kalamazoo Brownfield Redevelopment Authority in the 100 block of East North Street. The money is intended to fill the gap between the $21.3 million total development cost and expected available sources. The development is a project of Hollander Development Corp., working with Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Kalamazoo and nine other partner organizations.

18. $576,000 to support the development of Kalrecovery I & II, a $21.4 million project to provide housing for people recovering from substance abuse to be built on sites on Crosstown Parkway and Belford Street. Hollander Development Corp. is working on this one too, with more than a dozen partners, including Integrated Services of Kalamazoo and the Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals, to leverage state and private equity financing for the rent- and income-restricted apartment units. They include 24 new one-bedroom housing units for single people in drug treatment court programs, 12 new two- and three-bedroom apartments for families where the head of household is in recovery, and 36 new two- and three-bedroom apartments for low-income families with children that work but earn less than 60 percent of the area median income.

19. $500,000 to help the conversion of the former Knight’s Inn at 1211 S. Westnedge Ave. into Lodge House, an affordable, 60-unit studio apartment community. The LIFT Foundation, which strives to build, preserve, operate and maintain housing for low-income people, purchased the motel in January of 2020 to provide emergency shelter to help Kalamazoo’s homeless population survive the winter cold. It is converting the property into more permanent housing in a project that has a total cost of about $7.5 million -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/40e445po5i...use.jpeg?raw=1
Source: Second Wave Media | Kalamazoo County

Battle Creek -

New info is (finally) out regarding the former McCamly Plaza Hotel, including an animated flythrough of the proposed rehab, as well as an updated timeline -

The hotel has been closed since 2019. It will be a bit sad to see McCamley Place demolished as part of the process to convert the complex into a DoubleTree by Hilton. Hopefully the new digs will be worth it.

Here's a direct link to the flythrough video:

https://streamable.com/ndijyi

Kalamazoo -

The revamped Banks Street Farmers Market reopens this May to vendors and patrons. Work will still be ongoing while the market season rolls on. I'm interpreting this to mean that construction is behind-schedule, but the city cannot (or does not wish to) do another season at Mayors' Riverfront Park -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yakj0h849n...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mdc7ecym8y...%202.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/shhfqeag8l...%203.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jvul51ze0g...%204.jpg?raw=1
Source: Will Haenni | WWMT

Here's an aerial view of the downtown justice facility from a few days ago -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/g8wu5lxbym...lity.jpg?raw=1
Source: LinkedIn | CSM Group

It's been a slow two weeks for any exciting news / updates. Just a few small things -

Kalamazoo -

Downtown Justice Facility - Current screen grab of the construction camera. Temporary weather protection is up on floors 1 & 2. Spray-on fireproofing is being applied to structural steel on these levels. You can see some exterior insulation & weatherproofing being applied at grade too. The block stair towers have risen a little since the previously-posted shot. On a vacant lot 2 blocks west (here), I noticed a soil boring rig up and running last week. Not sure what that's about, but it appeared to be conducting some soil tests in that area. The lot is currently being used as construction staging for the justice center.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a9ril959zm...lity.png?raw=1
Source: Sensera Systems

Two new infill houses are under construction on Wall Street - in the Vine neighborhood. One is a single-family home and the other is a duplex. These photos are from about a month ago -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ghseipngxk...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d2185tfg68...%202.jpg?raw=1
Source: LinkedIn | City of Kalamazoo

Richland Township -

Gull Lake Community School's new Performing Arts Center is complete -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z0icj73uji...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/x8bpb5pwhu...%202.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7rtphlm0wb...%203.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5jzk7880qw...%204.jpg?raw=1
Source: LinkedIn | Kingscott Associates (Robert Atkins)

Battle Creek -

Based on the publish date of this article, I thought it might be a joke at first. But it looks legit -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/062al2w8bl...%201.JPG?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jdtcfm8tnd...%202.JPG?raw=1
Source: Battle Creek Enquirer | Provided

Kalamazoo -

The 9-story Crosstown Parkway Apartments just wrapped up a renovation. I don't know if the roof modifications were purely an aesthetic choice to "modernize" the structure, or if they serve a functional purpose (like concealing rooftop equipment or mitigating leaks). Either way, not a big fan.

Here's the "before" view, from 2019 -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wvwc9vkz6y...ents.jpg?raw=1
Source: WWMT | Patrick Hagan

And here's the new look (photos taken by me this morning) -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qqbpr9iuhn...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jhuk9sr5ab...%202.jpg?raw=1

Not much to report for 400 Rose. The exterior remains largely unchanged from my previous posting, except that building wrap is now being applied -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kzqnfwx0e9...%202.jpg?raw=1

I also walked past Lodge House this morning (the former Knights Inn on S. Westnedge Ave. that is undergoing a conversion to transitional housing) -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/f7clm7zu8r...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b35k8t1ruj...%202.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kanwzmmjpy...%203.jpg?raw=1

Portage -

Just heard this on the news this morning -

The park will be constructed on a ~ 1/2-acre parcel of donated land at the NE corner of Constitution Blvd. and Martin Luther King Dr. (near Celebration Cinema and Blain's Farm & Fleet). It will include sculptures, plaques, and a central fountain. If contracts are approved, construction could start in May, for a cost of ~ $500,000 -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8qio5kekq4...Park.JPG?raw=1
Source: MLive | City of Portage

Kalamazoo was featured recently on an episode of "John McGivern's Main Streets". They covered a lot of the predictable stuff - things like Bell's Brewery, The Gilmore (both the car museum and the music festival), Air Zoo, Gibson Guitars, Checker Cabs, Pfizer & Upjohn, paper, greenhouses, celery, the downtown pedestrian mall, and so on.

I've never heard of this show myself, but it's gotten some local buzz. You can watch the full thing on Youtube & educate yourself about our fair city here -

• Video Link

I don't really think the kazoo thing is true though (1:30 into the episode). The episode does provide a nice aerial of the city from a less common angle, featuring some of the newer construction -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vc08p6yse5...rial.jpg?raw=1
Source: Discover Kalamazoo | John McGivern's Main Streets

There was some eye-catching antenna work going on at the Comerica Bank building downtown today -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d1c54q4snl...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fc1rfpez9z...%202.jpg?raw=1

I drove by the new Farmers Market. It still looks from finished, but it will be open starting next weekend, regardless, while work progresses. It looks like the designers made a genuine effort at some placemaking within the central commons area. It should be a vast improvement and will easily accommodate many more vendors, vehicles, and patrons -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ecllp8oo8s...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kb2r2hme76...%202.jpg?raw=1

I also drove by Westgate Commons. These twin mixed-use buildings are pretty dull and practically finished -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3c37i4sn0k...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/32hivmsqcr...%202.jpg?raw=1

Time for some suburban updates. First, in Oshtemo Township -

This will be the first indoor playplace in Michigan by the California-based company, which operates 35 such entertainment centers in 8 states. It would be constructed in the vacant, former Pier 1 Imports space at Maple Hill Pavilion. It would look something like this.

Kalamazoo County is going roundabout crazy, with three new roundabouts planned in the not-so-distant future. The locations are as follows -

• Parkview Ave. and 11th St (Oshtemo Twp.). - 2023 construction
• Parkview Ave. and 12th St. (Oshtemo Twp.) - 2023 construction
• TU Ave. and 23rd St. (Schoolcraft Twp.) - 2024 construction

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nv5mtmgc15...uts.jpeg?raw=1
Source: MLive | RCKC

The Schoolcraft Township one seems particularly obscure. It is in a pretty rural area with very light traffic. Meanwhile, just this morning at another local roundabout that seems to give motorists trouble -

In Portage,

The elevator shaft for 850 Trade Centre Way is rising. It's at least 4 stories now (maybe 1 more to go?) -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c317zyi7ks...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0cuzzztqv0...%202.jpg?raw=1

The former Family Dollar at the corner of Westnedge & Kilgore was actively being demolished Friday morning. It is being replaced with the one thing that is less sexy than a Family Dollar: a "Drive & Shine" car wash, detailing, & oil change center -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/onutc8godn...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uiqbis3u6y...%202.jpg?raw=1

Lastly, just south of here, the Westnedge Meijer is undergoing a massive remodel. This is the oldest Meijer store in the region. Meijer has been updating all of it's older generation supermarkets in the area, including the one on West Main (Oshtemo Twp. - completed a year or two ago) and the one on Gull Rd. (ongoing). The Westnedge store had a unique, though somewhat dated style, including several businesses on the second floor (more akin to an indoor mall). I don't know if the second floor area (or its businesses) will remain after the remodel. The superstore is open during construction and I've heard from others that it's a nightmare navigating around inside & out, so I've been actively avoiding it -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cyznfz5rkw...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/57r3gygqkd...%202.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1em25q1kng...%203.jpg?raw=1

Kalamazoo -

The downtown justice facility with a delivery of CMU block, two days ago -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7m9jfk09vm...lity.jpg?raw=1
Source: Facebook | William Dolak

The new farmers market, two Sundays ago. Still lacking some roofing and finishing touches. I'm not sure what the cleared site to the left will be -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2wp905hd14...rket.jpg?raw=1
Source: MLive | Joel Bissell

Site plan review documents have been posted for 440 W Kalamazoo Ave. This will be a new urgent care facility, built on an existing surface lot in the rapidly developing Arcadia West area. The new, standalone building will be adjacent to ISK's existing space at 418 W Kalamazoo Ave. ISK serves the community by providing support for mental illness, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and substance use disorders -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/r6w2sbzkc4...tive.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2gake0s0kp...tion.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2nue2qcfcc...Plan.jpg?raw=1
Source: City of Kalamazoo

KPS district voters overwhelmingly approved a record-setting $197.1 million public school bond on May 3.

Portage -

Speaking of schools, here are some preliminary designs for two of Portage Public Schools' planned elementary schools (Central and Haverhill) -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ijrxk4mixj...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vebrykenwm...%202.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/blz0l81t17...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/na7cls78pp...%202.jpg?raw=1
Source: MLive | PPS

Battle Creek -

Future Double Tree / former McCamley Plaza Hotel progress. McCamley Place demolition can be seen in the foreground. I'm withholding judgment on the "graying" of the hotel tower -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qehcoiapix...tion.JPG?raw=1
Source: Battle Creek Enquirer | Courtesy Patman Droneography

https://www.dropbox.com/s/darirnmx6f...ring.jpg?raw=1
Source: Second Wave Media | BCU

Kalamazoo -

From a pioneering farm-to-table restaurant to a pioneering craft beer mogul's private library :shrug: -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4h8ubsbxfr...Bell.jpg?raw=1
Source: Ryan Boldrey | MLive

IF things go according to plan (and that's a big IF), Kalamazoo Ave. could be a 2-way street as soon as 2024 (with other major downtown streets like Michigan Ave., Westnedge Ave., and Park St. to follow) -

Portage -

The remodeled Portage District Library opened last week on Monday May 9. I haven't spotted any great photos yet. Here's the best I've found so far -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ksini6ztw8...rary.jpg?raw=1
Source: Marie Weidmayer | MLive

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pj6v7l460t...rary.jpg?raw=1
Source: Facebook | Andrea Klotz

https://www.dropbox.com/s/j0x9xxj5og...rary.jpg?raw=1
Source: Facebook | Portage District Library

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lnxwauf0cb...Plan.jpg?raw=1
Source: Facebook | Katie Reads

Nearby, the new Community Senior Center is about to open its doors too. A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for this Friday, May 20 -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jmg5jnrdft...nter.jpg?raw=1
Source: FOX 17 | City of Portage

Glad to see work on McCamley is finally underway!

Yes indeed... Battle Creek's 4th tallest was overdue for a refresh! I really hope the dark color turns out well on it. From the below rendering, it looks like they are painting or staining the existing brick, as opposed to cladding over it. The exception being the vertical elements, which I assume are some sort of metal cladding -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/oqe2ydqsyj...%202.jpg?raw=1
Source: Second Wave Media | BCU

Kalamazoo -

Schematic renderings + a walkthrough animation by Wightman & Associates and DLR Group have been released for the planned ~ $100 million KRESA career tech center in Kalamazoo. The badly-needed new center is intended to be open to high school students in 2024. It will be built on donated land near Wings Stadium. From the preliminary renderings, it looks like a pretty cool design -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fhe7x2gcge...%201.JPG?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qllizpgrsr...%202.JPG?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0dojgr3ae7...%203.JPG?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wiifp63d47...%204.JPG?raw=1
Source: MLive | Courtesy KRESA

• Video Link

Windows are going in at 400 Rose Phase 2, and water is already flowing at the new nature playscape near Bronson Park. These photos are two weeks old, I just forgot to post sooner -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1laq2zz8ot...%202.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5rco8uk50o...cape.jpg?raw=1

Kalamazoo County's $95 million downtown justice facility officially celebrated its topping out yesterday (mostly on schedule & on budget) -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gj9an9wzt0...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0mvg20uj6e...%202.jpg?raw=1
Source: WWMT | Kalamazoo County

Pictured here this morning (topping-out beam on top-right) -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rbcy0h2xdk...lity.png?raw=1
Source: CSM Group | Sensera Systems

Thanks for keeping us up-to-date on developments in Southwest Michigan Deja Vu! I'm definitely looking forward to the one-way streets becoming two-ways.

It's also exciting to see the steady improvements to downtown. Hopefully, there are many more to come.

Thanks - I'm glad you appreciate the updates! I too am excited about the city's long-overdue return to 2-way streets. The antiquated 1-way loop system was a bad idea when it was implemented, and it ultimately hurt downtown business more than it helped (countless other examples of this throughout the country too). Kalamazoo is way too small of an urban center to justify this heavy-handed approach.

Even though we're still 4-5 years out from seeing actual results for Kalamazoo Ave., the city's complete streets program has been exacting other improvements throughout the city already. Most notable right now is the traffic calming measures happening along the reconstructed Stadium Dr. I've read a lot of complaints from motorists about the plans, but the simple reality is that they get used to the changes pretty quickly once they are in place, and it enhances safety for them as well as for cyclists and pedestrians.

I had the opportunity to attend a hard hat tour of the under-construction downtown justice facility yesterday. Here are some photos from that tour. It's still hard to believe that this much progress has been made in a little over 1 year, during a pandemic with soaring inflation and supply chain issues. Harder yet to believe that they are scheduled to be complete in just 12 more months (July 2023) -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ggpp2d4ajo...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/to51a3qvc9...%202.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7llcc5m126...%203.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hatit9py2g...%204.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pl9h5s27l1...%205.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zqod7honyv...%206.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zxdzir1xgi...%207.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4xpgw7hfhk...%208.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ee21s0l3b...%209.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cndsjd6qnd...2010.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c975i3cdij...2011.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i8s98p4iyf...2012.jpg?raw=1

(part 2)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bd65lki9qi...2013.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/06theldroz...2014.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pvdm4jgsjc...2015.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/w8tyojoqxm...2016.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/prh0hyc6gs...2017.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/693plgodoy...2018.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/h72wgaidgx...2019.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ofbb4u64c...2020.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uiv503jwvy...2021.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ayn50lcb44...2022.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bzxhhnnkmd...2023.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/brgipfaycl...2024.jpg?raw=1

There were two recent site plan review submissions for Kalamazoo's Eastside Neighborhood. 1802 E Main St. is a proposed renovation of a vacant property for a new restaurant. Two blocks south, 1601 E Main St. involves a new 2-story, mixed-use commercial / residential building on this vacant corner lot.

Both are smaller-scale projects, but important pieces in a bigger plan to revitalize the core of this neighborhood -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/oshbd5hc8x...view.jpg?raw=1
Source: City of Kalamazoo | INFORM Architecture

https://www.dropbox.com/s/j5yegb0fa3...view.jpg?raw=1
Source: City of Kalamazoo | INFORM Architecture

The justice facility is bigger than I was expecting. Looks good!

Yeah it is massive. I think I heard ~ 165,000 SF mentioned during the tour. It is 5 stories above grade, but really 7 total if you include the basement and the penthouse. The first floor is raised 8 ft. above grade (for security reasons) and some of the floors are 18 ft. floor-to-floor, so it is quite tall too, for a 5 story building. Case in point, those white columns on the front (south) façade are 90-ft. tall, single continuous pieces. The facility will contain 11 courtrooms and basement parking & holding cells.

Phase one of the Children's Nature Playscape opened yesterday in downtown Kalamazoo, next to Bronson Park -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n65lkq93rr...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/53fwnpg03r...%202.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6mz6s6w5eo...%203.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/12kizceleu...%204.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bxnagx5di4...%205.jpg?raw=1
Source: MLive | Gaby Broekema

Worth a mention that Parkwyn Village was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. This part of the Winchell neighborhood in Kalamazoo contains numerous mid-century masterpieces, including homes by Frank Lloyd Wright and Norman Carver Jr. Lots of photos at the article link -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gbw1580xar...%201.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/t0gvl9308p...%202.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1z48alqio7...%203.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sb9ag0rsfq...%204.jpg?raw=1
Source: Gabi Broekema | MLive

The Kalamazoo City Commission approved TIF for the Northside neighborhood. The plan would also help fund an African American Museum in Kalamazoo.

Kalamazoo City Commission approves tax capture plan for Northside
https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo...northside.html

I'm fully in support of the idea for an African American Museum in Kalamazoo. I'm not convinced that all of the right players are involved yet to make it a reality, but it seems to be gaining some momentum. Rev. William Stein is one of the individuals behind the effort. I don't know him personally, but he seems like a character. Recently involved in this rather odd scenario -

Maybe it was just a case of poor communication, but the whole thing seemed a little shady to me.