Originally Posted by LMich (Post 8247718)

I think we've reached a point in a lot of these cities where attracting residents for "downtown amenities/living" instead of attracting downtown jobs to lure residents has kind of diminishing returns; we've kind of maxed out the "people who want to live downtown because of the cool shops/parks" category of potential downtown residents.

Originally Posted by LMich (Post 8247718)

...As for residential development, I guess I also overstated the amount of it. But what I was getting at is that relative to commercial development in say the last 15-20 years, that most development downtown - and I was talking mainly conversions into lofts and such - has been more residential than commercial, right?

Originally Posted by LMich (Post 8247718)

...It just seems to me that it'd be easier for Kalamazoo to try and land some bigger downtown employers to spur larger-scale residential developers, because it seems doing is it the other way around hasn't been working. But this is true of most of Michigan's cities. I think we've reached a point in a lot of these cities where attracting residents for "downtown amenities/living" instead of attracting downtown jobs to lure residents has kind of diminishing returns; we've kind of maxed out the "people who want to live downtown because of the cool shops/parks" category of potential downtown residents.

Originally Posted by subterranean (Post 8248007)

Yes. It's the main failure from a state policy perspective, too. Or at least it was with the 'placemaking' programs. I was initially skeptical when the community development programs moved from MSHDA to MEDC, but now I'm optimistic. I've spent enough time in the great urban centers on the west coast to understand that if there are the right jobs, then people will come. And urbanism is en vogue right now, hopefully for good, but who knows. It's important have the middle and high density housing typologies many Michigan downtowns are so sorely lacking, and the amenities, but you need to have the jobs. And the schools. Schools are also where so many communities fail badly. Without good schools, you're going to get the young professional set and perhaps a couple empty nesters, but you're not winning unless you're getting the people with kids. End of story.

Originally Posted by LMich (Post 8250400)

Hmmm, I like the angles on the older version, but they did better with the roof in the newer one.

Originally Posted by LMich (Post 8262219)

That is an exceptional design for an industrial/processing/light industrial facility, way more than I was expecting. Heck, that would be a nice design for its usage anywhere in the country.

Originally Posted by LMich (Post 8277286)

I don't know how I didn't realize Kalamazoo Promise was going to be one of the anchor tenants of Catalyst.

Midtown Fresh looks great. Is this an independent or local company? It's really great to see these places open up in the city. Lansing's then-rep and current mayor sponsored a bill last year that passed that requires requires the Michigan Strategic fund to set aside 5% of its subsidies through its Community Revitalization Program for the attraction of urban/downtown grocery stores. So I hope we see more of these. It's little things like this that can really make the most difference.

Originally Posted by deja vu (Post 8019951)

^ I think it is one of the biggest unsolved issues with regards to the downtown infrastructure design (or lack thereof). My one comment to the City on the recently-approved masterplan earlier this year was disappointment that they did not address the topic, even after it was raised in multiple community forums. I understand it is a complex issue, with multiple stakeholders involved (City Officials, MDOT, the Grand Elk RR, local businesses). But the current system is not sustainable. I was surprised to learn that there is actually a local ordinance on the books, limiting the amount of time that a train can block a road. I have never seen this enforced.

When Grand Elk took over operations of these tracks in 2009, they started bringing in more cargo traffic from the east (Jackson). Train traffic has been steadily growing, which is a good sign of the local economy. I for one don't think the city would be better off without its trains (there are some that do). The problem is that there is no way for trains coming into the city from the east to head directly north, toward Grand Rapids. To go north, trains must first go south to a switch in the Edison neighborhood, stop, transfer tracks, then head north. The opposite is also true (south-bound trains that want to head east). This all happens along tracks that intersect the two major east-west roadways through downtown.

The overpass / underpass solution is not my favorite, and I understand why a vote for it failed in the 80's. If it had been built, it would have really put a chokehold on any of the new development that has since happened on the east side / River's Edge district. If it was proposed again today, I'd guess that it would fail again. Some have suggested that an easier solution would be to construct a new switch that allows trains from the east to go directly north. I think the area of this hypothetical new switch would roughly be bounded by Porter St, Ransom St, and Walbridge St. There's not a lot there currently. It's a compelling idea to me; I don't know if it's ever been officially discussed with Grand Elk. Funding would need to be worked out, and land acquisition, zoning, etc.

I don't think the idea to run all / most of the trains at off-peak hours is very practical either. Because cargo traffic has grown, there are multiple major train crossings during day (maybe 5-6 on average). They also already run trains at night. I live right near the tracks, and hear them multiple times nearly every night. I don't think the existing Grand Elk rail yard has the resources, physical space, or the will to try and run a lot more of their trains at night / off-peak hours. At best, this is a Band-Aid.

As an aside, I work in a building just a few blocks west of the Michigan Ave. at-grade RR crossing. Fortunately I can usually come up with a commute that circumvents the delays. But on occasion I have been caught in the gridlock, and when that happens, I just park on the street, walk to work, and move my car later, after the train has cleared. Most locals know ways to get around the stopped trains, the problem is for visitors / those just passing through, and for the times when you get caught unawares and are stuck in a middle lane of stopped traffic with no escape. Because of the way Michigan Ave. bends at Portage St. it is sometimes hard to know that there is a train block ahead until it is too late, because sight lines are blocked.

I've watched the several hours-long delays from my work window and it is no joke. A city of this caliber that is trying to grow needs a better solution. Local businesses do take advantage of it though by coming outside and selling food / refreshments from car to car when the delays hit. So in a weird way, the train delays have actually created their own micro-economy of sorts.

Originally Posted by NSC1109 (Post 8281199)

Regarding the time-limit law: It's not enforceable. The City of Plymouth had a similar law on the books; when they tried to enforce it, CSX Transportation took them to court and won. As a result, it's generally seen as a waste of time to try to ticket the train crew.

There is no easy fix to this issue. An overpass design was floated back in the 70s but that's totally impractical now, thanks to the economic development near the tracks. It doesn't help that the wye track connecting the Michigan Line to the Grand Elk main is one of the tightest I've ever seen, requiring slow speeds in order to not derail. Additionally, the way the track is laid out is not conducive to an efficient operation. Back in the 20th century, there were multiple railroads operating in Kalamazoo, including giants Pennsylvania and New York Central (prior to that, Michigan Central was the operator as an NYC subsidiary). They both had routes going north/south. Now, both those routes remain, but the NYC one ends just north of the city limit near Mosel Ave. The PRR route continues all the way to GR. The Kalamazoo-GR manifest train has to back all the way out of the yard to CP Gibson (near Gibson Street), flip the switch, and then head north, blocking off downtown twice. During the time of Conrail and NS, they operated trains directly from the major yard in Elkhart to GR without having to stop in Kalamazoo. Any time a train took the wye in Kalamazoo, they were likely headed to or from the metro Detroit area. Until Grand Elk took over in 2009, there was never any need for a second wye. It wasn't a huge problem back during the early days, since the economic downturn dropped traffic levels dramatically. Grand Elk brought a lot of those customers back and then some, and now NS is back in the game, routing Jackson- and Battle Creek-bound cars via Grand Elk to be picked up by two different NS locals, one from Jackson and one from Battle Creek. Business is booming for the Elk, but the logistics of it need a major overhaul.

Originally Posted by LMich (Post 8288510)

Make us a map showing all the downtown sites! ;)

Originally Posted by LMich (Post 8314337)

Exciting? Hey, do you have a site plan for this one that could be posted?

Originally Posted by LMich (Post 8341070)

180 East Water is the Catalyst development, right?

I didn't recognize the name. BTW, from which direction will this most be visible on the skyline?

Originally Posted by Sar (Post 8345656)

What are the plans if any for more taller buildings in the city? Seems like it’s space for them and it would definitely bring people downtown. Also why hasn’t more been built? Kalamazoo looks and feels different with the Exchange being built.

Originally Posted by deja vu (Post 8346872)

Unfortunately, there's nothing else on my radar that's greater than 7 stories (The Catalyst development that recently broke ground). I agree there's certainly the space for more taller buildings, and the need for greater density downtown. I think Kalamazoo has been trying to put on it's big kid pants and I hope it is successful. A few more 15-20 story towers would be a dream. But I don't expect to see something on the scale of The Exchange for a long time. I think the apparent slow pace is the result of a variety of factors.

1. - The local market - demand for office space and housing is pretty high right now, but it's all relative. The addition of The Exchange and The Catalyst development alone will "flood" the downtown with new, class-A office space, and to a lesser extent, market-rate housing. I think developers are wary to finance much more until they see the market react to this extra real estate, and maybe wait until after the next recession.

2. - Lack of Outside Investors - Most of the development is by developers based right in Kalamazoo, or maybe Grand Rapids. They usually move very slowly and methodically, handling only 1 or two sizable projects every few years. Outside investors have not shown interest in Kalamazoo on a large scale lately. Perhaps they are not willing to take on risk in an unknown market in a smaller-sized, midwest city?

3. - Nature of Local industry - I think a lot of businesses that are economically important to the area locate further south, in Portage, where they can sprawl. There's a big manufacturing presence here, and those operations demand land that is cheap, easily developable, and business-friendly. Portage wins out over Kalamazoo in most cases on this front.

4. - Infrastructure - The city has some deficiencies when it comes to roads, public transit, parking, utilities, and downtown amenities. It's making progress on perhaps all of these (except roads, in my opinion).

5. - Poverty - Last but not least, the poverty rate for Kalamazoo is abysmal. It's around 32 - 33% (source). More than double the rate at the state level, and almost 3 times the national rate. It's hard to attract impressive development to a city where 1/3 of it's inhabitants are considered poor. The homelessness in Kalamazoo is also a big issue. The number is between 300 and 400, depending on where you get the data. Doesn't seem like a lot, but in a city of around 75,000, that's quite a lot. I also read recently that Kalamazoo Public Schools had the highest percentage of homeless or transient students of any district in the state - I think it was 12%! So 1 in almost every 8 kids doesn't have a permanent home.

Originally Posted by Sar (Post 8347037)

Yea you are right on on those points for sure. What ever happened to that 20 story building that was being proposed for downtown back in 2013? Pretty sure that it didn't gain enough funds for it.

Originally Posted by deja vu (Post 8348020)

Somewhat related to the previous points, the City is making an effort to increase the cash flow to support downtown improvements. Or at least experimenting with different ideas. At Monday night's monthly meeting, the Commission voted to approve the creation of a new Downtown Economic Growth Authority (DEGA) to replace the former DDA. This new authority will oversee the allocation of funds that will be captured from a new, larger TIF (Tax Increment Financing) overlay district. In short, the funds grabbed with the old TIF district have dwindled from millions to a few hundred thousand dollars since 2008. Under this new plan, more businesses will fall within the boundaries of the district, but business owners won't pay a cent more, meaning more local tax revenue will be allocated directly to downtown improvements.

I think it is a good move, and we'll see if it pays off.

Also somewhat related, I noticed from other news sources covering this story that Downtown Kalamazoo Inc. seems to be in the process of quietly rebranding itself as Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership. At least, I think they are...it's the same people involved, but a new website. The old website seems to have dissapeared in the past few days...I don't really know why they had a name change, although it does sound more like a non-profit now. The new website has some additional info on the proposed (now adopted) DEGA. Scroll to the bottom of the webpage, if interested.

https://www.downtownkalamazoo.org/about-dki