It's a long story. One that predates my time in the City and one that I'm still learning about. I've actually been thinking about doing an extended post on it in the near future once I research it some more, because those sorts of things are interesting to me / us.

The short-ish version is that WMU once owned a bunch of open, natural land, (called The Aboretum), which was a natural buffer to the sprawling development happening on the west side, and which worked just fine for Arcadia residents. Then WMU got the idea to start selling it off piecemeal to various developers and the city. A new Middle School was built, several other development proposals fell through. There were debates about the sale of the land, then debates about the subsequent construction of the new road (Aboretum Parkway) and reconstruction of Howard, local traffic congestion concerns, open / recreational space concerns, density / number of units and parking worries, rezoning fights, etc. Throw a new West Side master plan into the works (one that many felt didn't represent their interests or the final development results), and you have a bit of chaos.

Some residents claim that the approved master plan never anticipated this amount of density, and it was effectively shoved down their throats. But the City's position when it approved these current apartments was that far worse uses could have occurred there (i.e. big box), and that there is a large need for this type of housing in the city, and, oh yeah, that the added taxes don't hurt either.

The whole area is burgeoning with new construction now. AVB's Walden Woods Condo development (itself riddled with controversy) is just a stone's throw east of these Parkway flats, and is on Phase 2 or 3 now. I'm remaining neutral on it all until I understand the issues better.

Wait, so they took apart an arboretum? In that case, I'm against it. I'll have to look up the area on an aerial, but I can't imagine there wasn't fallow land over that way that wasn't a forest.

BTW, what was this originally zoned? It's weird that big boxes would have been possible. I imagine it must be a PUD (planned unit development) or something similar?

It is generally referred to as The Arboretum, but it was never a true, planned Arboretum like, say, Ann Arbor's. My understanding is that it was originally a tract of 183 acres of land, some of it open fields, some of it wooded, and all of it without official trails, access points, etc. Anyone who used it was just accessing it from their yard or adjoining property. Presumably the more cleared areas were at one time used for agriculture, before the area urbanized, and if things had gone a different direction, it could have been kept in its natural state and converted into an actual nature destination (an aside - WMU does in fact own and maintain a nature preserve in the city, called Kleinstuck preserve, which is actually quite beautiful).

The first development proposal that started everything came in 1994 (this ended up not being built, but it was the trigger for everything that followed). In February 2005 the City adopted the new West Side Area Plan. I found a PDF of it here if you want to look at it. I haven't read it all yet, but I tried skimming it to learn what the land was originally zoned as. All I could find out was that at least the 80 acres north of the existing Arcadia neighborhood were originally zoned as low density residential (see pg 7 of the plan, under 'C'). I don't know if this means that all 183 acres were zoned that way though - the plan is not clear in that regard and I would have to dig up old zoning maps to verify. In October 2006, the City Commission approved rezoning 30 acres of property along Drake for commercial / community (CC) use, which implies that it was maybe zoned residential too, prior to that. In 2016, 12 acres of that same 30 acres of land was rezoned again, this time to multi-family residential (RM-24), to support the current 'Flats' development. That is where the threat about "this could have become all big box stores" came from. It was the developer and the city saying, well, be thankful we rezoned this part of the land again so that you can have apartments instead of another Walmart.

The below two articles give some more info. The timeline is a particularly helpful summary of events:

Thanks for the background. But, most important, who owns the land? Is it a single owner or different owners? It doesn't sound like it was publicly owned, in which case would change my opinion of it.

The property was at one time all owned by the Western Michigan University Foundation, a private, non-profit fundraising unit that supports the school. Through a series of land deals, now it is a mix of different owners for various parcels.

Kalamazoo's next restaurant is soon to open in early December at the site of The Foundry, East Side:

With WMU's new(ish) president, apparently there comes some new priorities for the campus' future building plans. News today that instead of constructing new dorms to replace the current 'Valley' neighborhood, priority will instead be given to replacing aging dorms in what is referred to as the South Neighborhood:

Several tantilizing little teasers in that press release. But really, pretty much anything would be better than what is there currently, which is a whole bunch of this.

^ I was thinking about this some more. After hearing not too long ago that the Goldsworth Valley residence halls project was being placed on indefinite hold, it really is surprising to hear this new plan. Goldsworth Valley provides housing for approximately 3,000 students (I think mostly freshman). They are in the 'back' of campus, and not too visible to most visitors. Until recently, WMU had plans to demolish all three buildings (which were built in the 1960's), and construct new housing in the same location.

Conversely, the South neighborhood is arrayed off of the Ring Road, generally approximating the route of Stadium Drive. The buildings here are more visible to visitors and passers-by, and they are where the new attention is being focused. The South neighborhood includes three residence halls and 16 buildings that make up the Elmwood Apartments complex (leased mostly to upperclassmen, married families, or students with kids). These Elmwood Apartments were constructed in the mid 1950's and are pretty bare-bones. The promotional video below doesn't really do much to hide that fact.

• Video Link

They are now slated to be demolished in Summer 2018. The new dorms (or apartments?) are projected to be completed in 2020, and offer multiple housing options that students can advance through. Because WMU is saying that they want this to have a significant impact for those approaching the University, I'm hoping that this means some height, some mass, and some strong design. Because of the setbacks from Stadium Drive and the existing railroad tracks, the new structures would need to be substantial to have any impact from the public point of view along Stadium Drive. As you can see in the below diagram, they occupy quite a bit of potential land today:

https://hbtwbq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Base Image Source: Google Maps

It was also reported on Wood TV that the new student center will go in where a portion of McCracken Hall was demo'd earlier this year. Surprisingly, this will be the first-ever dedicated student center building on campus. That project is expected to cost $73 million and be completed in 2021. The Bernhard Center is currently used as a temporary student center. WMU intends to either replace or significantly refurbish all of its campus housing options by 2035.

https://frvx4q-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Image Source: WMU News

Reading the article, I'm still a bit unsure about something. Aside from them definitely tearing down the Elmwood Apartments, is what's being built there a replacement for both the demolished apartment and existing three dormintories in the Southern Neighborhood, or just a replacement for the demolished apartments? In my mind, they could probably just upgrade the existing dormitories while still replacing the low-rise apartments.

Also - and this is more of a general observation than anything - but I hate how the Amtrak/NS line divides campus like that. I think I'm particularly bothered, because it doesn't even serve anything on campus, not a passenger station, or a power plant, or a warehouse, nothing. Though, I imagine the line predates much of the campus. It'd have just been so cool had it not been there and the campus have developed retail and such on Stadium Drive.

Reading between the lines in WMU's press release and other news sources, I'm guessing that the three large residence halls will remain, and only the World War 2-esque Elmwood 'barracks' will be going. It's just a guess, but I would think the University will upgrade (and not destroy) these three.

Could not agree more. The long-established railroad infrastructure in this town is a reality that has had widespread effects on urban planning throughout the city as a whole. It continues to constrict efforts to connect edges of different districts together, and there is no easy fix. Stadium Drive could have developed very differently if not for those tracks - something more akin to West Michigan Ave. - walkable, pedestrian-oriented. As it is now, it is a pretty barren stretch of business loop highway in the middle of the city. The railroad really cuts off the University (and K-College) from the downtown and parts east.

High's in the 50s today - not too bad for December in Kalamazoo. Crews at most of the job sites are taking advantage of the fair weather. Time to stretch the legs and see what's happening around town...

1. Stryker HQ is rising. A lot of workers on site today, so couldn't get too close:

https://ibsnyw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://gxsnyw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

2. Portage North Middle School - a few welders were on site today:

https://irsnyw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://hxsnyw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://hhsnyw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://fbsnyw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

3. Trade Centre III is 99% complete from the outside. The interior work is ongoing. It's corporate / suburban / etc. at its greatest, but a good addition to Class A office suite options in Portage:

https://frsnyw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://hbumvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://hrumvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://gxumvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

4. HomeGoods Inc. exterior finishes (combination of brick masonry and EIFS) being installed:

https://ghumvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

5. Kalamazoo's future home for its consolidated Department of Health & Human Services, which is to be housed in an old industrial building at the former Allied Paper Company site. This is a project that I am excited to see happening so quickly, and I really hope all of the window openings remain:

https://ibumvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://irumvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://hhumvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://hxumvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

6. Metal cladding going up at 381 / 383 South Pitcher Street. Strictly Performance Motorsports will be the primary future tenant:

https://fbumvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

7. Remodel of the well-detailed 320 E. Michigan Ave. is ongoing. First floor retail and upper floors apartments:

https://frumvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

8. The Exchange - check out the building thread to see more photos:

https://ghtwbq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://gxtwbq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

9. Walking along the KRVT - I wanted to see how the recently finished downtown connecting segment, with new signage and trail markings, felt. In short, it felt hastily slapped together. Now that the trail is fully connected through downtown, hopefully the city will spend resources to beautify specific sections of it:

https://hbutag-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://hrutag-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

10. There is a new brewery set to open December 15 on North Kalamazoo Mall - called Final Gravity. In what has long been a dead zone, hopefully it does well and inspires other new investment in the area:

https://ghutag-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

11. Future home of Wightman & Associates, a Benton Harbor-based A&E firm that is relocating its Portage office to River's Edge District:

https://gxutag-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://ibutag-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

12. The new Gull / Ransom / Harrison roundabout. I've driven it (it works!) and now I've walked it. Not nearly as confusing or dangerous feeling as many were fearful of:

https://irutag-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

13. Not new construction, but just for fun, here's a few more pics along the KRVT. Found some neat little gems of public art under the Michigan Ave. bridge that spans Portage Creek:

https://hhutag-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://frutag-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://hxutag-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://fbutag-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://hbss9g-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://hrss9g-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

14. Bronson's downtown labs project (in the former Gazette Building). They are working on insulating and weatherproofing the remaining portion of the historic Albert Kahn building that was not demo'd. I still can't find any info on what is planned for the remainder of the cleared site. What is happening currently is presumably just phase 1, with a future addition coming (we hope):

https://ghss9g-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://gxss9g-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

15. A small project, Mercantile Bank's new branch, is going up on W. Centre & Oakland Drive.

https://ibss9g-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

16. And finally, AVB's 'Whisper Rock' Condos, Phase 1. They look pretty much like every other AVB project:

https://irss9g-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://hhss9g-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

Also on the agenda for the City Commission meeting tonight will be a recommendation to rezone the 37-acre Mayors' Riverfront Park (located at 251 Mills Street) from Zone M-1 (Manufacturing, Limited) to Zone CMU (Commercial, Mixed-Use).

The City Commission agreed to change the zoning at Mayors' Riverfront Park from M-1 to CMU at Monday's session. There still will be a public hearing on the issue, on December 18.

Looking on Patronicity, DKI evidently achieved its fundraising goal for planned enhancements to Bates Alley. $50,000 was targeted, $55,000 was raised. MEDC will provide a matching grant of $50,000, so there is now $105,000 in the pot for this positive upgrade downtown.

BTW, the City recently rolled out a new website that they claim is more user friendly.

Since this is going to a public hearing, do you mean a committee of the city commission aproved the rezoning, and then it goes to a public hearing, and then the full city commission? At least that's how it works in my town.

I was reading a bit more about it, and it doesn't sound like the rezoning is really much more than to bring it into similar zoning to the surrounding properties. Doesn't sound like a rezoning for redevelopment. But, I guess what that does kind of hint at is that they are looking at the surrounding area in a new way.

Looking at aerials, it seems like this is pretty well disconnected from downtown (kind of like the issues with WSU) because of rail and industrial areas. Hopefully as redevelopment spreads outward they can figure out a way to pull it in closer to the center. It seems that's a problem with a lot of near-downtown neighborhoods in Kalamazoo. A lot of bad planning fairly early in the city's history that kind of prevented dense, inner-city neighborhoods around the downtown. And, what I can only was "urban renewal" they did north of the Amtrak line north of downtown was a travesty. I wonder what that area used to look like?

^ The request originally came from the Community Planning and Development Department, and it was reviewed by the Planning Commission at their November 2 meeting. The PC moved to approve the rezoning request and send it up to the City Commission for review (November 2 PC Meeting Minutes). It was then reviewed by the full City Commission board on Monday, with recommendation to proceed with amending the zoning ordinance. The minutes for that meeting are not approved / posted yet, but I heard this from others who have spoken with City staff. After the required public hearings, it goes back to the full City Commission for a final vote. I think this is the typical format in Kzoo.

At the 11/2 PC meeting, during the public comment portion, concerns were raised by the owner of the adjacent scrapyard, including the fact that some of the park land overlaps his property, and that he would lose his M-1 buffer that separates the scrap yard from CMU (the scrap yard is M-2). He and another commenter also asked for more info about the City's redevelopment plans and raised concern that the property is in a floodplain and how would that be handled for any commercial or residential development.

^ No details about development plans in the proposed rezoning area have been publically shared - yet. But the City has wanted to grow development in this area for a while, so I would expect that there will be more news to come on this front. Also waiting to hear from the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority about the results of their RFP to developers to develop 4 parcels in the River's Edge district. Those RFPs were due Nov 3 with Developer Selection supposed to take place Dec 3.

^ Very true. The City as a whole took a worse hit than many during the 1960s - 1970s - its downtown and surroundings were ravaged by urban renewal - I remember reading somewhere that more than 50% of the buildings downtown were demolished during this time. Lynn Houghton and Pamela O'Connor's book Kalamazoo Lost & Found is a great resource for some of the great buildings that were lost.

^^^ SO much was lost...I could start a whole new thread on the topic of great buildings lost to the wrecking ball in Kalamazoo (hey, that's an idea!) I was trying to find a specific historic aerial photo online when I remembered that I took a photo of a print of it that was on display during the Imagine Kalamazoo process. You can compare between the two images to get a rough sense of how dense downtown once was. I don't know the exact date of the historic photo, but it had to be sometime in the 1940s - 1950s (right before everything started turning into parking lots). The yellow bounded area is the Arcadia Commons West blocks, a reference point between the two images. Michigan Ave runs N-S down the center of the image. Northside (which suffered the greatest losses) is to the left of Michigan Ave:

Then (c. 1950s):
https://gabdba-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

Now:
https://frss9g-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

Here's just a few other structures that went away, due to bad planning and / or good intentions (at the time):

1. The Original Upjohn Company HQ, a complex of buildings near Henrietta (now John) Street, which included a 13 story Art Deco tower:

https://f6bdba-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: MLive

Today all that remains is the white building in the foreground. Notice that all of the residences are gone too, replaced by parking or large structures for WMU, Zoetis, and Bronson:

https://gqbdba-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: Google Earth

2. The Hanselman Building and Burdick Hotel, along Michigan Ave. and Rose St:

https://gkbdba-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

https://hqbdba-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: migenweb.org

The Burdick Hotel burned down (several times), and Hanselman was destroyed to make way for City Centre (now the Radisson):

https://habdba-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: MLive

3. Browne Block / Peck Building, situated along S. Burdick and E South St. (today's Kalamazoo Mall):

https://hkbdba-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

It was demolished in 1975 to make way for a parking deck (background) and the single-story building in the midground that houses an insurance agency today. Sharon Ferraro, Kalamazoo's Historic Preservation Coordinator, is holding the historic photo:

https://g6bdba-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: MLive

4. Commercial buildings west of the Kalamazoo Building:

https://eabdba-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: MLive

These were demolished for a parking lot, which remained for many decades:

https://eqbdba-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2916...7i13312!8i6656

Today, this is where The Exchange is being constructed:
https://hbsnyw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: My Photo (12/2/17)

5. Kalamazoo National Guard Armory at 162 E. Water Street:

https://gqzcpa-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: kpl.org

This was demolished for parking:

https://gazcpa-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: Google Maps

More growth in Kalamazoo / Portage's biomedical sectors:

All good news for the local economy.

I posted this over at SSC. Not new development, but worth sharing:

Another building that was sadly lost, and a great example of mid-century modern Architecture in the Kalamazoo area (and in my humble opinion, anywhere in the world) was the Upjohn Company's Headquarters / Building 88. It was designed by SOM, with Sasaki Associates doing the landscape design. Construction began in 1959 and it opened in 1961. It was 300,000 SF across 2 stories, and housed over 500 administrative employees at its peak. It was tragically demolished by Pfizer, the Pharmaceutical giant of a company that bought out Upjohn, in 2007, claiming it was expensive to maintain and no longer necessary to the operations of the company. It had many innovative features, including 9 separate courtyard spaces, all uniquely landscaped, escalators that turned on automatically when you approached them, underground VIP parking with all marble finishes...

Some design renderings, by SOM:
https://hqytvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source:Upjohn.net

https://g6ytvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source:Upjohn.net

Site plan, by Sasaki:
https://gkytvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: sasaki.com

Under construction - you can see the pyramid ceiling which is integrated with the structure. Over 4,000 pyramids comprised the finished ceilings:
https://gqz44q-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: Upjohn.net

https://eqytvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: Upjohn.net

Under construction - concrete wall with stone finish:
https://f6z44q-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: Upjohn.net

Under construction - in the main courtyard:
https://gaz44q-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: Upjohn.net

Under construction - nearing completion:
https://hkytvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source:Upjohn.net

Sasaki STILL has amazing photographs (by Ezra Stoller) of this building on their website:

Main courtyard, after completion:
https://gaytvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: sasaki.com

Looking west across pond towards the main production facilities (across Portage Road from the HQ):
https://f6ytvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: sasaki.com

Looking the other way, towards the front of the building:
https://gqytvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: sasaki.com

Here's some more completed photos, all found on Upjohn.net:

View from front carport entry, with all-marble finishes:
https://hqz44q-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

Board Room:
https://haz44q-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

Conference / meeting room:
https://hkz44q-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

Workspace view and servery scene:
https://gqzjpw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

General dining room:
https://gkz44q-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

Executive dining room:
https://g6z44q-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

An executive's office:
https://eaz44q-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

Employee Rec room:
https://eqz44q-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

Small courtyard, by night:
https://gazjpw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

Another small courtyard view:
https://f6zjpw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

Walt Disney was friends with Don Gilmore, former president of Upjohn. He would show up occasionally on the site:
https://eaytvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: findingwalt.com

Aerial view in 2006, shortly before demolition in 2007:
https://haytvg-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: findingwalt.com"]findingwalt.com

Photos from right before / during demolition activies:
https://hazjpw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: Dusty Sexton | flikr.com

https://hqzjpw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: Dusty Sexton | flikr.com

https://gkzjpw-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none
Source: Dusty Sexton | flikr.com

Today, it's all just an empty, grassy field.

Anyway, hope that was interesting for you. If there's one building that I could bring back from the dead in Kalamazoo / Portage, this would be it. There are plenty more photos, news articles, etc. on Memories of the Upjohn Company (Upjohn.net), if anyone is interested.

What the hell was Pfizer thinking demolishing all that, but leaving this crap?

https://gqbdba-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

I was so pissed when they brought down the headquartesr building (Building 25) on Henrietta. It wasn't the most beautiful building, but it has a nice enough massing that it added bulk to the skyline. You can really see the hole it left in this aerial from 2006:

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1GLqgDgTr...alamazoo-3.jpg
Photographic Lawbook

Before:

http://www.theaustin.com/sites/defau...?itok=9P-RapUm
The Austin Company

^ I cringe everytime I see it. I generally refuse to believe the argument of excessive expenses for upkeep (especially with Pfizer). Alternative uses could have been found.

Kalamazoo gets a new highrise about once every generation. To lose what was effectively its 3rd tallest (and only one of three buildings 150+ feet) was a great loss. It did have a simplistic beauty, but the warm brick tones were such a good contrast to what surrounded it. Now, that whole block is sterile and harsh at street level, perhaps fitting for an area occupied by a medical school and animal pharmaceutical research facilities. There is zero interaction at street level except for at the secured entrances to the buildings that exist today. I drive past it almost every day and imagine what was there, and what could have been. If there was a second building in Kalamazoo that I could resurrect, after Upjohn's Building 88, it might have to be Building #25.