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KALAMAZOO / PORTAGE / BATTLE CREEK | Development Thread
This thread is for developments in the Kalamazoo-Portage and Battle Creek areas. It will primarily focus on larger projects within these three principal cities, including both buildings and major infrastructure work. But smaller developments within these cities and the nearby may also be included.
(organization of Michigan development threads) 2022 US Census Data puts the CSA population estimate for the region at about 500,000, making it the fourth largest CSA in Michigan (after Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Lansing) and ranking it among the 100 largest CSA's in the country. The municipalities highlighted below are organized by population and are arranged from largest to smallest. Note that this thread coverage doesn't quite align with the CSA definition. For other developments in West Michigan, refer to this thread. Code:
Kalamazoo - Kalamazoo County |
Project Rundown
Unless noted otherwise, all projects for each location are arranged first by status, then by cost, if known (most to least expensive).
Status Order:
KALAMAZOO RUNDOWN Code:
KALAMAZOO CONSTRUCTIONCode:
BATTLE CREEK CONSTRUCTIONCode:
PORTAGE CONSTRUCTIONCode:
OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP CONSTRUCTIONCode:
KALAMAZOO TOWNSHIP CONSTRUCTIONCode:
TEXAS TOWNSHIP CONSTRUCTIONCode:
COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP PROPOSEDCode:
ANTWERP TOWNSHIP COMPLETED 2013Code:
EMMETT TOWNSHIP COMPLETED 2021Code:
RICHLAND TOWNSHIP COMPLETED 2022Code:
PAVILION TOWNSHIP CONSTRUCTIONCode:
ROSS TOWNSHIP COMPLETED 2024Code:
VILLAGE OF VICKSBURG CONSTRUCTIONCode:
GALESBURG COMPLETED 2023 |
Nice rundown.
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Thanks. I will keep expanding it, and I'll hopefully get out and take some photos of my own once the deep freeze ends.
Kalamazoo - Here's an interesting little project that just wrapped up near downtown - Quote:
Source: MLive | KPEP Coffee |
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Kalamazoo is perhaps just a tad more exciting than Battle Creek. But looking at those pics--typical Michigan.
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Updates have been made to the list of active projects at the top of this thread. Updates include:
New project listing & information for:
Additionally, all photos have been resized for consistency, and several more photos of active projects have been added. |
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There is some bland infill around here, to be sure, but on the whole, it is exciting to see Kalamazoo's downtown slowly becoming denser, while lots of fringe areas (including several brownfield sites) are seeing renewed efforts at revitalization. |
I've updated the project rundown to include some more recently completed development. Because this forum is less than one week old, it wasn't around to capture all of these great projects when they were being built. That said, since they are part of the bigger story of development that has been happening here in recent years, I'm including them here for the record.
Completed projects that have been added are as listed below. Scroll to the top post to see images and more info for each. Much more to come.
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Portage -
Here's an article about a recent tax break that Stryker received - Quote:
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Kalamazoo -
While this is not exactly development-related news, it's still an interesting story related to architecture. Kalamazoo has a lot of prominent examples of mid-century architecture, including an atypically large amount of Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes. However, I did not know about the George Nelson-designed Kirkpatrick House until I saw this article. At one time, George Nelson was the Director of Design for the Herman Miller furniture company. His studio had a heavy influence on furniture design during the 20th century. Quote:
Source: Curbed | Paul Barbera |
Kalamazoo -
On a work break this morning, I walked around the site of the ongoing demolition of the former Kalamazoo Gazette building. Lots of activity, and demolition has progressed to the final portion of building to be removed. Ironically, this final area that is being demolished is actually the newest addition to the complex, having opened in 2004. The original building was designed by Albert Kahn and completed in 1925, with two other additions built in 1941 and 1968. Only the 1925 and 1941 portions will remain to be repurposed by Bronson Healthcare Group, as its downtown footprint expands. All photos below are my own - |
Kalamazoo -
Related to the previous post, I found some neat photos taken just a few days prior to mine, which show the process of removing the large clocks that were previously attached to the tower. You can view more photos, and read the accompanying article, here - Source: Carly Geraci | MLive |
Kalamazoo -
An interesting article was just released regarding the recent demolition (decimation?) that took place on Prospect Hill, the home of the original campus of Western Michigan University (originally known as the Western State Normal School). In 2013 - 2014, three historic buildings were demolished (North Hall, West Hall, and the Speech & Hearing Building) and another was greatly altered (East Hall) to prepare for the creation of a new Alumni Center, which opened in 2015 in the remains of East Hall, and which is now referred to as Heritage Hall - Quote:
Images below are courtesy of WMU Archives and Regional History Collection, via MLive, unless noted otherwise - East Hall, shortly after it opened in 1905 - East Hall, after the north and south wings were added, in 1908 and 1909 - The WMU inclined trolley, once used to access Prospect Hill from below (I had no idea until now that Kalamazoo had its own incline of sorts, at one time). The tracks are gone and the trolley is now in storage - Two aerial views of Prospect Hill, showing the early WMU campus - A similar aerial view from the recent past, when demolition was complete. The partially-demolished East Hall stands alone in the middle of the cleared area - Source: Google Maps, March 2017 WMU West Hall demolition, June 2013 - WMU Speech and Hearing Building demolition, July 2013 - WMU East Hall demolition of south wing, July 2014 - Protester graffiti at the construction site, in September 2014 - Heritage Hall Alumni Center / former East Hall, as it looks today - Source: Tower Pinkster |
Why on earth would they do that?!
Fucking idiots, WMU can go to hell. :hell: |
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It's fortunate that Kalamazoo has an active historic commission, and from what I know, a pretty good track record at repurposing and preserving historic structures. It's just too bad that this one got away. The original campus really projected the 'city on a hill' aesthetic that so many universities embodied. That cohesive massing of buildings around a central quad is now mainly a parking lot. At least one small part of it remains. |
Kalamazoo -
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Kalamazoo -
According to the recently released US Census Data for county-wide population changes between 2010 and 2016, Kalamazoo County faired well. The population increased from 250,331 in 2010 to 261,654 in 2016 - a gain of about 11,323 persons, or about 4.3% growth since 2010. This puts Kalamazoo in with the 35 of 83 Michigan counties that are going against the statewide trend of population decline. It's great news for the area, and a strong indicator of the healthy economy in southwest Michigan - Source: MLive Another observation: looking at the above graph portrayal of population change since 1900, Kalamazoo County has not once experienced a decline in population at the county level, for each decade when census data was recorded. To put it another way, the growth in the county has trended positively for at least the past 116 years of US census data recording. At a glance, I count only four other counties in the entire State that can make this claim -
This might not mean much, taken over the course of 100+ years of data, but I find it very interesting that four of the five counties that have never had a population decline when measured by the decade since 1900 are located in western / southwestern Michigan. Oakland County is the only exception. You can see the charts and data for each county in the state at this MLive article - Quote:
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Kalamazoo -
It's not every day that the City of Kalamazoo creates a new administrative position in the planning department - Quote:
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Kalamazoo -
Happy Oberon Day! For those who don't know, today is basically an official holiday in Kalamazoo, marking the annual release of Bell's most popular craft beer - Oberon (as well as the less-official start of spring). Tapping parties began at midnight around the city, state, and even other parts of the country / globe. The tapping at Bell's Eccentric Café, the center of the Bell's universe, was a few minutes ago, at 9:00AM, EST (which is where many of my less responsible but certainly happier coworkers are right now). If you're wondering how this is at all development related, Bell's has invested tens of millions of dollars into both its downtown location and its main brewing facilities in nearby Comstock in recent years, and has basically had everything to do with catalyzing the craft beer movement in this region. To compliment your Oberon, you can always stop by Sweetwater's Donut Mill, open 24/7, and grab an Oberon-Inspired donut. They frankly look gross to me, but I've never tried one, so I shouldn't judge - Source: MLive Source: Twitter | John Gonzalez |
Portage -
MLive did an article outlining the building boom currently happening in Portage. It is incredible how much money is being invested into the area, primarily by two massive companies - Pfizer and Stryker - I calculate it to be more than $1.1 billion in development / construction-related dollars to be spend in the next five years. Some more detailed renderings of the planned $150 million+ Stryker corporate campus expansion development are included in the article, along with other construction progress photo updates - Quote:
Construction progress at Trade Centre III. This will be five stories when complete - so tall, a height variance was required :haha:! - Construction progress at Pfizer's new cold storage warehouse, on Portage Rd - A rendering of the finished warehouse at Pfizer - Also included with the article were 'before and after' aerial views of the City of Portage. The black and white image is taken in 1950, and the color image from 2015. You can see I-94 snaking along the north edge of the image in the 2015 aerial, as well as the explosive suburban growth along the S. Westnedge corridor. The Kalamazoo International Airport is top right, and Pfizer is south of that - Source: MLive |
Portage -
Stryker cleared its final hurdle for its development plans with the Portage City Council and Planning Commission on Tuesday night. This included approval of "final engineering drawings, land division surveys, a height variance and vehicle access to Ramona Avenue..." Quote:
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The approved Stryker R&D site plan - Source: MLive |
Kalamazoo -
I haven't been there yet, but it's nice to see this newly opened café (part of the Kalamazoo Probation Enhancement Program) getting some state-wide attention - Quote:
Source: WTVB News |
Kalamazoo -
WMU is considering constructing a new student center addition and renovating the existing Waldo Library (which is rather dated). The plan is in the early stages, but the article does state that Perkins + Will has been hired for the programming / concept development phase - Quote:
Source: MLive |
Comstock Township -
In super-small development news, Water Street Coffee Joint will be opening its fifth location this summer on the busy South Sprinkle Road. The foundation work is underway now. You can see in the photos the miniscule footprint that this building will have. Although it is going to just be a tiny drive-thru along this busy arterial road, I think it's probably a positive for that area, and a sign of the increased pace of development near the Sprinkle Rd / I-94 area - Quote:
Source: MLive |
I thought of some more developments worth including in the project rundown. You can link directly to the first post here. A list of this round of projects is below -
Kalamazoo -
Portage
Oshtemo Township -
Texas Township
Comstock Township -
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Kalamazoo -
Kind of anti-development news... Alamo Drafthouse, Downtown Kalamazoo's beer-and-full-meal-serving cineplex, was supposed to close today, but it is apparently remaining open for at least a few more days. The announcement was made rather abruptly two months ago that the 10 screen theater would close April 3, without any more information given as to why, or what would happen to it, or who might take it over. I went there for the first time a few weeks ago with a group of friends, if only to experience it once (and to see Beauty and the Beast - of secondary importance). It was obvious that the employees were pretty much checked out. The service was weak, they had run out of nearly everything, and the place was almost empty. I find it hard to believe that a cinema that serves craft beers is struggling to survive in a city like Kalamazoo, but maybe there are other reasons beyond poor attendance. I think most locals hope that a downtown cinema remains at this site in some capacity, but it was clear upon my visit that whoever takes it over, if anyone, should do some major renovations and updates, as the whole venue felt dated and worn down. The restrooms and theater spaces were especially raggedy. This article explains things more - Quote:
Jane Fonda isn't 'phased' by the news of Alamo's imminent closing - Source: MLive |
Discover Kalamazoo sues Southwest Michigan First over use of '269'
Kalamazoo -
So... apparently you can trademark area codes? It seems rather silly that one nonprofit would try to sue another over rights to a three-digit number, but that's what Discover Kalamazoo, the city's convention and visitors bureau organization, is planning to do to Southwest Michigan First, a local economic development organization. The mission of both groups is essentially the same - to promote development and economic strength in the region. 269 is the area code serving Southwest Michigan - Quote:
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Kalamazoo -
I hope this gets saved - Quote:
Source: Second Wave |
Portage -
Two days ago I awoke to 2" of snow on the ground. So today when I awoke to blue skies, sunshine, and the promise of temps in the mid-60s, I thought I'd take a drive and do a construction update for Portage. Starting with the largest in-progress construction project, Trade Centre III, just north of I-94 (650 Trade Centre Way). The steel is rising fast on this one - I wish that this could be even 5 stories taller. But with Portage zoning ordinance what it is, there are severe height restrictions (I think 60 feet maximum height, due mostly due to the nearby airport). So even at just 5 stories, this latest addition to the Trade Center development required a height variance - You can spot the new-ish Homewood Suites in the background - New development is happening everywhere in Portage, but with its strict height limits, relatively cheap land, and relatively pro-business practices, the City of Portage is destined to be one defined by low-rise, car-centric, suburban-style development. Cue Exhibit B - the recently-completed commercial plaza at 212 W Milham Ave. - it is anchored by a hair salon / spa, and also has a Tropical Smoothie Café, a weight loss center, and some other spa-type services. Nothing that would really cater to me, but as a building, I do think it's a slight improvement over the two underutilized commercial structures that were demolished to make room for it. I would like it less if it was a single story - Further west on Milham is the new StoryPoint senior living community. The building is now occupied, although it looked like there were a lot of different specialty services and utility folks still on the premises. There are a bunch of these types of communities cropping up in southwest Michigan - Right across the street from this development, on the north side of Milham, is the new Copperleaf development, built by Allen Edwin Homes. Phase 1 is wrapping up, consisting of single-family detached residences, and folks were literally moving in as I drove through the development. It looked mostly like lots of young families with children, which I'd wager is the general target demographic for most of the new housing construction happening in Portage - Honestly, the 'architecture' of these homes could be much worse. There's a vague 'craftsman' vibe, and the multi-colored siding helps to alleviate some of the monotony of the similar floorplans. I think including the sidewalks helps. But I still think the homes have that whole 'garage with a house attached' feel to them - The homes start in the $220's, and with good parks, good schools, a major highway, regional shopping mall and commercial strip all in the immediate vicinity, it seems like only a matter of time before this whole area becomes built-up with similar looking...stuff. The Hummer completes the picture - https://1drv.ms/i/s!Ataxa-8Ptf_di5kS...024&height=768 Journeying south a bit, I came across an interesting private residence along Moorsbridge Road - A bit further south in the large Woodbridge Hills neighborhood along Old Centre Avenue, there is a new Pediatric Dentistry going up. Not too exciting, as there's a bunch of stick-framed medical suite stuff like this popping up in Portage. The slab was freshly poured - At the corner of Oakland Dr. and West Centre Ave. is a new Arbor Financial Credit Union branch that broke ground a few weeks ago. The foundations are poured and awaiting the slab. The credit union currently has a branch right across the street and they will be moving in here when completed. Credit unions and bank branches are probably tied with condominium developments for the most popular form of construction happening in Portage currently. It's a sign of the growing economy in the area - there's maybe 15 - 20 newly opened or nearly-opened new branch offices, all competing to cater to the growing number of residents that are entertaining the idea of buying a home or a car - Speaking of condos and new home ownership, here are some pictures from the ongoing Whisper Rock Condominiums community being built by AVB, along South Oakland Drive. These condos are selling at prices that start in the upper $200's - I'm less a fan of these than say, Copperleaf. At least in Copperleaf you could probably pick out your own house form among the rest. I suppose that homogeneity is 'par for the course' when it comes to condominium developments - Don't even think about it - it's private! The Whisper Rock Condominiums look quite similar to the adjacent and nearly completed Oakland Hills Condominiums, also brought to us by AVB. I don't know why, but these condos are selling for approximately twice as much more than the ones at Whisper Rock ($400's vs $200's). Maybe demand has slackened slightly - Another small condominium development is slowly taking shape along W Osterhout Avenue, at the southern edge of Portage. This community is designed to ultimately have 12 units (6 buildings). The second one has been under construction for what seems like over a year now. Randall J. Bass is the builder. They really embraced the massive garage-in-front, small-living-space in back aesthetic. Not a big fan - Finally, I end this low rise, low-caliber construction update with a walk in Schrier Park. I think that the extensive park system in Portage is one of the city's best assets. They do a good job taking care of the parks, and the network of trails is still expanding. Schrier Park just received a new pavilion and playground. The playground replaced an older one last fall, and the pavilion was just completed a week or two ago - Whatever your thoughts on this round of development updates, I know one critic that is easily impressed - my dog! |
Kalamazoo -
Art Hop - a program organized by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo - usually occurs every month from 5pm to 9pm on the first Friday of each month. The latest Art Hop was held Friday night (April 7) and coincided with a Late-Night Food Truck Rally. 30+ venues were participating this time, in an evening of free art exhibits and events. Both events are an asset to the city - they draw people downtown and highlight some of the best that the city has to offer. Some photos that I took from both events are below. The next Art Hop will be on May 5, and the next Food Truck Rally will also be in May. If for any reason you find yourself in Southwest Michigan when these events occur, I highly recommend going - it's a great way to experience the city... One of the hubs of the Art Hop is the Park Trades Center, on old, four-story industrial building converted to artist's studios and workshops. On Art Hop nights, you can wander freely through the massive structure, and artists have their doors open to visitors - On the first floor, you'll find the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, which offers classes in paper making, printing, book binding, etc. and has lots of cool old equipment. This particular night, it was hosting an 'edible book' contest. After the judging and awards, the 'books' were eaten - Right next door in the same Park Trades structure is Glass Art Kalamazoo. Demonstrations in glass blowing and small glass working were being given. Many classes and volunteer opportunities are offered here year-round - It's a two-person effort at times - ...or even a four-person effort - The folks below were making "Journey Beads", small mementos given to people (mostly children) who are going through difficult medical procedures like cancer treatment. They get another bead for each step of the journey. Anyone can volunteer to make these (with a little training, first) - Then there's a gallery up front, displaying some of the more impressive works that have been made in the studio - Assortment of vases - "Lavender Dreams", Sally Pritko, artist - Motorcycle (I didn't catch the artist) - "Spikey Terrarium", Shannon Eakins, artist - Next we walked to the Arcus Gallery, where there was a juried art exhibit taking place. Located at the north end of the 'Kalamazoo Mall', the gallery is part of KVCC's downtown campus - "Walking Man", Oil on Canvas, Linda Manguiat-Herzog, artist - "Bonds of Nature's Law", Paper & Mixed Media, Ellie Hyde, artist - "Sullivan", Mixed Media, Susan Hill, artist - Looking north along the mall - And looking south along the mall, you'll see Phase 2 of the Peregrine 100 project underway, which involves rehabbing a former bank building (First National Bank & Trust) into office space and apartments. The paper was off the windows, so everyone was peeking inside - Next stop was 'The Spirit of Kalamazoo' store, which was hosting work by artist Ellen Nelson. The store is located in the ground floor of a relatively new downtown loft redevelopment "Corporation Hall" - "The Sum of One's Parts", Part of a Series, Ellen Nelson, artist - Near here is Norm Carver's Gallery. There's always great photography on display, so we stopped in. My two favorites were both titled "Boys on the Jantar Mantar Observatory, Delhi, India '64", Norman F. Carver Jr., artist - We also walked past the former Kalamazoo Gazette Building, much of which has just been demolished for future development by Bronson (the original Albert Kahn-designed structure is being preserved). You can see part of the Bronson Hospital complex in the background. There's talk of constructing new medical lab space - I only hope that it can still be a mixed use development, with some commercial storefronts on the ground level to activate the street - With the sun setting and the temperatures dropping, we headed over to the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange to grab a quick drink before going to the Food Truck Rally. The Food Truck Rally usually starts at 9:00pm and runs until midnight. It currently occurs five times each year, starting with the April one and ending with one in October. It usually hosts 10-12 food trucks, but as the event grows more popular, I hope they add more trucks. This event was held on Water Street, underneath a parking structure that goes over the road, for a more "underground" vibe - |
Wow! K-zoo has really come a long way over the past ten years or so (since the days when i frequented it often) so has WMU from what i can see, Kalamazoo is finally embracing it full potential as a college town and seems to be gaining many of the ancillary benefits. I know there's more to The Zoo than just the schools there as well but it seems WMU's status has increased its gone hand in hand with this current resurgence.
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Kalamazoo -
The city just held a 2-day workshop on April 11-12 to generate ideas and gather community feedback about reimagining downtown. This event was just one part of a much larger undertaking to update the entire city masterplan, which is meant to guide development through 2025 and beyond. The draft masterplan should be ready for review in June. The city preceded this large event with a series of smaller, neighborhood-oriented meetings that occurred throughout the winter. Input from more than 3,000 residents was gathered at these meetings. I had the opportunity to participate in this 2-day charrette as a volunteer, along with 30-40 other volunteers in various design professions (architects, engineers, landscape architects, urban planners, city parks & development staff, etc.). It was a good experience, listening to residents' ideas about how to catalyze positive growth in the city. The process generated a lot of concepts and discussion about what downtown Kalamazoo should and could be. Our team’s particular focus was on ways to improve the Kalamazoo mall. There were 7 or 8 teams that all focused on different areas of downtown. The next steps that the city will take include reviewing all of the community feedback gathered last night and at all of the previous neighborhood meetings. Their goal is to develop a full draft of a masterplan in the coming months, to be reviewed by the city commission beginning in June, before being approved for implementation. Gibbs Planning Group has been contracted by the city to conduct an economic feasibility study and market analysis in tandem with development of the master plan. This consulting firm is based out of Birmingham, Michigan, and is a nationally-recognized leader in the field of commercial real estate consulting and urban planning. Their client list is quite long. In Michigan alone, it looks like they have done consulting work in 50+ communities. If you want to read more about the process, below are two articles from MLive, from each of the two days. Quote:
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Source: Jake Green | MLive |
As of today, site prep is officially underway in Kalamazoo and in Portage for what will become the two largest developments happening currently in each respective city (combined construction cost of $180+ million) -
Kalamazoo - In downtown Kalamazoo, site barriers and fencing are being installed around the site of the proposed Exchange Building, at the southeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Rose Street. The proposal calls for a 15-story mixed-use highrise, with commercial and residential occupancies. Construction cost is estimated at $53 million. The last time a structure this tall was erected in Kalamazoo was in 1984 (Washington Square Co-op, at 14 stories). This is huge development for the city. That entire void between the two buildings, which is right now a surface parking lot, will be filled. You can follow the progress for this building at its dedicated thread, here. Portage - Site clearing has begun for what will become the new Stryker Corporate headquarters, with an estimated project cost of $130 million. The development will anchor the 288 acre development bounded by Milham Avenue, Portage Road, Ramona Avenue, and Lovers Lane. I will try to get photos of the site at some point. |
They spend time at a community design meeting so they can pat themselves on the back and yet approve construction of projects that are the very antithesis of good urban planning. All that feedback is pointless, we already know what good urban planning looks like. Who is panhandling in Kalamazoo? What does "grocery store" mean? how is that a weakness?
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Kalamazoo -
The underutilized Arcadia Parking Ramp is up for sale, as part of a deal aimed to catalyze new development in the Arcadia Commons West area - Quote:
The former Masonic Temple building (aka Rose Street Market) is the focus of a new potential hotel redevelopment - Source: Malachi Barrett | MLive |
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Are you referring to any projects in particular that are the antithesis of good urban planning? (genuinely curious) |
Kalamazoo -
The new Family Health Clinic at 505 E Alcott St. is nearly finished. There is an open house on April 20th. While I'm not sure how I feel about the overall aesthetics of it, I like this project mostly because it is development on a brownfield site - Source: MLive | Courtesy Rick Chambers & Associates LLC |
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If the city wants a vibrant urban core it's gonna have to get a lot more serious than these aesthetic master plans that just end up looking cheap and gimmicky, although trees are important and should line as many streets as possible. How is public transit in the city? They should be focused on adding bus lines, what about biking infrastructure? The city should build some dedicated bike lanes. Universities and colleges should have campuses or a basic presence in the city center, start with community colleges in the area, this would be a double win with the Kalamazoo promise. Incentivize any new companies or growing companies to build their offices in the city center and build them near transit stops so they won't need as much parking. The city should push developers to build underground parking or at least provide better design alternatives like hiding parking in the back of a development. I feel like the city is trying to be Royal Oak 2.0 and failing at it. |
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Kalamazoo -
Here's a parking utilization study for the Arcadia Ramp No. 4, which has 566 total spaces - Source: MLive | The City of Kalamazoo On an average weekday evening, parking usage is calculated at only 14%, and on a weekend evening, it's just 10%. Even at its peak usage (weekday office hours), the ramp is typically less than 50% full. This is the ramp that is proposed to be sold to PlazaCorp for $3 million, to support the yet-unnamed hotel company that may convert the Rose Street Market (former Masonic Hall) into a boutique hotel. The property has been appraised at half that cost ($1.5 million), and even if it loses this ramp, the city already has plans to construct a new 1,000 ramp garage nearby, as part of the planned Arcadia Commons West development, anchored by a new county courthouse - Source: MLive |
Kalamazoo -
A new rendering is up for The Exchange Building, planned for the corner of Michigan Avenue and Rose Street. This rendering gives some more clarity as to what will be on each level. The building will be 15 stories total, 340,000 SF, and an estimated cost of $52.7 million. There will be 300 parking spaces inside the building. According to this article - Quote:
Source: MLive | Phoenix Properties |
Oshtemo Township -
Latitude 42, a popular brewpub that opened its doors a few years ago in Portage, is getting ready to construct a second location in Oshtemo Township, at 6101 West Main. I drove past the property today, and they are already clearing the site. Progressive AE is the Architect - Quote:
Source: Mlive | Courtesy of Oshtemo Township Earth-moving equipment is on-site for Phase 1 of the Westgate development, located north of West Main & east of US 131. As proposed, the $100 million / 140-acre development will potentially include up to 3 hotels, big box retail, and several restaurants. I don't have much hope for this being any better / different than the Corner @ Drake development, brought about by the same developer, AVB - Quote:
Source: MLive | Oshtemo Township Kalamazoo - The Mall Plaza Apartments conversion is progressing, at - 157 S. Kalamazoo Mall. The Vernon Group is converting much of this 4-story structure from commercial use to apartments. The $3 million renovation will retain two retail shops on the ground floor facing the mall. Parking will be provided in the basement and a portion of the first floor, and commercial space will remain in a portion of the basement and the second floor. There will be 20 - 30 apartment units in the remaining space. There was talk about adding a fifth floor as well, but I don't think this is happening now. I peeked inside a few days ago to take a look at a portion of the ground floor which was once retail space and which is now a garage. You can still see the polished brick paver floor finish, from when it was an interior corridor / arcade. Part of this area used to be an upholstery shop that has since moved into a new space across the street. Byce & Associates partnered with INFORM Architecture for the Architectural services - Source: My Own Photos Alamo Drafthouse Cinema officially closes on Thursday, April 13, 2017. Questions remain about why it closed and about who will take over this 10-screen downtown cineplex. It sounds like the owner of the property, Entertainment Properties Realty, terminated the lease agreement with Alamo, but has not publicly stated why. 109 employees have been 'displaced' - Quote:
Source: MLive Lastly, while not development-related, per se, Zoetis is set to purchase Ireland-based Nexvet Biopharma for $85 Million. Zoetis is the world's largest producer of animal pharmaceuticals, and its global R&D Department is headquartered in downtown Kalamazoo. It could lead to more jobs and development in the area, depending on how R&D resources are allocated after the merger. Zoetis is one of the largest employers in the county, providing jobs for about 1,000 people - Quote:
Source: MLive |
Kalamazoo -
Plans have been shared to convert a former SDA Church located at 117 W North St. into three apartments and office space for a dental practice. The owner of the dental practice recently purchased the building with plans to move into the lower level space. This structure has been deteriorating for a while, and it's good that a use could be found for it, because otherwise, its fate would surely have been demolition before too long - Quote:
Source: Malachi Barrett | MLive |
Three development updates from today's headlines -
Oshtemo Township - Quote:
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Kalamazoo -
A new Vietnamese restaurant is coming to 1301 Portage St. in a building owned by the Kalamazoo County Land Bank - Quote:
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^ Related to the previous post, here's a slightly older (but still relevant) article that explains more about the community efforts to revive the commercial core of the Edison neighborhood, where Pho on the Block (POTB) will become the newest business in a few short weeks. I think the deliberate changes happening in the Washington Square area are a good thing, because it sounds like everything is being done purposefully, with strong community involvement, and not by outside investors who just want to fill storefronts with tenants. The Edison neighborhood is the most populated neighborhood in the city, and it is home to the city's largest Hispanic population -
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There is a strong bicycling culture in both Kalamazoo and Portage, supported by groups like the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club and Bike Friendly Kalamazoo. Portage currently has a Bronze Rating for Bicycle Friendliness (as determined by the League of American Bicyclists). Kalamazoo is not currently ranked, but the city applied to the program for the first time in March, and we will find out in May if it is granted the Bronze award (the lowest of the five levels of bike-friendliness), or better.
Portage currently shares the Bronze status with six other Michigan communities, including Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, East Lansing, Battle Creek, and Midland. Three more Michigan communities have attained Silver, the next highest ranking (Ann Arbor, Houghton, and Marquette). No communities in the state have attained gold, platinum, or the most difficult to achieve - diamond ranking. Portage is consciously making a push for silver or gold this year. Michigan is currently ranked 18th among all states for bike-friendliness (again, according to the League of American Bicyclists) - Source: Bike League Source: Bike League This is a tale of two cities - I think Portage has it easier in general, because things are more spread-out / suburban, and the city has a strong framework from which to continue expansion of its bike network, in the form of the Portage Bicentennial Creek Trail (PBCT). Portage currently has more than 55 miles of bikeways, including dedicated trails and bike lanes. The below map is from 2013, and much more has already happened since this was created, like the opening of the Eliason Nature Preserve trail, which extends the bikeway south to Osterhout Avenue - Source: Discover Kalamazoo But Kalamazoo has made great strides in recent years. The Kalamazoo Valley River Trail (KVRT) runs east/west through downtown, and the final piece of the downtown link is scheduled to be completed this year. The KVRT connects up with the Kal-Haven Trail to the west (which leads all the way to South Haven / Lake Michigan) and there are plans to connect it to the Battle Creek Linear Park going east. The KVRT will encompass 35 miles of trail throughout Kalamazoo County once completed, and will connect up with 140+ miles of other trails. Here's a somewhat-current map of the KVRT, with connections (from 2015) - Source: Kalamazoo County And here's a regional trail map (from 2016) showing just how extensive the network of trails in southwest Michigan is getting. Lake Michigan is on the far left of the map - Source: Kalamazoo County A future development map shows the planned connections of the KVRT through downtown and to the east, toward Battle Creek - Source: Kalamazoo County There are also plans to connect the KVRT to the Portage Bikeway / Portage Creek Bicentennial Trail, to the south - Source: Bike Friendly Kalamazoo So how Bicycle Friendly are Kalamazoo and Portage? I'd say both cities have a long way to go, but some firm foundations have been laid. Portage has an edge on Kalamazoo right now, but both cities are making conscious efforts to promote bike friendliness and establish more links in the bike network. The recent death of five bicyclists last summer, when the driver of a pickup truck crashed into a group of 9 bicyclists, is still a fresh memory for many locals. That driver was allegedly on drugs, but it reinforced the message of advocacy groups, which continue to promote laws that better protect bicyclists, as well as push for safer bike routes, especially in the downtown area. Here is a link to a recent article in Second Wave Media by Mark Wedel on the topic of bike-friendliness in Kalamazoo, which is what gave me the idea to write a post about it here. |
Kalamazoo -
The Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study (KATS) held a second open house last night at Kalamazoo College to obtain feedback from locals on a non-motorized transportation plan that is currently being developed. The final plan, called KATS Moves, is focusing mainly on improving safety and connectivity at key locations throughout the Kzoo metro area. The plan is scheduled to be released sometime this summer, with Detroit-based AECOM and Grand Rapids-based Williams and Works providing design services - Quote:
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