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 -
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 -
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' -
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 -
Zoetis' R&D labs at
333 Portage Rd. -
Source:
MLive