KALAMAZOO / PORTAGE / BATTLE CREEK | Development Thread

[deja vu]

Kalamazoo -

The proposed Hard Rock Hotel still has a pulse, apparently (and a new price tag) -

$65M Hard Rock Hotel project rolls forward in Kalamazoo, but behind schedule
Brad Devereaux and Audrey Whitaker | MLive
August 29, 2024

Source: WWMT | Contributed

[jkazoo]

I just cannot see this as ever happening and being successful. What cultural or societal wave am I missing? I would LOVE for this to work in Kalamazoo but the location is not a draw except for distant history-- Gibson left decades ago. I do understand a current guitar maker is there, yes. The demand for more hotels isn't apparent, and it's too far from the arena to be the first choice for visitors. Please make this make sense. Is it a generational change sweeping us up that I can't see because I'm 60? God bless ya developers, I hope I'm very wrong.

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by jkazoo

I just cannot see this as ever happening and being successful. What cultural or societal wave am I missing? I would LOVE for this to work in Kalamazoo but the location is not a draw except for distant history-- Gibson left decades ago. I do understand a current guitar maker is there, yes. The demand for more hotels isn't apparent, and it's too far from the arena to be the first choice for visitors. Please make this make sense. Is it a generational change sweeping us up that I can't see because I'm 60? God bless ya developers, I hope I'm very wrong.

I'm 35 and I don't get it either. I understand that hotel demand will increase with the event center. But no matter how iconic the location is, it is a 20+ minute walk from the event center and downtown, through one of the roughest neighborhoods in the city. Meanwhile, you've got the Home2 Suites, the Hilton Garden Inn, and the Radisson all within 2-3 blocks. It's encouraging that PlazaCorp enlisted the W.E. Upjohn Institute to evaluate the economic impact. But they've owned the property for ten years now, and based on this latest article, it doesn't sound to me like the developer is very bullish on this proposal. It would make a LOT more sense to me if they were to propose a Hard Rock Hotel directly adjacent / connected to the event center (and the rest of downtown), and then maybe just offer tours of the old Gibson Factory (with shuttle service to & from), for the few tourists that would really travel just to see that.

[jkazoo]

Really, put it into the old courthouse at rose and Michigan. They own that too, don't they? I'm really hoping for an out-of-the box proposal for the old courthouse, preserving most of the exterior, building a 20-30 story hotel + residences out the top—closer to the arena than the gibson site.

If you thought the bike lanes were controversial, wait for anything to happen next to Bronson Park, unless it's a bulldozed building for a low-density playground.

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by jkazoo

Really, put it into the old courthouse at rose and Michigan. They own that too, don't they? I'm really hoping for an out-of-the box proposal for the old courthouse, preserving most of the exterior, building a 20-30 story hotel + residences out the top—closer to the arena than the gibson site.

If you thought the bike lanes were controversial, wait for anything to happen next to Bronson Park, unless it's a bulldozed building for a low-density playground.

Good point about the old courthouse (PlazaCorp does own it). They seem to be taking their sweet time with that one too, but I'll be surprised if that becomes anything other than market-rate / higher-end apartments. I did hear rumors about plans to add an ultra-modern vertical addition the the historic building. Nowhere in the realm of 20-30 floors though - more like 2-3 total. Remember the blowback when that 5 or 6-story apartment development was proposed (in the spot where the nature playscape eventually got built)? The general attitude was "how dare someone propose housing along Bronson Park".

Kalamazoo -

Speaking of housing (and vertical additions), I took a walk around the developing west side of downtown yesterday. The Arcadia Lofts project is well underway. I got my hopes up because I spotted some exposed rebar at the roof. Taking a closer look, it is original to the building and seems to be a result of recent roof demolition. I just can't tell if this is all for new roof work, or if they truly are still planning to add new floors atop the existing, 2-story building. If they are, then the sequencing seems weird, because they already appear to have new stud walls framed up inside, for the future units. Looking from above, the roof is definitely getting replaced. Does anyone know for sure if the new floors are happening though?

[deja vu]

Kalamazoo -

Happy National Skyscraper Day! (seriously)

Here's a few other photos that I took on Sunday. The first two are taken looking north from the intersection of N Church St (really just a sidewalk) and Arcadia Creek. WMCC's newly-coated asphalt parking lot is visible to the left. Pretty much all of the buildings in this picture didn't exist a few years ago. And pretty soon, there will be new housing to the right, and the massive event center complex (to the left, in the distance - second picture) -





Also, a few months ago, I suggested at a city planning charrette that the south stair tower wall of the Radisson parking ramp would be the perfect spot for a large mural. Maybe I can't claim sole credit for this idea... but sure enough, while walking around on Sunday, I noticed the rigging and framing in place for what I can only assume will be a large mural or wall graphic of some kind. This should hopefully be a big improvement over the blank wall that exists currently -

[deja vu]

Kalamazoo -

Parking deck & pedestrian bridge progress at WMU (photos taken by me on taken Saturday) -

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by deja vu

Speaking of housing (and vertical additions), I took a walk around the developing west side of downtown yesterday. The Arcadia Lofts project is well underway. I got my hopes up because I spotted some exposed rebar at the roof. Taking a closer look, it is original to the building and seems to be a result of recent roof demolition. I just can't tell if this is all for new roof work, or if they truly are still planning to add new floors atop the existing, 2-story building. If they are, then the sequencing seems weird, because they already appear to have new stud walls framed up inside, for the future units. Looking from above, the roof is definitely getting replaced. Does anyone know for sure if the new floors are happening though?

Well, if the latest rendering is to be believed (see below), then there is indeed still a plan for a 3-story vertical expansion on the existing 2-story building! News about the groundbreaking on Wednesday also revealed to me that this project is now called "Lofts at Ironworks" - a slightly more descriptive name -




Source: Facebook | The City of Kalamazoo

[deja vu]

Hi everyone -

We are celebrating a milestone today - 500,000 views! Hard to believe that this humble little thread has garnered that much attention since its inception in 2017. While I assume more than 50% of those views are my own (), I still want to express my thanks and gratitude to anyone that has taken the time to check out this thread, and / or contribute, through the years.

THis has been a passion project of mine to share these updates, both to keep myself informed, and to have dialogue with other interested persons that are passionate about the changes in our region. It's been a learning experience and an evolving process. To ensure this thread makes it to 1,000,000 views, I have begun overhauling the project rundown (Post #2 of this thread). I have also started the arduous process of transferring all images to a different hosting site, since the one I have been using recently (Dropbox) seems to not play nice with this SSP site. That is going to take a long time, so if you happen to be scrolling and notice any broken links, just know that is being addressed.

A heartfelt thank you again to all that have contributed here. And hey, if you've been a lurker but have not commented recently or ever, maybe consider doing so more in the future!

[deja vu]

Kalamazoo -

The rebuilt Michikal Street is on-pace to reopen at the end of the month. Pictured below are some photos of the base paving work, which began last week. The much-improved streetscape includes a wide, non-motorized, concrete pathway, separated from the driving lanes by a curb and landscaping strip. This pathway is located on the opposite side of the street from where the previous pathway was; making it much easier for pedestrians & cyclists trying to connect from the universities -






Source: Facebook | The City of Kalamazoo

[deja vu]

Kalamazoo -

The Imagine Kalamazoo 2035 kickoff event was last night at the KIA. I attended and it was a pretty good turnout. Probably ~ 150 people showed up to give early input for the 2035 process and to celebrate the accomplishments of the past 7 years'-worth of initiatives, born out of IK 2025. It's not all sunshine & roses here, but it is commendable what the city has set out to intentionally do, and a lot of the groundwork that has been laid in the past few years (much of it behind the scenes) will serve as a good springboard for the next decade -








Source: Facebook | The City of Kalamazoo

[deja vu]

Battle Creek -

The signage was installed yesterday for the DoubleTree. Some great drone photography by Patman Droneography -










Source: LinkedIn | Battle Creek Unlimited

[deja vu]

Kalamazoo -

Site prep has begun for the 228-unit River Caddis development that is proposed for a brownfield site adjacent to the Kalamazoo River, known as "River's Edge". It's perhaps a bit premature, but speaking with some in the know, this is definitely going forward, so I've promoted it from "proposed" to "under construction" in the rundown post. At an estimated $58 million price tag, it will be one of the biggest things u/c in the city proper now (location - 508 Harrison / 600 Gull Rd) -

Demolition near Kalamazoo River makes way for income-based housing
Audrey Whitaker | Mlive
September 20, 2024

Source: MLive | Byce & Associates

[deja vu]

Vicksburg -

Here is a great aerial view of the progress at The Mill at Vicksburg. Roof #7 is currently be replaced. It is incredible what has been done at this historic property to save it! Image credit to Kristian Walker Photography -


Source: Facebook | The Mill at Vicksburg / Kristian Walker Photography

[deja vu]

Kalamazoo -

On Monday, the City Commission approved a construction contract for "Phase 2" of the Bank Street Farmers Market. Phase 2 will consist of a new multipurpose building that will be built on the grassy lot adjacent to the Phase 1 improvements. It will cost an estimated $5.4 million (about $1 million less than city officials guessed it would), and it will be available for youth programs, year-round indoor market space, meetings, and events. This second phase comes two years after the market reopened in 2022 with new restrooms, modernized sheds, and greatly increased parking & vendor capacity. Rumor has it that site work will start within a few weeks, and the building is expected to be complete next year -




Source: Facebook | The City of Kalamazoo

[deja vu]

Kalamazoo -

Crafted Copper opened this past Thursday in downtown, adding another piece to the restaurant / bar / nightlife scene. It features duckpin bowling and a self-pour tap wall -


Source: Facebook | Crafted Copper

And speaking of copper, on the same day as the aforementioned opening, the city celebrated a different kind of milestone, with the removal of the 5,000th lead service line. Replaced with... you guessed it - beautiful copper!
(see what I did there )?


Source: Facebook | The City of Kalamazoo

[deja vu]

Kalamazoo -

BIG NEWS - the site plan review packet for the Kalamazoo Event Center was just posted to the city's website (review meeting scheduled for October 23). You can download the whole PDF packet here, but be warned, it is a massively unwieldly 168 MB file, so you may want to compress it (after you download it), for easier viewing. I've barely had time to peruse it, but at a glance:

• Total building area = 426,000 SF
• The main event center appears to have a maximum seating capacity of ~ 7,400 (by comparison, Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids can seat about 12,000 max, so roughly 2/3 the size of that)
• There are two "smaller" assembly areas - the first at 1,740 occupants (practice ice facility) and the second at 1,350 occupants (multi-purpose / banquet & event hall)
• The event center building will be 4 stories / 82-ft. high and it will connect to the parking deck with a pedestrian skybridge
• The parking deck to the south will be 8 levels / ~ 112-ft. high (roughly the same height as the adjacent justice center)
• The parking deck will contain 1,176 total parking stalls, with a pedestrian cut through the ground level
• Portions of Arcadia Creek will be capped, and other portions left open / exposed
• By my count, there are 205 toilet fixtures (men's & women's, toilets + urinals)

This is a pretty "site & utility"-centric packet, but there are some exterior building elevations that begin on Pg. 52 of the PDF.

[deja vu]

Kalamazoo -

WMU's Hilltop Village pedestrian bridge officially opened last week -










Source: Facebook | WMU Facilities

[deja vu]

Vicksburg -

Some different views of the ongoing restoration work of the three Hills Buildings in downtown Vicksburg. I love that these are being so carefully restored!






Source: The Mill at Vicksburg

[deja vu]

Kalamazoo -

Well, that was fast! The steel went up seemingly overnight for the Lofts at Ironworks project. photos taken this afternoon -







And a bonus shot of Rose Place, with some questionable siding choices -