KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Kalamazoo County commissioners voted Tuesday to take a closer look at a major project— a new event center in downtown Kalamazoo.
The board of commissioners met again Thursday evening to discuss the future of this $300 million development.
John Taylor, chairperson of the board, decided to approve a revised plan for the event center at Thursday's meeting.
This comes after several local leaders expressed their concerns about the impact the new arena could have on marginalized communities.
FOX 17 talked with Taylor Thursday morning— who said he has the authority to approve the contract right then, but he wanted to wait until the majority got on board.
"It is certainly the biggest development in the history of Kalamazoo without a question. $300 million. I can't think of anything that even comes close to that," Taylor told FOX 17 after Thursday's special meeting. "It's a sense of relief and a real sense of hope, really, for the citizens of Kalamazoo city and the county as a whole. It's a game changer."
The potential buyer, Catalyst Development, plans to build a 320,000-square-foot event center that would host community and athletic events downtown.
READ MORE: New arena in downtown Kalamazoo aims to bring $54M to local economy
Taylor said the new contract is about 99% the same as it was on Tuesday when commissioners voted to look over it again.
He says a change to the contract is that the county would get the first chance to buy the property if Catalyst Development backs out.
County Commissioner Jen Strebs had expressed concerns about how the contract's language could impact Kalamazoo's Black and Indigenous communities.
"We've asked for community benefits to be part of the discussion with this sale and to ensure that those are sustainable benefit opportunities for the community. We needed to make sure that they could hold up to legal challenge," Strebs explained. "When all of us have an opportunity to live into our full potential and contribute to our communities, it's a better life for everybody. Not just those who've been excluded, but everyone else as well."
Another major change to the contract that Taylor signed his approval for Thursday night involves community members.
The contract states the following:
"For a period of 15 years after the opening of the arena/event center, to set aside 20% of all fully furnished and constructed food and beverage concession space located in the arena/event center to be occupied and operated by one of more business owners from historically or economically disadvantaged communities who reside in Kalamazoo County, with emphasis on business owners who reside in one of the neighborhoods identified in the Northside Neighborhood Plan."
"I've already got a landlord who's talking about wanting to make my apartment into an Airbnb because it's so close to downtown. What's going to happen when you put this arena in?" community member Savannah Stepan asked commissioners Thursday night.
"We've got programs that increase housing stock and look for alternative ways to try to make housing more affordable to its citizens but I don't think we need to operate under the assumption of trying to keep property values low so rents can be low as well," Taylor explained.
FOX 17 learned that this project would create 700 jobs and is expected to generate $54 million for the local economy each year.
“We [potentially] have the $300 million investment into the downtown Kalamazoo area, commitment to residents and neighborhoods that will be negatively impacted by this, to have a commitment that they will be made whole, whether it be for economic development incentives on the north side or whether it be rental, you know, that’s up to the north side [administrative] group to decide that, but…I think it’s a huge positive impact economically to the community. So, I think that the community can look forward to, you know, a new downtown,” Taylor added.
He expects Catalyst to sign its part of the contract by Friday and is hopeful construction could start in the fall.
Commissioners added that this new arena will not cost taxpayers any money and will be funded privately.
