KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Private investors have pitched a plan to put up an event center in downtown Kalamazoo, a project that could possibly pull $54 million into the region and cost the people who live there nothing.
On Tuesday, the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners were presented with a plan from private investors for a state-of-the-art event center, with enough room to host 230 events per year.
The center, which could be as large as 320,00 square feet, is designed for community use as well as athletic events. Early designs include practice spaces for basketball and hockey teams and an arena. Western Michigan University and the Kalamazoo Wings hockey team would stand to benefit from the new facility.
“A game-changer" is how one community leader describes the plan.
Head Commissioner John Taylor says the center could place Kalamazoo in a new playing field by “creating a downtown that’s going to attract a younger generation of workers that will look at Kalamazoo a lot like Grand Rapids as a downtown sort of city. I think it really puts Kalamazoo on the map and not just in West Michigan, but in the Midwest.”
He also said it’s a project nearly 20 years in the making. One of the biggest challenges to the plan, he said, was funding and the question of taxpayer dollars. Now that a private investor has come forward, he says it’s easier for the center to get the greenlight.
“This is a private entity,” he said on Tuesday. “If it makes money, they make money, if it loses money, they lose money, it has nothing to do with the taxpayers or the county, other than that's a huge $200 million investment into downtown Kalamazoo.”
It’s not clear yet when construction will start, but the center is slated for an area southeast of the intersection of Kalamazoo Avenue and Westnedge Avenue in the city’s downtown.
The full statement from Kalamazoo County Comissioners is as follows:
“The Board of Commissioners is looking forward to finalizing the purchase agreement with Catalyst Development Co. for the County’s parcels of land downtown, ultimately making way for the construction of an event center. Economic development is important to the County, but so are our residents – particularly our Northside residents who would be most directly affected by the event center. We wanted to ensure a community benefits element would be in place if we were to sell our property and enable this project to move forward. We are very pleased with how Catalyst has risen to the challenge. It’s rare to find a developer willing to make not only a significant financial commitment but also one who understands the importance of investing in our community. We’re very pleased with all the work that has gone into this proposal. We are excited to see this project come together and watch our community reap the benefits.”
