KALAMAZOO, Mich. — It’s been a discussion for years, but now there is finally progress after a private company revealed plans to fund a new event center in downtown Kalamazoo.
Catalyst Development announced its plans to construct a more than 320,000-square-foot facility worth $300 million.
County commissioners approved the plan unanimously on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Kalamazoo may be getting an event center, thanks to private funding
The event center is expected to host more than 200 events per year.
Daniel Salas, a local business owner, says he was more than excited when he heard the news.
“We do have a good steady flow of regulars, but having an influx of out-of-town people, it's gonna really help us just keep more busy, more steady and hopefully have a little more revenue to our business,” Salas told FOX 17.
His restaurant La Familia Cafe is centered in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo. The development company says it plans to build the center between North Westnedge Avenue and Park Street— and estimates it will bring $54 million to the local economy.
“Any extra traffic, foot traffic, is going to be beneficial to our business downtown,” Salas added.
The CEO of Southwest Michigan First, Jonas Peterson, believes the new center will be a game-changer, with the ability to host sporting events, concerts and conventions.
“We've heard loud and clear from residents that they would like even more entertainment opportunities, especially downtown. This project is going to deliver. It's going to give us an opportunity to impact perceptions of our market with visitors from all over the country,” Peterson added.
Jane Ghosh, CEO of Discover Kalamazoo, agrees. "The future is really very bright for tourism in Kalamazoo County," she added.
Ghosh worked closely with Southwest Michigan First to see this project through. She says tourism in the area has progressed since the pandemic and will continue to climb once the arena is up and running.
"Once this arena is built, [there will] be an ideal place to host an NCAA hockey tournament, just as an example of a business that we can't, you know, go after today, and then other conventions that require even more flat floor space...that we don't have right now in any of our facilities,” she explained.
Peterson told FOX 17 that there's no construction timeline yet, so it's not clear when the project will start or how long it will take; however, city and county officials are looking forward to the long-term impact it could have on Kalamazoo.
