KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A local group of investors say they are moving forward with plans for a new arena in downtown Kalamazoo.
Catalyst Development Tuesday asked the Kalamazoo County Board of Commission to open negotiations for the final parcels of land downtown to make room for Arena and Event Center, which could be one of the most expensive facilities ever built downtown.
Developer Micheal Ellison says it would be located on four blocks between Park, Westnedge, Kalamazoo and Water Street. Basically it would be on the site that was once occupied by the Cole Gilmore Auto Dealership, just north of Arcadia Creek.
The organizers only have conceptual plans, and admitted they haven’t settled on a name for the group that will own the new arena. All that can wait until they have secured the land they will need for the complex.
The developers have been busy however, laying the political groundwork to win community support, holding meetings with local leaders and community groups. They say they plan to expand efforts to get input as the project moves along.
Ellison says they are offering to pay $4.27 million for two county owned parcels and work with county officials to solve what will become parking issues for both the arena and the county. The land in question was purchased to become parking for the new Kalamazoo County Courthouse and the existing County Administration Building next door.
The developers are also committing to work with the Northside and persons of color community to get them involved with construction and operation of the Arena. That would include workforce training in construction and hospitality and reserving 20% of the food and beverage concession space for Northside residents. They would even provide training to vendors to show them how to bid on contracts.
They have also committed to give a $6-million dollar grant to the Northside Association for Community Development to create an endowment that the NACD could use to fund whatever programs or projects they choose.
Jonas Peterson, the CEO of Southwest Michigan First says a new arena will be a “game changer” that will put Kalamazoo on the map for developers, millennials and others shopping for a new place to locate. Peterson says he has been working with the developers and they commissioned an independent feasibility study to make sure an arena would be successful. He says the consultants suggested that there is a huge demand for more entertainment in Kalamazoo and that their plans should be bigger. He says that’s why they plan a complex with a large flat floor that will be attractive to conventions and other activities.
Peterson says the facility should create 700 full and part time jobs, paying out over 22-million in salaries and bring a lot of money into the city, with up to 200 events each year. He says it would bring 548-thousand people to town annually. They would need 36,000 additional hotel nights and generate about $54-million in economic output.
County Commissioner John Gisler has opposed previous plans for an Arena downtown, because they would have required a new tax on restaurant tabs to fund it. He backs this plan because he says private funding means it won’t be a burden on taxpayers, in fact it will pay taxes.
The proposal is for an arena that will seat 6500 for sporting events and up to 8,000 for concerts. It would also include separate practice facilities and a community event center. It could be the new home for the K-Wings, WMU Hockey and the Bronco Basketball team.
WMU’s Athletic Director, Dan Bartholomae says they currently have the worst Hockey and basketball venues in the conference, and new facilities would help with recruitment, and make attendance better for fans.
Kalamazoo City Manager Jim Ritsema says a new arena, especially the plan to generate jobs for the black and brown community, checks off a number of boxes on their list of municipal priorities. He says the downtown is everyone’s neighborhood, and having a strong downtown is good for the entire region.
No price tag for the facility or opening date was mentioned during the meeting, but the project is still in the formative stages.
reporting from John McNeill
