Meeting primer: Kalamazoo City Commission
Commissioners will decide, among other things, whether to approve a $129,800 contract with All Things Diverse to conduct a DEI assessment for the city. A DEI Council established in late 2024 recommended that assessments be conducted every two to three years.
This evening at 7 p.m., the Kalamazoo City Commission will meet to hold public hearings on establishing a Commercial Redevelopment District at 227 W. Michigan Ave. and a Commercial Rehabilitation District at 261 E. Kalamazoo Ave. Commissioners will also consider more than $33 million in water and wastewater system financing and vote on a contract for a new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) assessment.
227 W. Michigan Ave.
The resolution would establish a Commercial Redevelopment District at 227 W. Michigan Ave. The project was first discussed at the Commission’s Committee of the Whole on June 2 as part of a proposed $100 million Transformation Brownfield Plan.
According to the staff report, “the building will be a hotel conversion, which is called out in the Michigan Public Act 255 as a specific commercial property that is eligible for this type of tax exemption.”
Tonight’s meeting includes a public hearing on the proposed district.
261 E. Kalamazoo Ave.
Property owner 19 Props, LLC is requesting the city establish a Commercial Rehabilitation District to support the conversion of existing office space into multifamily residential housing. Creating the district is a prerequisite for applying for a certificate that would freeze taxable value and help finance the project.
Under Michigan’s Commercial Rehabilitation Act of 2005, qualifying projects must include at least five or more dwelling units.
Tonight’s meeting includes a public hearing on this proposed district.
Water and wastewater financing
The commission is considering more than $33 million in revenue bonds for water and wastewater system upgrades.
- $22.1 million would fund improvements to the city’s water system through the Capital Improvement Program, including pipe replacements, treatment facility work, and related infrastructure. These bonds would be repaid through water system revenues.
- $11.44 million would support wastewater treatment plant and infrastructure upgrades, also through Capital Improvement, repaid from wastewater system revenues.
Both bond authorizations are up for final approval tonight, which would formally authorize the city to issue and sell the bonds.
DEI assessment contract
Commissioners will also decide whether to approve a $129,800 contract with All Things Diverse to conduct a DEI assessment for the city. A DEI Council established in late 2024 recommended that assessments be conducted every two to three years.
Other items
In other business, commissioners will weigh a $640,000 support services agreement with the Central County Transportation Authority, small easements tied to pedestrian safety upgrades and utility work, and the city’s purchase of a vacant parcel at 808 Simpson Street.
Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice
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