KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – There have been talks for years about building a sports arena and concert venue in downtown Kalamazoo and apparently another effort may be in the works.
The first clue came when the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners approved a motion this week to become engaged in ongoing discussions about such a facility, after coming out of a closed session with staff at their meeting Tuesday.
Chair John Taylor made the motion to authorize negotiations between the county board’s executive committee about parking for a “Downtown Event Center.”
County Spokesperson Taylor Koopman says the unknown entity is working on a proposal, but they have no additional information to share on the proposed center.
The site would be between Park Street and Westnedge Avenue along Arcadia Creek, close to new parking facilities the county is building for the new Kalamazoo County Courthouse. The four-block area, known as Arcadia Commons West, has been mostly empty for decades.
It’s believed that site was picked because an event center is going to need lots of parking.
Previous efforts to build an arena have fizzled because the developers were hoping a surcharge tax on local restaurant tabs might help pay for the facility, and there was a lot of public opposition to the idea.
The last time the issue came up, the economic development organization Southwest Michigan First was involved, and the CEO of that group was present at the county board meeting Tuesday.
reporting from John McNeill
