People’s Food Co-op relocation plans move ahead

There was a party recently to celebrate the new location for Kalamazoo’s People’s Food Co-op. Between 300 and 400 people turned out to tour the site and join in the fun at 507 Harrison St.

The group expects to break ground in late August or early September on the property in the city’s Rivers Edge development, the site of the co-op’s new 6,300-square-foot store building.

The co-op also is celebrating the receipt of all the financing needed to design, build and outfit the building, and move the store to its new location. In addition to the $600,000 coming from the co-op, it has commitments for $1 million in loans, says Chris Dilley, People’s Food Co-op general manager.

Lenders who have signed on to the project are: First National Bank of Michigan, the City of Kalamazoo, Local Initiative Support Corporation, and Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund.  

At the same time, the co-op also hopes to raise another $80,000 in loans from its owners in order to take more steps to put up a greener building. They want to build in insulation, an air-tight structure with passive solar aspects, highly efficient refrigeration equipment, and a reflective roof and whitened concrete to lessen the heat island effect.

“With additional owner loans, we can add more green options including rain gardens and rain catchment, heat capture from our refrigeration equipment, day lighting, and possible solar hot water or seasonal options for heating the building,” Dilley says.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
SourceL Chris Dilley, People’s Food Co-op