Editor's note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan's Second Wave's On the Ground Kalamazoo series.

KALAMAZOO, MI — Residents of Kalamazoo’s Northside neighborhood learned a few things about how their community may benefit from the development of the planned $300 million Kalamazoo Event Center.

Planners say it will mean more jobs, business, and quality-of-life opportunities for the neighborhood, which is just north of downtown Kalamazoo. And new opportunities for economic growth are important says Elizabeth Washington, executive director of the Northside Association for Community Development.

A worker looks over the site that will be home to the $300 million Kalamazoo Event Center in downtown Kalamazoo."Every member of our community must be able to share in and benefit from the economic growth this event center will bring to our neighborhood," she says. "We have to stay committed and motivated to make new structures, policies, practices, and procedures that build the wealth in our community, for our neighborhood, and for our residents."

Washington hosted as leaders of organizations involved in the development of the Event Center answered questions from residents of the Northside neighborhood during a special Tuesday evening board meeting of the Northside Association for Community Development. About 85 people attended the gathering at NACD's 612 N. Park St. offices. 

The Kalamazoo Event Center, to be located in a four-block area on the northern fringe of downtown Kalamazoo, is a $300 million entertainment complex that is expected to be a place for concerts and large events, as well as a new home for Western Michigan University basketball, WMU ice hockey, and K-Wings professional hockey. It is expected to be up and running by September of 2027.

Al JonesTodd McDonald of CSM Groups, left, and Stephanie Farrell of Greenleaf Hospitality Group, talk on Oct. 15, about the planned Kalamazoo Event Center.Kalamazoo-based Catalysts Development Co., the property development arm of Greenleaf Development Co., announced plans for the project early last year but planning continues. It will be the owner and operator of the venue, which will include a 426,000-square-foot arena, a 448,000-square-foot, a nine-story parking ramp, and offices.

Local leaders —  including those from downtown organizations, the City of Kalamazoo, and Western Michigan University — brainstormed for more than 20 years to find an impactful, appropriate, and feasible use for the undeveloped site that will be used for the project. Nearby residents have worried whether the development will be a positive or negative for them.

The site is bordered by Kalamazoo Avenue, Westnedge Avenue, Water Street, and Park Street. Ground is now being prepared to lay the foundation for the project. The City of Kalamazoo is expected to review site plans for the project on Oct. 23. 

Arena workforce training

"We are going to have years of building this facility up," says Stephanie Farrell, executive director of Human Resources for Greenleaf Hospitality Group.  "And so, having that, we're going to need lots of individuals in the skilled trades and also on the construction side of things. The nice part about that is we are still growing, so will our facility team. So we'll be bringing in folks in HVAC, electricians, apprenticeships."

Al JonesAbout 85 residents of the Northside neighborhood gathered on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 for a special meeting of the NACD.She says Greenleaf is partnering with Kalamazoo Valley Community College to house at least two individuals who will work at the site, starting this year. She says jobs that will need to be filled for the ongoing operation of the Event Center will include parking attendants, ushers, office salespeople, security workers, landscapers, food service workers, and people to work in hospitality and marketing.

Regarding the construction of the project, Todd McDonald says there are 40 positions expected to be filled as it brings in contractors to do such things as excavating, concrete, steelwork, roofing, carpentry, pipe-fitters, and general laborers. McDonald is principal of CSM Group, the construction management firm overseeing the project in partnership with Barton Malow, the Southfield-based firm that has overseen such projects as the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and the Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

"In some cases, there may be a contractor doing this (particular task)," he says. "In some cases, because of the size of the project, there may be two or three contractors. We may have a larger lead contractor and they may be working with smaller contractors to fill some of their needs."

He says the project will strive to create 40 new work opportunities for residents of the Northside neighborhood. He did not say how many other jobs may be created.

Al JonesResidents of the Northside neighborhood hear plans and ask questions about the proposed Kalamazoo Event Center on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024."We are working with our trade partners," McDonald says. "We've identified that we would work with NACD, the Urban Alliance, and other organizations to be able to create 40 new positions within the construction project — to make sure that from the community we were reaching out to actually hire 40 people."

He says work on the Event Center's foundation is to start this fall. "In February, March, and April, that's where the majority of packages (the contracts and the bidding) are going to happen," McDonald says. "So we have multiple events that we have scheduled."

He and the other presenters say a nine-story parking structure that is a part of the new project will accommodate the parking needs of only about 20 percent of event patrons when the location is in full use. The balance of parking for events at the center will be accommodated on a “distributed” parking model. That is, motorists will be distributed among several parking structures within a quarter-mile radius of the center (including the Church Street parking ramp and others).

Traffic congestion and parking are resident concerns

Questions about several things, including parking, traffic flow, and traffic congestion, remained unanswered, with presenters saying some things have yet to be decided and other information is still not available.

Regarding traffic and congestion, Peter Michell says, "We are working with the city to analyze that. It's a top concern because they don't want congestion. So we're working with consultants and the city." Michell is vice president of Rockford Construction Co.

Al JonesThe Kalamazoo Event Center will use this four-block area south and east of Wesnedge Avenue and Kalamazoo Avenue.The project leaders were unable to clearly describe a pathway that might lead those who take jobs in service, maintenance, or general labor to higher-paying positions. Farrell says those will likely be jobs that start at anywhere from $14 to $19 per hour. She and others say the project wants to partner with minority contractors and small businesses, but one contractor asked how that would happen because the scope of the project is so large.

Michell highlighted an agreement the developers have made to require all contractors bidding on jobs in the project to have policies that increase the diversity of their organizations. He says they have agreed “to work with NACD, Southwest Michigan First, and the City of Kalamazoo to identify business owners from historically and economically disadvantaged communities that can participate in the design, the development, the constriction, and the operations of the arena.”

He also says 20 percent of food service space is to be made available for outside organizations to lease.

They were also unable to estimate ticket prices for games and shows. The question arose as a woman asked if the property was considering ways to make events affordable for people of limited means. 

Nicole Triplette, an entrepreneur and founder of Black Wall Street Kalamazoo, asked if the project will support small businesses who want to be involved. She says at least 12 of the 48 burgeoning small business owners who have participated in entrepreneurial classes by Black Wall Street have been made known to the developers. She indicated that the community will watch to see what happens with them.

Al JonesResidents of the Northside neighborhood hear plans and ask questions about the proposed Kalamazoo Event Center on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.Farrell says, "I think tonight we knew we'd get a lot of questions. Our whole intent is how do we start answering some of these questions for people so that some concerns become alleviated and they feel like they are on the journey with us. I think that's really important. 

"We took a lot of notes. I hope we can go back and get some of those questions identified and answered then come back. Some of it may be 'Hey we're still working on this,' but what have we figured out?"