Emergency temporary housing ordinance, City-wide commercial zoning code updates, new housing units on October 16 City Commission Agenda

Watch the meetings live on PMN 4.

The City Commission Committee of the Whole Meeting begins at 5 p.m. inside the Commission Chambers at Kalamazoo City Hall, and the City Commission Business Meeting begins at 7 p.m., also inside the Commission Chambers. 

Community members that wish to provide public comments over the phone can call 888-382-9556 during the public comment period.

The Committee of the Whole Meeting will include a work session on Downtown updates, along with the 2023 Appointee Evaluation Process.  At the Business Meeting, Commissioners will review a presentation draft from Foundation for Excellence (FFE) director Steve Brown on the 2024 FFE Grant to the City of Kalamazoo for tax reduction, budget stabilization, and aspirational initiatives. 

A public hearing will be held by Commissioners during the Business Meeting on adoption of city-wide commercial zoning ordinances.  Commissioners will decide whether to approve the following: text amendments to Chapter 50 Zoning Ordinance & Appendix A Zoning; updates to the City’s Zoning Map; approve related updates to Chapter 3, Advertising; Chapter 7, Animals and Fowl; Chapter 9, Buildings and Building Regulations; and Chapter 21, Nuisances.  The zoning update is part of the City’s larger effort to overhaul its 2005 Zoning Code.

Agenda items at the Business Meeting Commissioners will decide include a motion to approve recommended changes to Chapter 9 of the Kalamazoo City Code Buildings and Building Regulations, Article 8: Emergency Housing.  The ordinance set forth parameters to allow the development of temporary emergency housing throughout Kalamazoo by housing service providers.  A first reading on the updates to the ordinance was reviewed by Commissioners during the October 2 Business Meeting.

Commissioner also will consider a resolution approving a Payment in Lieu of Taxes to Hawthorne Park Limited Dividend Housing Association Limited Partnership to create 36 affordable residential units located at 210 Lake Street.  A similar resolution will be voted on to approve a Payment in Lieu of Taxes to Kalrecovery I Limited Dividend Housing Association Limited Partnership to create 48 housing units located on a lot bounded by Reed Street, Belford Street, Bryant Street, and the Portage Creek.

In addition, Commissioners will consider approving a $330,000 grant to Kalamazoo County Land Bank from the City’s Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery/ARPA funds.  The proposed funds would construct a condominium project with four new attached single-family homes for low-income households.  The project, called Eastside Square, will be located at 1601 East Main Street in the Eastside Neighborhood.  Three of the units will be sold to households making 80 percent or less of the area median income as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; the remaining unit will be available to a household making 100 percent or less of the area median income.