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Zoning plans to allow a controversial car wash are back on Kalamazoo’s agenda. Also: A former county courthouse may have a future as a community hub. And the county fair may be coming back next year.
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Locals have been fighting against a proposed car wash near the corner of Stadium Drive and Drake Road for years. That issue will once again come to a head tonight as Kalamazoo city officials consider whether to rezone a plot of land to allow it to be used for commercial purposes. Its location near the Asylum Lake Preserve has many concerned about the environmental impacts of a car wash.
“Our community’s beautiful Asylum Lake Preserve is Kalamazoo’s treasure,” said resident Iris Potter. “We go there; we love it. And it must never be threatened by commercial zoning.” She’s part of a group urging the city to buy the property from its owner, Haji Tehrani, the president and CEO of Drive & Shine Car Wash.
The city’s planning commission previously voted not to recommend the land be rezoned. The city commission will hear the first reading of the zoning change proposal tonight. – John McNeill, Now Kalamazoo
The city of Kalamazoo has big plans for the former district court building. The Arthur Washington Jr. Crosstown Center will continue to house the department of public safety headquarters, but will also be remodeled into new office space for the city’s planning and IT departments, which are currently sharing a cramped rented space downtown.
City Planner Christina Anderson said the $11 million remodel will also include a large new community hub space that can be used for a variety of city and community purposes, including livestreaming of meetings. Public Safety Chief Dave Boyson said some of the space will be used by his department for training and other necessary facilities.
Mayor David Anderson said the new space has “a pretty reasonable price tag” that will cost far less than many other recently completed public projects and may save the city money in the long run.
The 100,000 square foot building at Crosstown Parkway and South Burdick Street began life as a Sears, Roebuck and Co. department store in the 1950s. – John McNeill, NowKalamazoo
Kalamazoo County’s plans to bring back a full-blown county fair next summer remain unresolved. Parks Director Dave Rachowicz said the county will assume the job of organizing next year’s fair, which will bring back rides and food booths, but only if they can secure a contract with a carnival company. The event was reduced to just the 4-H activities this year, which is primarily what the annual fair was created for.
The fair board would be dismantled and replaced with an organizing committee that would make the decisions on how to proceed. The tentative fair dates are August 2-8, a week earlier than in the past. Rachowicz said a $400,000 budget is projected for the event. – John McNeill, NowKalamazoo
There’s something missing at Zerø, downtown Kalamazoo’s newest bar: alcohol.
Click here to find out what’s on tap.
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Gifts from wealthy donors have had a big impact on Kalamazoo over the past two decades. Public and anonymous donations have resulted in everything from animal shelters and farmers markets to the Kalamazoo Promise. [MLive (may have paywall)]
– Newsletter anonymously donated by James Sanford & Ben Jones
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Check out events by category:
The Geezer Happy Hour with Duke and the Loose Cannons – Shakespeare’s Pub
12/1, 4:00 PM
Vicksburg Arts Gallery at Village Hall Grand Opening – Vicksburg Village Hall
12/1, 5:30 PM
Scottish Country Dancing – Oshtemo Grange Hall
12/1, 7:00 PM
Kalamazoo Women2Women Holiday Gift Exchange – ThunderBird Kalamazoo
12/2, 11:30 AM
Weekly Gaming for Teens – Richland Community Library
12/2, 3:00 PM
Read and Write Kalamazoo Giving Tuesday Fundraising Concert – Dabney & Co.
12/2, 5:30 PM
Kalamazoo Premier Chess Club – Urban Alliance
12/2, 6:00 PM
No Shelf Control: a Graphic Novel Book Club – Kalamazoo Public Library, Central
12/2, 6:00 PM
Fiber Arts Group – Comstock Township Library
12/2, 6:00 PM
Kalamazoo Academy Of Rock – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe
12/2, 6:00 PM
“A Wish For Winter” Book Discussion – Galesburg Charleston Memorial District Library
12/2, 6:30 PM
Best Trivia Ever Tuesdays – Shakespeare’s Pub
12/2, 7:00 PM
Slap Your Tail Comedy – Wax Wings Brewing Co.
12/2, 7:00 PM
Christmas in Kalamazoo Concert: Kalamazoo Male Chorus and Kalamazoo Ringers – Centerpoint Church
12/2, 7:30 PM
See more upcoming events
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Ben Jones (he/him) runs the tech side of things at NowKalamazoo while also compiling the daily newsletter. Jones worked in film production for several years before jumping into broadcast journalism. He claims that he has worked for every radio news department in Kalamazoo (there are more of them than you think). More recently he has delved into website development, working with everything from small, local nonprofits to large, multinational organizations.
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