KALAMAZOO, MI — The developers and dignitaries that broke ground at the Kalamazoo Event Center Friday, Sept. 26, are visualizing the future of Kalamazoo.
Right now, the idea of thousands of people walking through the city before a concert might sound far fetched.
“Kalamazoo always punches above its weight,” said City Commissioner Chris Praedel. “I think this is one of those examples of what we’re capable of.”
The $515 million project promises to bring more than 300,000 people to downtown Kalamazoo each year for concerts and sporting events. It will be home to Western Michigan University’s basketball teams and hockey teams, plus the Kalamazoo Wings hockey team.
By providing parking for just a quarter of the arena’s capacity, even the parking plan is designed to get visitors into the city on foot, said Bill Johnston, the philanthropist backing the project via Catalyst Development Company.
“We want them to journey here, stay here and then, after awhile, go home,” he said.
The event center is expected to open in fall 2027. But is Kalamazoo’s downtown ready for the influx of concert-goers, tourists and potential residents?
“Great cities have great downtowns,” Mayor David Anderson said. “And for downtowns to stay great, they have to evolve.”
By fall 2027, downtown’s Kalamazoo Avenue will be reconstructed to carry two-way traffic through the busy corridor. Renovations at Arcadia Creek Festival place will also begin, welcoming downtown visitors for outdoor festivals and live music.
Unlike those projects, the event center is privately funded.
The city is supporting the development, but it’s privately funded. Still, the new arena stands to dramatically shape the city’s identity.
“It is a transformational investment that is going to continue to change the direction of downtown Kalamazoo, to make it be a vibrant destination spot that we will all be proud of together,” Anderson said.
The event center is expected to generate $52.6 million each year, said Southwest Michigan First CEO Jonas Peterson.
Arena owner Greenleaf Hospitality Group won’t be the only business to capitalize on that, said Southwest Michigan First Director Clarence Lloyd. There are already thriving businesses downtown that will benefit from the influx of new visitors.
They’ll also need support over the next two years before the event center opens, Greenleaf CEO Tim Rayman said.
“We view the Kalamazoo Event Center to be an amplifier of Kalamazoo,” he said.
Its success will go to show other developers how much opportunity there is in downtown Kalamazoo, Rayman said,
Greenleaf’s team already supports citywide events like Beats on Bates and the annual chili cook-off, Lloyd said. “They’re engaged in everything.”
The team is focused on making Kalamazoo feel safe by providing a clean, well-lit place to walk around before and after events, Rayman said.
That also means providing transportation, supporting ride-share services and working with the city and other business owners to create a welcoming downtown, Rayman said.
Plans for the event center include a dedicated bus line from WMU’s campus to the facility, as well as dedicated parking for students.
As the home of two colleges and the Kalamazoo Promise, Kalamazoo earned the moniker “education city.”
But right now, students are largely absent from the downtown area. This project will change that.
WMU President Russ Kavalhuna had to correct himself — it’s the event center, not a student center.
“I almost want to call it a student center because it has such a student draw,” he said.
The Kalamazoo Event Center will not only host WMU hockey and basketball games, but will also boast an athletic performance center with conditioning equipment, practice space and locker rooms for men’s and women’s teams.
“We’re bringing students downtown to experience what it’s like to be a member of a community, work as part of a community and help a community grow,” said WMU Athletic Director Dan Bartholomae.
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