KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Wednesday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a series of bills into law, including one that would allow Kalamazoo to have a downtown event center.
House Bill 4816, authored by Rep. Brandt Iden, creates the “Regional Event Center Financing Act.” That bill would allow “certain counties that meet listed population parameters to establish an event center financing program,” according to a release from Governor Whitmer’s office.
“This legislation simply gives Kalamazoo County and others of similar size the same tools to help develop convention centers that larger Michigan counties already use,” Iden said in a statement regarding the bill. “These developments boost tourism and keep downtowns vibrant. They create jobs, attract visitors and provide new opportunities in communities across Michigan.”
Taxes for such a program would need to be approved at a county level to become active. The taxes would only apply to hotel rooms and other lodging facilities, which would then fund the new center, according to Iden.
WWMT reported Wednesday that residents would not be affected by those taxes. WWMT also confirmed that the new event center would be located at North Westnedge Avenue and Park Street, which is behind the site of the recently-opened Hilton Garden Inn.
Iden also stated that the concept of this sort of funding isn’t new, pointing to the TCF Center in downtown Detroit (formerly known as the Cobo Center) as an example.
He said funding for that center was “substantially” helped through a similar mechanism.
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