KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – After protesters demanded it, City of Kalamazoo planners removed zoning changes that might have made it easier for the development of a car wash near Asylum Lake, but environmentalists say the larger plan still has holes in it.
City Commissioners will get a look at a massive zoning ordinance update this afternoon.
Critics say some developments are moving ahead near green spaces, and the door is open for others, despite the creation of a Natural Features Protection plan that was supposed to preserve them.
Some say proposed changes to the NFP make those green spaces more vulnerable.
City Planner Christina Anderson says the changes are just meant to clarify the Natural Features Protection policy.
Anderson says the planning staff has to balance the city’s wishes with private land owner rights, and zoning laws have their limits.
A draft of the update will be presented to the Planning Commission next month, for approval at their meeting in September. After that it goes to the City Commission, so there will be at least a couple of public hearings before final approval.
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