KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — The Kalamazoo City Commission has rezoned the property next to Linden Grove Elementary just off Drake Road for a new upscale apartment complex.
It had been zoned for commercial development. Opposition has been voiced by residents in the Arcadia Neighborhood that it will just increase traffic congestion in that part of town.
But the developer, Mike Speedy said there would be even more traffic if it was developed as commercial space. He says they will be marketing for upscale professionals, offering attached garages, granite counters, high ceilings and other amenities.
Commissioner Mike Anderson said it would be on a five-lane road that connects to another five lane road. The sewer and water lines have already been installed and there are similar uses all around the property.
“If we cannot allow this kind of development there, on that site, then it can’t be done in Kalamazoo,” Anderson said.
Commissioners voted unanimously for the project, some saying the city needs the housing, others saying the city needs the tax base, despite disapproval from Arcadia residents.
