The City of Kalamazoo is seeking community input on proposed updates to the City’s commercial zoning code, map, and related standards. The proposed changes are part of the City’s incremental Zoning Code and Map update process. These changes seek to clarify the code requirements, support the 2025 Master Plan, align land use and transportation, and support the economic vitality of Kalamazoo.
The Zoning Code determines what uses are allowed on properties in different areas in the City, as well as what standards and protections must be met in their development. Since 2017 several small updates were made to the Zoning Code, including map changes in the Eastside, Northside, and Downtown neighborhoods and text updates including Natural Feature Protection Overlay and updates to the parking standards. The current update focuses on commercial districts and related development standards, such as signs, landscape and screening, and lighting. This proposed update includes changes to the text of the Zoning Code and changes to the Zoning Map for just under 2000 parcels.
A few highlights from the proposal includes:
Updating Commercial Districts – The eight existing commercial zoning districts would be simplified. This update adds 2 new districts to be used alongside 4 existing commercial and mixed-use districts to support economic vitality and complete neighborhoods Strategic Vision goals.
Updates to Related Standards – Standards for parking, landscaping, lighting, and signage would be updated. Projecting signs would be allowed through the city and not just in Downtown, the requirement for a minimum amount of vehicle parking spaces would be replaced with a maximum to help manage excessive parking. Landscape standards would be updated considering recent court cases and to align it with the Community Sustainability Plan and Natural Features Protection standards.
Zoning Repair – Many properties along Kalamazoo’s commercial corridors are “split zoned” meaning they have more than one zoning district’s rules applied. The update would clean up the zoning map to remove these areas of confusion.
Alignment with plans and regulations – The update would incorporate updated state regulations for cannabis businesses, further align zoning with the 2025 Master Plan, and align with the City’s recently approved Community Sustainability Plan (CSP) and Street Design Manual. The code update would also take court rulings that impact zoning into consideration.
Throughout this incremental code update, staff has reviewed existing zoning rules found in Appendix A of the Municipal Code. Upon review, the existing rules were changed or removed or had their language simplified. These revised sections along with completely new rules, were then transferred into the new location for the Zoning Code, Chapter 50 of the Municipal Code. As this Zoning Code update continues, Chapter 50 is growing larger, while Appendix is getting smaller and in the near future will be completely removed from the Municipal Code. The goal is to create a zoning code that is clear and easy to understand, creates predictable outcomes, and helps to achieve the community’s vision for Kalamazoo. The Zoning Code and Map were last overhauled in 2005. Though the City is tackling code updates in small pieces, the end result would be a complete overhaul from the 2005 documents.
To determine what zoning would be appropriate for the parcels included in this proposal, City staff and a consultant reviewed nearly 2,000 commercial parcels to understand what commercial designation they are currently zoned as, where they’re located, and what the Future Land Use Plan from the Master Plan identified would be appropriate use for the parcel. A map of the proposed changes is available online in an interactive map. Users can click on each parcel to see what it is currently zoned, what it is proposed to be zoned, and additional information on the proposed zoning change.
The proposed updates are available for review at imaginekalamazoo.com/projects/zoningupdates. A series of public meetings are also scheduled to discuss the proposed updates:
Wednesday, April 19, 5 – 6:30 pm at the Kalamazoo Public Library’s Central Branch in the Van Deusen Room (315 S. Rose Street)
Thursday, April 27, 7 – 8:30 pm at the Kalamazoo College Athletic Complex in the Hornet Suite (1600 W. Michigan Ave)
Wednesday, May 3, 6 – 7:30 pm at the Edison Neighborhood Association (816 Washington Ave.)
Residents who are interested in attending a meeting but need assistance can call 311 or (269) 337-8000 for accommodations. Property owners of lots included in this zoning update can also schedule a conversation with City staff (by phone or on Zoom) to discuss the proposed changes and how they would affect their property.
Following community review, a draft would be considered for approval by the Planning Commission and if recommended for approval, final approval by the City Commission later this year.