I really hope they can get this rezoning done. Looking at aerials, this is such a strange mix of uses in this part of town, and we need to see some way better site plans than the stuff currently there. This sounds like this would allow for that.
Quote:
Kalamazoo considers rezoning for hotel expansions along I-94
By Malachi Barrett, MLive.com
June 7, 2018
KALAMAZOO, MI -- An area near I-94 on Kalamazoo's east side could be rezoned to allow hotels to expand and match the city's master plan.
Thursday, the Planning Commission recommended rezoning 68-acres between Sprinkle Road and Gembrit Circle on the east edge of the Milwood neighborhood. The City Commission still needs to vote on the final approval.
If approved, zoning districts would change from manufacturing to commercial, allowing more residential uses and permitting motels, hotels and inns. Vice Chair Gregory Milliken said the rezoning will create a better environment for economic development in the area.
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Quote:
Five hotels exist in the rezoning area: Clarion Hotel, Baymont Inn, Four Points by Sheraton, Holiday Inn Express and Red Roof Inn.
They are considered conforming uses in the current M-1 zone, which means the hotels can't expand without a variance. No new hotels can be built without a variance granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Senior Development Planner Rob Bauckham said the hotel owners don't have immediate plans for expansion.
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Even by sprawl standards the orientation of the buildings on their sites, here, look to be poorly place and undertilize their large parcels. Do you know whether this was originally zoned for industrial usage, or if the hotels were developed first? I'm just trying to figure out how you get hotels in the middle of an industrial district. It seems like either the hotels should have never been allowed or that it shouldn't have even been zoned for industry.