What to Know for Monday’s Public Hearing on 4301 Stadium Drive

As part of its Business Meeting on Monday, January 26, the Kalamazoo City Commission will hold a public hearing related to a request to rezone a property at 4301 Stadium Drive, near the Asylum Lake area. A large number of community members are expected to attend for this item, and the City is making accommodations to allow all voices to be heard in an orderly and comfortable way. If you are planning to participate in the meeting, please review the information below.

Meeting Details

The meeting will be held in the City Commission Chambers at City Hall, 241 W South Street starting at 6 p.m. Due to the expected attendance, additional viewing areas will be set up throughout the building.

• 6 p.m. | The City Commission meeting with the presentation of the Social Justice Youth Awards. Community members attending for the public hearing or other agenda items are asked to be respectful of this special recognition and wait to enter the Commission Chambers until the presentation concludes, which is expected to be around 6:45 p.m.
• 6:45 p.m. | There will be a brief recess after the awards to give time for the recipients and their families to celebrate, take photos, and depart from Commission Chambers.
• 7 p.m. | The meeting will resume with the adoption of the formal agenda, communications, and general public comment. The Public Hearing on this rezoning will begin after general public comments

Once published, the meeting agenda will be available through Civic Clerk.

Watching the Meeting Online

The meeting will be streamed for those who wish to watch and participate through call-in comments. You can watch the meeting on the City of Kalamazoo's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Participating in the Public Hearing

Community members may provide comments in person or by calling into the public hearing: 

In-Person Comments

In-person comments will occur in an orderly manner to ensure everyone has an opportunity to speak without standing in long lines for extended periods. Seating and viewing areas will be available in multiple rooms within City Hall, with City staff present in each location to coordinate speaker participation. Speakers will be called to line up a row or two at a time to minimize time spent standing in line. This will be a different process from some other meetings, and we ask for your patience and understanding as our staff works to ensure everyone can participate in the most comfortable and orderly way possible.

Commenting by Phone:

Call 1-888-382-9556 at the appropriate time during the public hearing to enter the queue. Call in comments will be heard after in-person comments. Call in comments will be played live during the meeting. Call in comments will be accepted during the public hearing only and not general comments.  

Because of the expected number of speakers, the meeting will take additional time. We ask for patience and courtesy toward fellow speakers, Commissioners, and staff.  

About This Rezoning Request

The request before the City Commission is to change the property’s base zoning from residential classifications to Community Commercial (CC). The Natural Features Protection Overlay (NFP-O) would remain in place and would continue to regulate development near sensitive natural features on the site. No specific development project is being proposed or approved as part of this request.

Under the property’s current residential zoning, the site may be used primarily for single family houses and other low-density uses, such as parks or space, and certain institutional or civic uses like schools or religious institutions.

If the property were rezoned to Community Commercial, a broader range of uses could be proposed in the future. These could include retail businesses, restaurants or cafés, offices or professional services such as medical or dental offices, grocery or specialty food markets, hotels or lodging, and mixed-use buildings that combine commercial uses with housing. Even if the zoning were changed, the Natural Features Protection Overlay would continue to limit where and how development could occur.

The Planning Commission reviewed this rezoning request and voted not to recommend it at its November meeting. The City Commission is the body that makes the final decision after considering the Planning Commission’s recommendation, staff analysis, public comments, and the City’s adopted plans and ordinances. The City Commission may agree or disagree with the Planning Commission’s recommendation.  

About Rezoning Requests

Rezoning is a process that changes how a property can be developed, including the development standards like height or location of the building in relation to property lines, and what uses are permitted. A request to rezone a property does not approve a specific development project, does not authorize construction, and does not remove environmental protections. Any future project would still need to undergo site plan review and meet all applicable zoning and environmental requirements. A request to rezone a property is a question on whether or not the proposed district, with its list of permitted uses and development standards, is appropriate for the location.