The Kalamazoo City Planning Commission unanimously approved a site plan Thursday for a new office building at 4755 Campus Drive in the Western Michigan University Business, Technology and Research Park.
The applicant is Owen Ames Kimball, a full-service engineering, construction, and design firm that has operated a Kalamazoo branch since 2013. The company, which started in Grand Rapids more than 130 years ago, currently employs approximately 12 office staff in Kalamazoo. Project manager Aaron Kaiser told the commission the new building is designed to support continued growth, with capacity to accommodate approximately 20 office staff.
The approval was granted with the condition that the project also receive final sign-off from the city’s Site Plan Review Committee, which is required for all private development within the BTR Park zone district. No public comment was received.
The BTR Park, a public-private research and development campus adjacent to WMU’s main campus, still has several vacant lots available for development.
