Kalamazoo’s Zoning Board of Appeals approved oversized signage for a new youth and amateur sports tournament facility planned for 1617 North Drake Road.
The Kalamazoo County Event Center Authority requested the variance because the facility’s scale — eight basketball courts convertible to 16 basketball or volleyball courts, plus an additional indoor turf field — exceeds what the city’s residential-zone sign standards anticipated. Jane Ghosh, president and CEO of Discover Kalamazoo, presented on behalf of the authority, explaining that youth and amateur sports currently generate about $30 million in annual economic impact in Kalamazoo County despite the lack of a facility able to host basketball and volleyball tournaments locally. The facility is funded entirely by an incremental 4% assessment on area hotels, approved by hotel operators last year, with collections beginning in June 2025; it will not draw on general public tax dollars.
Board members noted the project has been relocated to the site’s southwest corner since an earlier presentation, increasing its distance from residential areas, and that existing tree cover will largely screen the building from nearby neighborhoods. One board member, who had recused himself from an earlier related vote due to his role with the Westwood Neighborhood Association, publicly thanked the project team for accommodating concerns about tree preservation. The variance passed unanimously, 6-0.
Plus:
- The Zoning Board approved Natural Features Protection variances for a five-duplex development on West Cork Street (Statewide Rentals LLC), voting 5-1 on each of three affected properties. Conditions require the developer to restore disturbed slopes with native trees, shrubs, and shade-tolerant grass seed. A neighboring resident raised concerns about traffic and property values; the developer said the project is fully privately financed with no rent or affordability commitments decided yet.
- The board approved a variance allowing Fifth Third Bank to maintain existing rooftop sign dimensions at 151 South Rose Street, 6-0, as the bank consolidates its downtown Kalamazoo operations into that building. The approval is conditioned on removing the bank’s existing signage from its former location at 136 East Michigan Avenue, reducing overall sign clutter downtown.
