Kalamazoo planning commission backs rezoning at Vine and Burdick for five‑story mixed‑use project

The Kalamazoo City Planning Commission on May 1 voted to recommend rezoning six parcels at the corner of Vine and Burdick from Live Work 1 to Downtown 3, a change the developer said is needed to build a five‑story mixed‑use project with ground‑floor retail, roughly 80 residential units and an early‑learning center.

City planner Christina Anderson told commissioners the two zoning districts share permitted uses and lot types under the city's form‑based code but differ on maximum height and impervious‑surface standards: Live Work 1 allows up to three stories and roughly 80% impervious coverage, while Downtown 3 permits up to five stories and near‑100% coverage. Anderson said the parcels are in an "area of transition" between downtown and adjacent neighborhoods and that rezoning requests must follow the city's public participation policy.

Nut graf: The rezoning would allow a taller, denser building on a corner the city and neighborhood plans identify for mixed‑use development. Supporters say it advances the city's master‑plan and housing goals; neighbors urged continued outreach about design and impacts on nearby properties.

Developer Jamari Bogan, CEO of Bogan Developments, described the proposal as workforce housing with neighborhood amenities. "This project is a…