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Kalamazoo ZBA elects officers for 2026, reviews annual report and board expansion plans
Summary
At its Feb. 12 meeting the Kalamazoo Zoning Board of Appeals elected Joe Holler as chair, Gary Wark as vice chair and Beth Fannin Humber as secretary for 2026; staff also presented the board's annual report, including a proposed ordinance amendment to expand the ZBA to seven members and guidance on food trucks and site-plan review.
The Kalamazoo Zoning Board of Appeals completed its annual business Feb. 12, electing board officers for 2026 and receiving the ZBA annual report from planning staff.
In roll-call and voice votes the board approved Joe Holler as chair, Gary Wark as vice chair and Beth Fannin Humber as secretary. The board discussed whether the secretary could prepare findings of fact and confirmed there is no prohibition in the bylaws or ordinance against the secretary performing that role.
Planning staff summarized the ZBA's annual report, noting board initiatives completed in 2025: rewriting rules of procedure into "bylaws" and pursuing an ordinance amendment to expand the ZBA from six to seven members (the amendment will go to the Planning Commission next month, then the City Commission). Staff also described a joint training with the Natural Features Protection review board and the Planning Commission, and said the number of variance requests rose to 38 in 2025, in part because of variances needed for a downtown event-center project. Staff noted recent activity on requests from food trucks and food trailers and said staff is working with those operators to explain site-plan review for permanent placement on commercial properties.
Board members complimented the joint training and asked staff to continue that collaborative work. The meeting adjourned after the annual-business items were completed.
