Rezoning Proposal Returns to Kalamazoo Threatening Asylum Lake Preserve

Kalamazoo residents have said it once, and with this latest rezoning resubmission, it looks like we’ll have to say it again:

We don't want another car wash on Stadium Drive near Asylum Lake!

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Conversations about the proposal to rezone parts of Stadium Drive from Howard St. to Drake Rd. for commercial development stalled in 2024, but now the fight is back on. Managed by Western Michigan University the 274-acre nature preserve is home to nearly,

455 plant species, 117 bird species, 6 varieties of frogs, 6 kinds of turtles, and an indefinite number of snakes, and of course, many white-tailed deer. Asylum Lake Preserve is composed of mature oak-hickory forests, sedge meadows, old fields, and prairie/savanna. - ALPA

For the sake of transparency, I live directly adjacent to the preserve, and I can't tell you how much joy the birds, wildlife, and tranquil sunsets have brought to my partner and me. We’ve become aspiring birders, investing in a pair of binoculars that we often bring along on our weekend hikes to better view the heron, wood ducks, cranes, and family of swans that also call the lake home.

Can you imagine a bunch of commercial developments backing up to the lake?

The Asylum Lake Preserve Association shared the troublesome update on social media that our fight to protect our water and wildlife is not over:

ALPA has learned that the Kalamazoo Planning Commission has received a resubmitted application for a zoning change from Residential to Commercial for the parcel of land at the corner of Drake and Stadium to be heard at the meeting on November 6th...Please share this with your friends and neighbors. We really need the help of the community to try and stop this zoning change.

According to ALPA the land near the preserve is zoned R-5 which does not allow for commercial developments. Now the association, alongside other environmental groups of Kalamazoo, are fighting for a new special Green Space designation that would offer long-term protection for Asylum Lake, as well as Kalamazoo's other nature preserves. Adds ALPA,

We all remember the stress of the last time the City sought to rezone Stadium Drive. Par-ticularly the parcel at 4301 Stadium, which is immediately adjacent to Asylum Lake and the Preserve, where the current owner would like to build a car wash. Fortunately, many community members didn’t support having a car wash at Drake and Stadium, and showed up with their voices raised in unison against commercial rezoning.

ALPA will host an open information session at the Kalamazoo Public Library Central Branch on Thursday, October 23 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. where residents can voice concerns and find out more on how to protect the preserve. Details here.

Note: There's already Ric & Stan's car wash on Stadium Drive and another Bob & Kay's auto wash located 1.5 miles away.