Let’s get it started again!

[deja vu]

(2) new site plan review applications have been submitted for the March 17 meeting agenda. Both are related to the marijuana industry -

1203 Fourth St. - repurposing of an existing building in a semi-industrial area. I think this is going to be turned into a new processing facility (for "Friends of the Garden, LLC"), but I can't quite tell if its for a different use related to cannabis.

104 / 110 N Drake Rd. - a new dispensary on some (surprisingly) undeveloped parcels for RAIR, a MI-based company with locations in Bay City and Muskegon, and with several more on the way. Their main selling point is that they are "dirtless" meaning that all of their source plants are grown using aeroponic processes. The elevations are "mildly" interesting - 

Source: City of Kalamazoo / RAIR

Separately, for whatever it's worth, Kalamazoo was just named the coolest city with the lowest cost of living in the entire U.S. by PureWow. I can attest that the cost of living here is great. I'm not so sure about "coolest". 

Other cities on the top 10?

2. Knoxville, TN
3. Fayetteville, AR
4. Oklahoma City, OK
5. Savannah, GA
6. Des Moines, IA
7. Green Bay, WI
8. Huntsville, AL
9. Indianapolis, IN
10. Greenville, SC

[deja vu]

Battle Creek -

It's good to see restoration work finally progressing at 99 & 103 W. Michigan Ave. 103 was the former home to Arcadia Brewing, before they closed in 2017 to focus on their Kalamazoo location, which also subsequently closed. 99 has been vacant for more than a decade. Both properties required substantial rehab. work, including new roofs, which they are now getting. You can see the roofs totally removed through the upper windows in this recent photo -

Source: LinkedIn | BCU

Kalamazoo -

Yet another cannabis retailer is opening its doors in town. This one is called "Cookies" and it is located at 2712 Portage Street. The brand was started by California-based rapper and entrepreneur "Berner", and it is the second location to open in Michigan, following one in Detroit. Gage Cannabis is the exclusive partner with the licensing rights in Michigan (they have six other cannabis-related businesses throughout the state as well). The ribbon cutting was held 2/26 and was attended by the mayor. It officially opened its doors 2/27, initially for medical marijuana sales only (but recreational will be coming). Can't say I'm a huge fan of the all-blue stucco-with-covered-windows aesthetic, but the building has been vacant for loner than I can remember, so it's an improvement -

Quote

Kalamazoo mayor will attend ribbon cutting ceremony for ‘Cookies’ cannabis store
rad Devereaux | MLive
February 26, 2021

Source: WKFR

Kalamazoo -

The apartment portion of The Creamery is finished (the 24/7 daycare is scheduled to be complete & open this fall). The apartments look a lot like the units in The Exchange (not a criticism, just an observation). I think the sliding bedroom barn doors are the exact same product. The developer is different for each project but the Architect is the same (Byce) -

Source: Facebook | The Creamery - Kalamazoo

Source: Facebook | The Creamery - Kalamazoo

Source: Facebook | The Creamery - Kalamazoo

Source: Facebook | The Creamery - Kalamazoo

Big news -

Quote

 

Hard Rock Hotels to redevelop former Gibson Guitar site in Kalamazoo for new hotel concept

Samantha May | WWMT News Channel 3

Monday, March 1st 2021

 

Source: WWMT | Contributed

The repurposed, original factory is in the right foreground, and you can see what's clearly a large, 4-5 story hotel addition in the background, in a similar factory industrial style. I love seeing the old stack featured so prominently. There was a big push in the community to save that.

The concept looks great. But the location relative to downtown seems odd.  Their flagship for this new hotel brand is right in the heart of downtown Atlanta. This Kalamazoo rendition is beyond the outskirts of downtown.

Reverb by Hard Rock | Modern Hotels for Music Fans

Edited March 1, 2021 by deja vu