The City of Kalamazoo is working on keeping the city greener and cleaner. Monday night Commissioners expanded their Natural Features Protection Plan.
City officials say property owners will be dissuaded from disrupting waterways, removing slopes or old growth trees, and making other changes to the city’s natural features.
The effort began after a developer proposed building a huge car wash next to Asylum Lake. Three years later, the plan is being expanded from just under 400 environmentally sensitive properties to just under 1800.
COVID Relief Money
The City of Kalamazoo plans to use some of its federal COVID relief money to address the pandemic’s lingering effects. The City will receive $38.9-million dollars. $7-million will replace revenue the city lost during the pandemic. The rest will be spent over the next 4 years to help erase the lingering effects of the pandemic.
The plan is to rank proposed projects on how they address five specific goals…to help young residents, improve housing, fight gun violence, boost the local economy and rebuild infrastructure.
Staff will come up with a million dollar plan to address urgent community needs at the Commission’s next meeting. The rest will be folded into next year’s budget process.