In January, the Kalamazoo City Commission denied a request to rezone 4301 Stadium Drive near Asylum Lake to a classification level called “community commercial”, or CC, which is a mixed-use zoning that allows for commercial and residential spaces.
The parcel at 4301 Stadium Drive has seen at least three rezoning requests. The owner — DNS Stadium Drive, LLC, which runs Drive & Shine car washes — withdrew two of them before they reached the commission.
Now, assistant city planner Bobby Durkee says a full year must pass before a request for the same type of CC rezoning is submitted — but the rule doesn’t apply to other classifications.
“A request to rezone to CC would not be permitted for one year after the commission decision. However, an applicant may request a rezoning to a different zoning district, or a configuration of zones on the property, before that one-year timeline if it’s not similar," Durkee said.
Because of this, there's no time restriction on submitting a request to rezone 4301 Stadium Drive to a non-"community-commercial" property. But any requests for a rezoning to CC will have to wait until January 27, 2027 — one year after the commission decision.
“Any rezoning, if it’s disapproved, there’s a one-year period you can’t make the same request," Durkee said.
During the January meeting, Durkee and other members of Community Planning and Economic Development staff laid out their position on approving the CC rezoning request and advised approval. According to city spokesperson Mike Smith, the commission's vote against the rezoning means CPED has no more steps to take - that is, unless another rezoning request is submitted.
"The City of Kalamazoo provided the applicant a letter after the decision Monday; a decision letter is standard procedure for all City boards and committees. With the City Commission’s vote, there are no next steps for the City to take," Smith said in an email.
WMUK reached out DNS Stadium Drive, LLC and the land owner's legal representation and did not receive a response.
