Kalamazoo Leverages Historic Preservation As Economic Development Tool

Older buildings with lower rents have enabled new businesses to startup in this Michigan city's lively downtown.

1 minute read

April 20, 2008, 11:00 AM PDT

By Christian Madera @http://www.twitter.com/cpmadera


"If Sharon Ferraro could persuade her husband, they'd live above one of the businesses on Michigan Avenue between Portage and Pitcher Streets.

"It's like stepping back into 1910," she said, mentioning Kalamazoo has more than 2,000 historically designated buildings. Most are residential, but there are historic commercial buildings, too, and that section of Michigan Avenue is thick with them.

Because so many downtown Kalamazoo businesses are open nights and weekends, the area is lively, she added.

"I've been in other cities where the minute the business day is over, people are gone," Ferraro said. "Here, downtown is always moving. I see this mix of people of all ages and economic levels. We're not perfect, but it's lively down there."

Kalamazoo's historic preservation director thanked a series of coincidences for making that possible, and for making historic preservation a tool for Kalamazoo's economic development.

"If you look at the businesses unique to Kalamazoo, they all started in historic buildings," Ferraro said. "They didn't have tons of money to move into brand-new buildings. They took old buildings, fixed them up and grew into the unique businesses they are today."

In addition to lower initial rents, well-maintained old buildings create a sense of community stability and character."

Friday, April 18, 2008 in Western Michigan Business Review

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Looking out at trees on 4th Street in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA’s Tree Emergency Goes Beyond Vandalism

After a vandal destroyed dozens of downtown LA trees, Mayor Karen Bass vowed to replace them. Days later, she slashed the city’s tree budget.

April 23 - Torched

White and blue Sacramento regional transit bus with one bike on front bike rack.

Sacramento Leads Nation With Bus-Mounted Bike Lane Enforcement Cameras

The city is the first to use its bus-mounted traffic enforcement system to cite drivers who park or drive in bike lanes.

April 23 - Streetsblog California

View of downtown Seattle with Space Needle and mountains in background

Seattle Voters Approve Social Housing Referendum

Voters approved a corporate tax to fund the city’s housing authority despite an opposition campaign funded by Amazon and Microsoft.

April 23 - Next City