call to action!
email the City of Kalamazoo before Thurs, Sept 3
If you support ALPA's Green Zoning letter, which asks the City of Kalamazoo to create two new zoning districts (Conservation District and Green Space District - see definitions below), you can help by emailing City Planning. Our letter is on their agenda for their meeting at 7pm on Thurs, Sept 3. Your email can be short and sweet, like our example below.
EXAMPLE EMAIL:
(Addressed to: David Anderson, Mayor / Drew Duncan, Vice Mayor / Christina Anderson, Deputy CPED Director, City Planner / Scott Borling, City Clerk)
To: Mayor@kalamazoocity.org, andersonc@kalamazoocity.org, cokcityclerk@kalamazoocity.org, DuncanDM@kalamazoocity.org
Subject: I support Green Zoning!
Body: My name is _________, and I'm writing to express my full support for the Environmental Concerns Committee's recommendation to add two new "green" zoning districts – a Conservation District and a Green Space District – to the City of Kalamazoo's zoning ordinance. These districts are described in ALPA's proposal letter, which the ECC voted to recommend. Along with creating the districts, the letter asks the City to take several related steps:
Create a Green Space Zoning District and a Conservation Zoning District in our zoning ordinance;
Reflect these designations on the Future Land Use Map now, while it is being updated through Imagine Kalamazoo 2035, so the map and the new districts work together to guide development;
Apply the districts directly to public and institutional land already functioning as green space or conservation land, and allow private owners to opt in;
Study which parcels across Kalamazoo's neighborhoods would benefit from these designations; and
Bring a draft framework back to the community for input and eventual implementation.
(If you are a resident of the City of Kalamazoo, it helps to indicate so in your signature line.)
Our proposed Green Zoning districts (at a glance):
A Conservation Zoning District would protect ecologically sensitive areas – prioritizing habitat, biodiversity, and ecological integrity with minimal human intervention.
A Green Space Zoning District would protect and promote publicly accessible green spaces – prioritizing community access, recreation, and public health.
about alpa
The Asylum Lake Preservation Association (ALPA) is a volunteer association dedicated to the preservation of the Asylum Lake Preserve in Kalamazoo, MI. The Preserve is a 274-acre treasure that is managed by Western Michigan University and guided by goals within the the Declaration of Conservation Restrictions: Promote Ecosystem Integrity and Natural Aesthetics, Ensuring Passive Recreation and Supporting Research and Education.
While many people come to the Preserve for rest and renewal, few understand its fragile nature and history. It is the one place in the city where the animals and plants, not the humans and visitors, are the main elements, and this is why it is called a preserve and not a park. Learn more about ALPA here.
OPPORTUNITY
Join the ALPA Board! The Asylum Lake Preservation Association is looking for three new board members.
green zoning update (8/19/26)
The Environmental Concerns Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the City Commission direct City Planning to establish Green Space and Conservation zoning districts in Kalamazoo. We're proud that this recommendation goes forward alongside a letter that ALPA prepared.
Become an alpa member
You can see that this property is not a preserve by accident – many people have worked long and hard to keep it this way. Please consider becoming a member of Asylum Lake Preservation Association for only $10 annually, which helps us continue the work we do. Your gift will support community education efforts, environmental awareness, environmental advocacy, ALPA communications (newsletters and brochures), trail maps, website maintenance, and legal fees.
