Schippers Crossing
This high priority BRI site is a utility asset (owned by the city’s Public Services Department), comprises227-acres located at the eastern extreme of the city (near Sprinkle Road and Michigan Avenue), and is surrounded on three sides by Kalamazoo Township. Site features include rolling hills, wooded areas, approximately 75 acres of wetlands, former gravel pits, a public safety firing range, and wastewater sludge basins that have been capped. Familiar adjoining properties include the township’s Eastwood Neighborhood to the north, Consumers Concrete Corporation to the east, and auto salvage yards to the south (along the north side of East Michigan Avenue).

After purchasing the property in 1966, the city placed wastewater sludge in two basins on-site between 1967 and 1968; the intent was to decant liquid from the top of the settled sludge and send that liquid back through the wastewater treatment system. The process, however, did not work as anticipated; the sludge formed a colloidal gel, trapping liquid, so that decanting could not take place. To make matters worse, the decomposition of the sludge produced a horrendous stench that literally peeled paint from nearby houses. The public outcry that ensued resulted in a lawsuit against the city and negative national media attention. The basins were subsequently capped using wastewater incinerator ash and debris from spring cleanup programs.

This immense property has stood dormant for the last 20 years, with the exception of the public safety training area and the unauthorized use of the property for off-road vehicles recreation. The City has initiated environmental investigations aimed at gauging the environmental integrity of the property and achieving regulatory closure of the sludge basins. An economic assessment of the property conducted in May of 1996 concluded that three uses of the site may be appropriate: housing, light industrial, and a golf course. The Coalition for Urban Redevelopment has been instrumental in collecting community input into redevelopment options for the site. The results of extensive canvassing of neighboring households indicate residents favor park/nature preserve and/or housing/golf course uses.
The city’s Economic Development & Planning Division believes this site could be a showcase of sustainable development: high quality residential/commercial development of the southern half of the property combined with ecological preservation and enhancement of the northern half. Toward this end, partnerships are forming between the City of Kalamazoo, CUR, USEPA, the state’s Natural Heritage Program, Kalamazoo Nature Center, and concerned citizens. Together, we will work toward the completion of a natural features inventory of the site. The results of this effort, combined with input from stakeholders meetings, will guide the city’s redevelopment effort at this challenging site.