KALAMAZOO, MI — Driven by the belief that downtown commercial spaces create opportunities for community and business, Kalamazoo-based Treystar, with its partners Catalyst Development and the City of Kalamazoo, is creating the Haymarket Plaza. Running along the north side of East Michigan Avenue, between the Main Street East buildings and the 180 Water Street project, the plaza is named after the historic Haymarket District where it is located.

The plaza was initiated as a result of the construction of Catalyst Development’s 275,000-square-foot mixed-use project adjacent to the Treystar Main Street East office development on the 200 block of Michigan Avenue. The two projects share the public alley, formerly known as Ihling alley, stretching some 350 feet from Edwards Street westward before ending at the Haymarket Building. Memories Bridal and Evening Wear, located at 203 East Michigan Avenue, and the adjacent property at 215 East Michigan will also be a part of the endeavor.

Designed by Tower Pinkster Architects with assistance from Kingscott Associates, The Haymarket Plaza will feature a snow-melt system, decorative concrete, lighting, Landscape Forms furniture, an open area designed for entertainment and/or food trucks, and an outdoor seating area for food/beverages. Lastly, there will be two projection-mapping projectors designed to display art, announcements, and entertainment on the north east elevation of the Haymarket building in the evenings.

A portion of this place-making project will be funded through Public Spaces Community Places, a crowdfunding organization. This collaborative program organized by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Michigan Municipal League, and Patronicity matches community-raised funds with matching grants from the MEDC to encourage strategic development projects.

Treystar and its partners are working to raise at least $50,000 in community support in order to receive matching grant funds from the MEDC toward the approximate $125,000 project. The Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership and Southwest Michigan First have already made significant pledges toward the goal.

“We have always felt like our properties created a neighbor in and of themselves on East Michigan Avenue,” said Fritz Brown, of Treystar, the project’s Development/Leasing Manager. “We are very excited to work alongside Catalyst, the City of Kalamazoo, and our project partners to create a physical space out of that idea. This plaza will be more than an addition to our shared properties; it will be a destination for relaxation and community gatherings to those who live and work in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo.”

While a completion date has yet to be determined, Treystar and its project partners are planning open houses for real estate brokers and the community in November and December.