Conference attendees got a mobile treat this afternoon as they crowded a Kalamazoo Metro Transit bus for a chance to visit a number of projects-in-the-making and finished products that are part of the success story behind Kalamazoo's revitalization. Jerome Kisscorni, Executive Director for the Kalamazoo Economic Development Corporation,served as emcee and host as members were given an opportunity to hear about Kalamazoo's Brownfield Redevlopment Initiative and see their progress , up close and personal. The tour allowed members a chance to see great downtown projects like the new Rave Theater and Miller Canfield building, in the heart of downtown...as well as viewing nearby industrial rehabilitations and the sites of new projects, in all phases of redevelopment. Jerome shared his passion for these efforts and ideas for pulling projects together, from working with lenders and developers, to local and regional incentives and financing programs. Members came away with a real sense of the potential that brownfield redevelopment can offer and a vision for how these projects can transform a city.
