Bait and switch: Township rejects proposal to build Kroger near Kalamazoo
Posted By: mlive on February 13, 2026. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
The Oshtemo Township planning commission has rejected a proposal to build a Kroger just west of Kalamazoo. The 99,000-square-foot Kroger was included in new plans for the 48-acre West Main Village development. The Ferlito Group is developing the property across from an Advia Credit Union at 6400 W. Main St.
Planning commissioners said the grocery store and accompanying 380-space parking lot wasn’t appropriate for a mixed-use district (MUD), which the property is zoned as. The vote against the zoning change was unanimous at the Thursday, Feb. 12 meeting.
Some commissioners also drew issue with the reduction in housing. The MUD zoning category was created in 2024 to create walkable communities with a mix of housing and commercial spaces.
“We don’t want to set the precedent of our mixed-use district resulting in development that just our general commercial district would allow,” said township planning director Jodi Stefforia.
Kroger concerns
Kroger approached developers about adding a store to the development in May 2025, said Tony Ferlito, chair of the Ferlito Group.
“We knew they were coming to town and we thought it would be a good fit, so we wanted to present it to the community,” Ferlito said.
“(At the time), there was resounding, ‘We’re not interested,’” said Michael Chapman, the commission’s liaison to the board.
A Kroger was not included in plans the developers presented to the township when a rezoning request was approved in May 2025. Ferlito said his impression was, the previous conversation about Kroger was informal.
“I just see this is a classic bait and switch,” one resident said during the Feb. 12 meeting.
The proposed Kroger would be a Kroger Marketplace store. Most Kroger Marketplace locations are between 100,000 square feet and 130,000 square feet, said Ryan Panoushek, assistant real estate manager for Kroger. The Oshtemo location would be smaller and focused on food items.
“This city doesn’t need another big box retailer,” Panoushek said.
Residents objected to the sentiment Kroger wasn’t a “big box retailer.”
“All due respect to Kroger, you are not a community grocer,” one resident said, acknowledging Kroger is one of the largest grocery chains in the United States.
Roughly a dozen residents said the stretch of West Main Street doesn’t need another grocery store. The proposed location is 0.5 miles from a Meijer at 6660 W. Main St. and 0.8 miles from a Walmart at 501 N. Ninth St. There are more grocery stores within a 3-mile radius.
Increased traffic from a Kroger would make it “less safe for me and my friends to play in our neighborhood,” said 10-year-old Joshua West.
“How many grocery stores do we need?” asked Tyler West, Joshua’s father.
Another Kroger representative at the meeting said the company wants to build three stores in the Kalamazoo County area. In August 2025, Kroger purchased a Portage strip mall for $10.3 million. The representative declined to say where the third location the company plans to build is.
Panoushek declined to answer any additional questions after the meeting.
Affordable housing
In the updated plans for West Main Village, the total number of housing units was cut from 440 dwellings to 329 dwellings.
The old plan had 10 apartment buildings with 336 units, while the new plan has eight apartment buildings with 252 units. Duplexes included in the previous plan were replaced by 77 single-dwelling lots, similar to a traditional residential neighborhood, per the proposal.
The developer’s new plan also removed previously included amenities like pickleball courts, a dog park and a central park.
Chapman raised concerns about whether the single-family homes would be more expensive compared to the duplexes.
“We have an affordability crisis in our community,” Chapman said.
Ferlito said a single-family home would start around $400K while a duplex would start at $350K.
“It’s impossible (to build lower-cost housing),” Ferlito said. “Construction costs have gone up 50% since 2019 … I’d be surprised if you see (a home price) lower.”
Ferlito said he has to discuss next steps with his team, after the decision.
“If we decide not to pursue, then we will go back to the original approved plan,” Ferlito said.
The developers can still request the roughly 9-acre parcel of land the Kroger is planned for be rezoned as a commercial district.
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