Gilbane Development Company, the real estate development, financing, ownership, and management arm of Gilbane Inc, has been selected by Western Michigan University (WMU) with the intent in the next six months to enter into a public-private partnership to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain some or all of The Hilltop Village project on its main campus in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Gilbane Building Company will serve as a construction manager.

The Hilltop Village, an exciting and vibrant hub, will revitalize the gateway to WMU with improved amenities, facilities, and access providing an enhanced user experience for students, faculty, staff, and the greater Kalamazoo community. 

WMU plans to reimagine the entire southern portion of its main campus with student housing and student academic/support spaces, along with a dynamic mixed-use district including office, research, retail, entertainment, hotel/conference, housing, and parking uses. 

WMU’s overarching goals for this initiative are three-fold:

• to provide best-in-class campus amenities that will strengthen its recruitment and retention efforts, promoting student success
• to enhance the visual experience of the Stadium Drive corridor, providing an identity that is more fitting for a progressive, 21st-century campus
• to energize its campus, bringing the academic community together with the wider Kalamazoo community as never before.  Ultimately, The Hilltop Village will help drive WMU’s core missions, making it the institution of choice for a wider range of students.