Free 90-minute Parking in Some Downtown Ramps Starts November 24

Published on November 22, 2023

Starting Friday, November 24, shoppers, diners, and visitors to Downtown Kalamazoo will have more spaces to park for free when the Kalamazoo Mall and Epic Center parking ramps start offering free 90-minute parking. 

After the first 90 minutes, the next hour will cost $1.75, and each half-hour after will be an additional $1. The maximum cost to park per 24 hours will be $10. 

This change is the first in a series of updates planned to modernize the parking system downtown, encourage more use of Kalamazoo's parking ramps, and make on-street parking more available for shorter trips like quick visits to nearby businesses.  

The need for change in Kalamazoo's parking system has been noted in a series of studies and planning efforts. In 2017, the Gibbs Planning Group completed a Retail Analysis [LINK] for Downtown Kalamazoo and recommended offering free ramp parking alongside more metered spaces  to fully realize Downtown's potential. In 2019, the Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership completed a Strategic Blueprint for Downtown Parking, with a specific plan to improve parking. This Blueprint built upon the Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 Master Plan, which also set tasks and timelines for updating the parking network.

After a delay from the COVID-19 Pandemic and a reorganization of downtown management, the City of Kalamazoo hired a parking and mobility team, led by Mission North, to reevaluate the Blueprint(PDF, 3MB) and move it forward. Free 90-minute ramp parking is being implemented ahead of the holiday season to help visitors visit downtown businesses and enjoy the many holiday activities downtown. Additional updates will take place in 2024 and continue into the future, including the installation of parking meter kiosks on the Kalamazoo Mall and adding meters at some on-street parking spaces.  

At its meeting on Monday, the City Commission approved a three-year contract with PCI Municipal Services LLC [LINK] to manage Kalamazoo's parking system and implement the changes outlined in the Parking Blueprint. 

Read the 2017 Downtown Kalamazoo Retail Analysis(PDF, 4MB). 

Read the Imagine Kalamazoo Master Plan

Read the Downtown Parking Management Blueprint(PDF, 3MB).