Open House for Michigan Avenue Design Set for Thursday, January 16
Published on January 09, 2025
The City of Kalamazoo will host an open house to review the proposed two-way design for Michigan Avenue on Thursday, January 16, at 5:30 p.m. The event will take place at the Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition (KNAC), located at 315 W Michigan Ave. Everyone is welcome to attend this Streets for All Community Open House. A virtual session will also be available on Thursday, January 23, at noon.
The plan to convert Michigan Avenue from a one-way to a two-way street is part of Kalamazoo’s Streets for All initiative. Community input is a key part of the process. For example, the design for Kalamazoo Avenue was updated last year based on feedback from the Stuart neighborhood. For Michigan Avenue, conversations have included items like bike lanes and on-street parking options, including parallel and angled parking.
“Our team takes what we learn from the community very seriously,” said Phil Doorlag, project manager and regional director for Wightman. “The recommended design is based on public input, traffic modeling, and a big-picture view of the entire network.”
Traffic engineers studied how Michigan Avenue would work if the community’s downtown vision became a reality. This vision includes creating a more welcoming, inclusive, and lively space with safe travel for drivers, walkers, bikers, and transit users. At the open house, 3-D models will show how cars, pedestrians, buses, bikes, and parking would interact along the street, both from above and at street level.
Doorlag explained that designing Michigan Avenue was challenging because the street changes significantly from west to east. The west end of the avenue is 16.5 feet wider, with more open space and parking lots. The east end is narrower, with tall buildings on both sides that make it feel more like an outdoor room. The proposed design aims to support current transportation and business needs while staying flexible for the future.
This open house was originally scheduled for early December but was delayed to give City staff and the design team more time to process community feedback. “We’ve had great conversations with business owners, residents, and other community members,” said City Planner Christina Anderson. “We wanted extra time to make sure their input was fully considered before presenting the design.”
Community members are encouraged to attend the open house or virtual session to see the proposed design and learn more about upcoming projects in the city. For more information about Streets for All, visit the City of Kalamazoo’s website at www.kalamazoocity.org/StreetsForAll.