The Downtown Development Authority, which sets parking policy for downtown Kalamazoo, has worked on a parking plan for months. But on Tuesday, members disagreed about key details.
Some questioned plans to reduce free 90-minute parking on the Kalamazoo Mall. Member Carl Brown asked whether it’s wise to set parking policy five years into the future, and said he thinks the plan skimps on details beyond the early years.
Some board members say they’d like to see parking meters paid until 8pm – three hours later than they’re currently enforced.
Downtown business owner Kristin Fiore spoke to the board about proposals to reduce 90-minute parking on the Kalamazoo Mall. Fiore says she’d be fine with capping those spots at one hour – as long as there’s some free street parking.
“When they know there are even a limited number of spots for free, it creates this idea that like, ‘hey, we can go down there, parking’s not a big deal.’ And we want to remove barriers so that more people come downtown, thus generating more revenue not only for the retailers but to support the parking structure as well,” she says.
The board’s Steve Deisler says whatever members decide, the city needs a parking plan soon so it can move forward with what he calls “critical” projects in 2016.
“Those include capital repairs to the ramps and access control equipment that is going to be obsolete by the end of the year. So we have to replace that," he says.
Deisler says the city’s parking system needs about $5 million worth of work over the next five to ten years.
The board plans to resume the discussion in February.
