good news neighborhoods

As the new Neighborhood Activator for the City of Kalamazoo, I’ve had the pleasure to learn about Kalamazoo’s 22 neighborhoods and help residents bring community projects to life. Using the Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 neighborhood planning model, residents are encouraged to create Neighborhood Associations and engage with their neighbors. This organization allows them to address neighborhood issues from the ground up.

Since 2018, there have been seven neighborhood plans created across the city. These include Northside, Eastside, Edison, Vine,

Oakwood, Parkview Hills, and Oakland/Winchell. Because each neighborhood is unique, neighborhood associations must engage their community and collect data before putting pen to paper. The real magic is seeing all of this planning come to fruition. The City of Kalamazoo’s Community Planning and Economic Development team supported over 100 engagement events and rolled out more than 20 projects from existing neighborhood plans this past year.

Highlights of 2022

Northside: The Northside Cultural Business District Authority and Northside neighborhood plan in- formed the new redesign of Ransom Street. This project will take place over the next 4-5 years and feature nine blocks of new sewer main, wider sidewalks, street trees, landscaping, and historical markers honoring the legacy of Northside businesses owned by underrepresented communities. In October, the Northside Association for Community Development hosted an open house to provide professional development and networking opportunities to local contractors and businesses.

Edison: Welcomed Stephen Dupuie, new Neighborhood Association Director. In Washington Square, Portage Street’s redesign was also completed to feature new sidewalks and an addition of a left turn lane.

Eastside: Purchased and started working on rehabilitating properties along E. Main Street, in the neighborhood’s historic commercial node, to create move-in ready spaces for small businesses.

Oakwood: Following their neighborhood plan, Oakwood Neighborhood Association upgraded their community center’s bathroom to be ADA compliant.

Vine: Brought the community together throughout the year for events such as the Love The Vine spring clean-up, Reading Night with RAWK, and artist networking op- portunities.

Oakland Dr./Winchell: Invested in physical improvements in neighborhood parks. These projects ranged from new bike racks to native plantings - watch for many of these features to be installed in the Spring!

Parkview Hills: Added recreational opportunities for their residents, including shuffle board, basketball, gardening, kayaking equipment, and a new youth collection at their library.

West Main Hill: Residents piloted Kalamazoo’s first Play Street along Jones Park to build momentum for their neighborhood planning effort.

Stuart & Westwood: Both neighborhoods have been working towards completing their neighborhood plans. Each neighborhood planned events that engaged residents on topics such as parks & trails, pedestrian safety, and community building. Final drafts of their plans are coming this Spring!

Even more projects get off the ground in 2023! Check back each month and read stories about how you and your neighbors are making change in your neighborhood. Neighborhood plans can be found on ImagineKalamazoo.com. Want to get more involved in your neighborhood? Connect with Jae Slaby, Neighborhood Activator at slabyj@ kalamazoocity.org.