Starting Wednesday, four new parking kiosks will be installed on the Kalamazoo Mall. This is part of the city’s efforts to improve downtown parking and increase available on-street parking spaces.

The new kiosks will be located between Michigan Avenue and Lovell Street. Parking will cost $2 per hour with a maximum of 90 minutes. It’s a “pay-by-plate” system. Visitors can pay by entering their license plate number after they park. Cash and cards are accepted, but the kiosks do not give change. The option of paying using a mobile device with the Parkmobile or Oobeo apps is also available.

Free parking will still be available in the Epic Center and Kalamazoo Mall parking ramps. These offer free 90-minute parking. The city says on-street parking spaces are crucial to downtown economic development, and paid parking can help increase turnover in those areas.

The parking system in downtown Kalamazoo was in need of an update, according to the city. The 2017 Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 Master Plan called for a new parking plan, which was then developed in 2019.

The city hopes that the addition of paid parking will encourage parking turnover, which will then free up parking spaces in the downtown area.

“It may seem contrary that implementing paid parking on the Kalamazoo Mall can spur more economic activity downtown, but there is science behind good management of parking systems,” says Rob Bacigalupi, principal at Mission North, the firm hired by the City of Kalamazoo to help update the parking system. “Following this and the other recommendations in the Downtown Parking Blueprint will be a big step forward for downtown, benefitting businesses, residents, and visitors.”