The City of Kalamazoo is inviting residents to a town hall meeting on Thursday, October 10, to discuss design options for the two-way redesign of Michigan Avenue.

The meeting will be held at Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition (KNAC) in the Crawlspace Comedy Theater, located at 315 W Michigan Ave, with presentations starting at 5 and 6:30 p.m.

The meeting will focus on presenting community members with early design options for Michigan Avenue, stretching from Michikal Street/West Main Street to Harrison Street. The design options will incorporate feedback gathered from the community at the first open house in September and other community engagement activities.

“We are excited to share several early design options for people to consider,” said Christina Anderson, city planner and deputy director of community planning and economic development. “The width of the Michigan Avenue corridor changes as you travel from west to east, so the design will shift with the available space. We must choose what is most important to emphasize for each block along different portions of the street.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to provide input on design elements, such as outdoor seating, parking options, loading zones, landscape medians, and more. A “build your own” activity will allow participants to create their own cross-section of Michigan Avenue based on their preferences.

“The final design is not pre-determined and the number of options is surprising,” Anderson said. “As we work to redesign our city streets, we want to achieve tailored solutions that reflect the values of our community, support downtown businesses, and make Streets for All.”

In addition to the Town Hall, community members can participate in a “Walk & Roll” event on Friday, October 18, to assess Michigan Avenue and identify areas for improvement. The event will have two sessions: a morning session starting at 9 a.m. at Sarkozy Bakery (350 E Michigan Ave) and an afternoon session at 3:30 p.m. starting at Green Top Tavern (250 E Michigan Ave).

Those unable to attend the Town Hall can still share their feedback by taking a brief survey on the Streets for All website.

The Michigan Avenue project is funded by a $25 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. This grant is part of a larger effort to reconstruct significant portions of West Main Street, South Street, Lovell Street, Stadium Drive, and Douglas Avenue.