Kalamazoo residents, business owners weigh in on downtown parking changes

Free parking at the Kalamazoo Mall will soon be a thing of the past. While some community members are on board with the change, others feel it's not the right time.

"I think is a bad idea," said Lorenzo Williams, a Kalamazoo resident.

He told FOX 17 that downtown is hard to navigate and taking away free parking will only make it harder. "They keep stressing that they're trying to make it more pedestrian friendly, in that they're trying to get people to come to downtown. It's hard enough to get people out here now."

The owner of Exquisite Hair Design couldn't agree more. Stephen Darden said with all the construction going on, it's another inconvenience for his clients. "There was so much construction going on downtown that it's already deterring for some people from coming downtown," he said.

On the flip side, the owner of Rocket Fizz feels it's about time people have to pay to park at the mall. He said he has seen people abuse the 90-minute parking for six years.

"I've seen cars parked out there for four or five hours," said Tom Holmer, the owner of Rocket Fizz.

Regulating parking at the mall has been in the works for a while now. According to the deputy director of Community Planning and Economic Development, it's part of the city's master plan.

"When we don't regulate parking, especially in a busy commercial area, we open the door for folks to park in those spaces all day long," said Deputy Director Christina Anderson.

She says the turnover is essential to help business owners attract new customers. The city has already purchased kiosks and plans to install them by early fall.

Before deciding how much parking will cost, Anderson says they will have to meet with the city to discuss updates to the parking ordinance.

"I think the maximum hourly rate for parking meter is $1.75, in the city. We're asking that to be raised to the maximum daily rate, could be $2. It doesn't mean it'll be $2 everywhere," she said.

While residents will have to pay to park at the mall, the ramp parking will remain free for the first 90 minutes.

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