KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The city of Kalamazoo has big plans for the “Spaghetti Bowl,” but at this point, they are just plans.
City Planner Rebeka Kik says they call it the West Gate Plan, a master strategy for reconfiguring and redeveloping the far west end of the downtown as it connects to the two campuses.
That barrier between campus and the downtown will become a bigger problem when the new Kalamazoo Event Center begins hosting WMU basketball and hockey games.
The city’s plan calls for new street designs that more closely matches the grid pattern in the rest of the city, and multi-story residential and commercial development along the roadway, with increased pedestrian access as well.
She says they are working with the Catholic Diocese, Kalamazoo College, and Western Michigan University to integrate into their master plans.
She says it will be years before there may be actual action on the plan. The city will be focusing on their downtown improvements for the rest of this decade and she speculates developers might want to see how they work out before moving forward.
In the meantime, what is being called a “new direct connection” between the student body and downtown businesses will be announced Tuesday afternoon.
A student group in the WMU Business College has developed a partnership of some sort with downtown business leaders to improve the connection.
They have spoken in the past about rental scooters and other schemes to make it easier for students to get access to the merchants and the bars downtown.
They plan an afternoon news conference to announce their idea. City and university officials will be on hand.
WMU jazz musicians used to play at the Union before it closed during the shut down. Bring that back!