KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — Kalamazoo city commissioners have heard downtown officials explain why they need higher parking fees and fines.
Over the course of their five-year plan, they plan to make repairs to the city’s aging parking ramps, upgrade parking meters to provide additional ways to pay and make other improvements.
DDA President Steve Deisler said will need $5.5 million to make all the repairs and maintain the 300 free 90-minute spots they currently have.
Dean Houck, a downtown business owner, said she is seeing fewer customers and she blames the parking system.
Commissioners accepted the DDA’s five-year plan and set a public hearing for two weeks on a proposal to raise the fines for parking violations downtown.
