OVERVIEW
The City of Kalamazoo and the West Main Hill Neighborhood Associations are working together to engage residents and create a neighborhood plan. We are looking for residents to join us and get involved!
NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING OVERVIEW
WHAT IS NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING?
During the Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 planning process, neighborhood plans were identified as a need so that neighborhoods could create their own vision while realizing the community’s overall vision. This process is resident-driven that allows neighborhoods to take control of their future.
WHY SHOULD I GET INVOLVED?
Ensure the City’s work aligns with your priorities - Neighborhood plans help inform the work the City does every day including things like sidewalks repairs, park improvements, and more! By getting involved, you can help to shape the priorities for your neighborhood and ensure that the City’s work aligns with what you would like to see in your neighborhood.
Create positive change - You are the expert of your neighborhood. Through neighborhood planning you can use your knowledge and experience to help identify issues and create positive change.
Build community – Getting involved in the neighborhood planning process is also a great way to get to know your neighbors and build community.
WHAT CAN WE INCLUDE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN?
The minimum requirements for a neighborhood plan are to have an open and transparent process and to align with the City’s Strategic Vision. Your plan will be unique to your neighborhood’s needs and priorities, but here are just a few examples of the types of projects that can result from neighborhood planning:
Murals installed by local artists
Sidewalk repairs in prioritized areas
Business storefront improvements
Informing street projects & park improvements
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
West Main Hill - The West Main Hill Local Historic District is a unique Kalamazoo neighborhood notable for its naturalistic curvilinear land planning and layout, exceptional period revival houses, and association with Kalamazoo’s industrial, commercial, and society leaders. Its early twentieth century suburban landscape and architecture is anchored by earlier grid planned streets with late nineteenth century homes. The product of a local businessman’s vision, the Henderson Park plat is the largest curvilinear plat in Kalamazoo and represents a very progressive approach to land development for its time. The houses lining its streets were homes of professional, civic, commercial, and industrial leaders, including business owners, professors, merchants, and other members of the important upper and middle class of Kalamazoo’s early twentieth century society. The houses and streetscapes create a park-like suburb, exclusive and expressive of the traditional values, romantic ideals, and concepts of status of the early twentieth century. Several buildings are architecturally notable as examples of their styles and type and the district as a whole is architecturally cohesive with a predominance of Colonial and Tudor Revival houses. The West Main Hill Neighborhood is served by the West Main Hill Neighborhood Association (Facebook page).
GET INVOLVED
If you are interested in getting involved in neighborhood planning for the West Main Hill neighborhood. Please fill out the form below and we will make sure you receive updates and opportunities for this project.