The Kalamazoo College 2022 Master Plan Update was developed over the course of ten months through a highly focused exercise. Kicking off in September of 2021, the Master Plan Process was guided by the Master Plan Committee. The College met with stakeholders from the surrounding neighborhoods and campus community to gather input to inform the Master Plan.

Timeline

Data Gathering

• August – September 2021
• Project Kick-off September 28, 2021

Plan Exploration

• October 2021 – January 2022
• Master Plan Committee (MPC) Meeting October 26, 2021
• Meeting with the City of Kalamazoo December 25, 2021
• MPC Meeting January 12, 2022

Neighborhood Engagement

• January – May 2022
• Neighborhood Open House January 26, 2022
• Neighborhood online survey January 26 – February 4, 2022
• Meeting with WMU May 4, 2022
• Athletics Fields Open Forum May 4, 2022
• Present Preliminary Plan to Neighbors May 24, 2022

Plan Refinement

• February – June 2022
• MPC Meeting April 13, 2022
• Master Plan Report Complete Submit to K College Board for Approval June 2022

City Review and Approval (Tentative)

• July – December 2022
• Submit Master Plan to City – Department of Community Planning and Economic Development June 2022
• Plan Commission Presentation*
• Submit to Plan Commission*
• Plan Commission Hearing*
• City Commission*
• *Dates to be determined by the City of Kalamazoo

Planning Process

The Kalamazoo College 2022 Master Plan Update was developed over the course of ten months through a highly focused exercise. Kicking off in September of 2021, the Master Plan Process was guided by the Master Plan Committee and informed by campus and community participation.

Master Plan Committee Members:

• Susan Lindemann, Associate Vice-President for Facilities and Chief Sustainability Officer
• Malcolm Smith, Vice President for Student Development
• Mj Huebner, Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid
• Tom Askew, Professor of Physics

The Planning Process also included input from the City of Kalamazoo. Christina Anderson, City of Kalamazoo Planner, acted on behalf of the City and helped to ensure that the plan embedded the goals of the Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 Master Plan.

The Consulting Team:

In August of 2021, The Collaborative of Toledo and Ann Arbor was retained by Kalamazoo College to facilitate the Planning Process. The team consisted of the following members:

• Philip Enderle ASLA, Principal and Landscape Architect
• Michael Muse AIA, Principal and Architect
• Rachel Momenee AICP, Senior Planner

A schedule documenting the Planning Prcess can be found on the previous page. Details about engagement and participation can be found on the following pages along with a summary of the neighbors concerns and issues.

Engagement

During the Planning Process, the College encouraged input from the neighborhood and campus communities. An Open House was held on January 26th along with a Virtual Survey via Google Forms that ran from January 26th to February 4th as a way to capture the concerns of the community and garner input on key planning issues. An Open Forum was held to specifically discuss Athletic Field Use and Stadium Lighting on May 4th. A final meeting was held on May 24th to present the preiliminary master plan to the surrounding neighbors for final input before the plan was finalized.

Open Campus Forum

• 5 in-person neighborhood participants
• 14 in-person campus participants
• In-person participation was affected due to Covid-19 restrictions on campus

Virtual Survey

• 22 online neighborhood participants
• 65 online campus participants

Open Forum on Athletic Field Use

• Door hangers placed on 55 homes surrounding the stadium
• 7 in-person participants

Preliminary Plan Presentation

• 5 in-person neighborhood participants

What we heard…

During the engagement sessions we heard feedback on the following issues:

• Campus Edges
• Safety and Connectivity
• Imagine Kalamazoo 2025
• Potential Student Housing Development
• Potential Neighborhood Node
• Stadium Lighting

The following page lists K’s responses to the issues and concerns put forward by stakeholders. K College will continue to actively work with the surrounding neighborhood associations to address their concerns, while balancing the K community’s desire for a vibrant campus. Other input from neighborhood participants can be found on pages 14-16. Representatives from K College and The Collaborative presented K-College’s Preliminary 2022 Campus Master Plan to property owners surrounding campus. The following comments were made:

• “This master plan is a nice start”
• “A very informative plan”
• “The master plan is an enhancement to campus, hopefully bringing more students to campus, which is a good thing”
• “I think this is a good plan. My comment card is blank”
• The proposed retail along West Main should be available to the neighbors to create more interaction between the students and the residence that live around K’s campus.
• A comment was made that some of the houses in the Stuart neighborhood are owned by parents of K-Students for student housing. It was noted that 1st and 2nd year students are required to live on campus. K acknowledges that some residence halls are in declining condition which may be one of the reasons parents are buying houses.
• Street lighting is one of the top 5 issues the Stuart Neighborhood is currently looking to improve.
• Question: “When will Trowbridge be replaced?” Response: Hopefully in 7 years. The new West Main Residence Hall needs to be constructed before Trowbridge can be demolished.
• Question: How many beds will be in the new West Main Residence Hall?” Response: Approximately 210 -215 beds
• Question: Is K-college looking to increase enrollment?” Response: No. Current enrollment is 1450 which is below K’s goal of 1,500.
• Question: “Will the plan be posted on K’s website?” Response: Once the plan is approved by the Board and adopted by the City the plan will be posted.

Concerns/Issues and Responses

Concerns/IssuesParking in the neighborhood related to games, want better enforcement (City of Kalamazoo)Concerns/Issues	Response
Create more indoor / outdoor gathering spaces on campus	The master plan proposes additional outdoor gathering spaces as a component of new student housing, improvements to the Grove, along with the addition of a neighborhood node along W. Michigan Avenue
Renovate residence halls and replace Trowbridge	The master plan proposes the addition of new student housing to replace Trowbridge and increase housing options on campus, along with the renovation of existing residence halls to remain
On-campus accessibility	The master plan recommends rebuilding two key problems areas on campus to meet ADA standards. Any new construction on campus will follow ADA standards
Remain authentically K	Design Guidelines will ensure that any new development on campus will match and/or compliment the existing character and style of the campus
Improve transit to eliminate need for cars on campus	The master plan proposes the addition of bus stops along W. Michigan Avenue along with the increased frequency of buses along the edges of campus, ie.. W. Main Street
Add and improve sidewalks and crossings that connect campus and neighborhood	The master plan recommends improved crossings at key locations, streetscape improvements, along with new sidewalk on Lovell, in an effort to enhance safety and connectivity to surrounding community
Increase parking options that support campus and reduce need for parking on residential streets	The master plan proposes additional off-street parking on campus. In addition, the College is exploring options for shared long-term parking on WMU’s campus
New construction should reflect existing fabric and respect historic designation of the West Main Hill Historic District	Design Guidelines that ensure future development follows the character and style of existing campus and neighborhood
Concern for replacing the Living Learning Housing Units (LLHUs)	The LLHUs are reaching the end of their life cycle and will eventually need to be replaced. Any future development will follow Design Guidelines and show sensitivity to existing character
View of Facilities from adjacent neighborhood is unsightly	The master plan proposes cleaning up entrance and parking area behind Facilities
Add and improve bike infrastructure along K’s edges	The master plan proposes a dedicated bikeway along W. Michigan Avenue that links exisitng Kalamazoo bike routes as well as shared lane designation along Lovell Street and a shared-use path on W. Main St.
Consider use of facilities, like the new natatorium, for community use	The College will take into consideration shared use of the campus amenities for community use
Noise from athletic fields during certain hours i.e. music and yelling from games/practice	College will contine to work with neighbors on volume levels from audio equipment.
Parking in the neighborhood related to games, want better enforcement (City of Kalamazoo)	The College will make the city aware of game schedules
Traffic going the wrong way on Burrows Road between Crawford and Lovell (one way going South)	City traffic engineering has agreed to add signage and pavement markings
Litter on the edges of property, in and outside the fence. Past conditions of the barns at North end of property, but did compliment the college on recent improvemnts	College will implement better litter control
Want something in writing from the College addressing the list of “expectations” so that they have something to “point to” when point of contact moves on (i.e. A.D., coaches, etc)	College collaborating with WMHNA to provide agreed upon guidelines

Campus Edges

How would you rate Kalamazoo College’s campus edges? 10 being great and 1 being poor.

What would you add/do to make the edges more welcoming?

• Landscaping: 16 votes
• Architectural Features: 15 votes
• Lighting: 12 votes
• Pavement Patterns: 8 votes
• Banners and Signage: 3 votes
• Other: Develop sidewalks on Lovell and main entrance of campus; Integrate accessibility into main campus

Campus Crossings

Where do you feel unsafe crossing the street on or around campus?

What types of crossings would make you feel safer crossing the street?

Imagine Kalamazoo 2025

What would you do along K’s campus edges to support the City’s “Imagine Kalamazoo 2025” Plan and adjacent neighborhood community plans?

Responses include:

• Establish bike lanes: 14 votes
• Crossings that support connectivity and improve safety: 13 votes
• Increase banners and signage: 2 votes
• Acquire real estate and move campus closer to or connect to downtown: 2 votes
• Create a consistent border treatment: 1 vote
• Add native landscaping: 1 vote

Potential Development

Which styles of student housing to you feel are appropriate along Monroe and Lovell Street?

• Single Large row brick Georgian style, two story dormitory-style building with black shutters: 15 votes
• Single Large row three-story town-house style building: 12 votes
• Three individual white clapboard three story buildings: 10 votes
• Single Large row two-story brick town-house style building: 7 votes
• Brick Farmhouse style buildings: 6 votes
• Individual contemporary three-story townhouses: 1 vote

What type of uses would you like to see in this future development as a future “neighborhood node” along West Michigan Ave and both sides of W. Lovell and W. Main Streets?

• Food and Beverage: 20 votes
• Stormwater Planting: 19 votes
• Gathering Spaces: 18 votes
• Bus Stop/ Bikeway: 15 votes
• Student Apartments: 8 votes
• Gateway Feature: 3 votes
• Fitness/ Wellness: 3 votes
• Other: Accessibility; Produce store

Which student housing massing and setback example do you feel is most appropriate along Web Main Street?

Consider future improvements to be made to West Main Street, i.e. two-way traffic and traffic calming.

• The majority of respondents felt that a new residence hall that has a sloped root with dormers, a stepped back ground floor, an active street plaza space and landscaping is the most appropriate for West Main.

Stadium Lighting

Do you have any concerns extending light days and times for Angell Football Field?

More respondents have issues regarding extending light days and times than those who don’t. Many prefer the current arrangement.

• 17 respondents are concerned (3 in-person, 14 virtual responses)
• 9 respondents are not concerned (1 in-person, 8 virtual responses)

Responses include:

• Less concern for the light and more concern for the level of noise
• Concern for changing the agreed upon arrangement
• Concern for traffic congestion from games
• Concern for renting the stadium out to other organizations
• Strong preference for keeping the current arrangement
• Desire for students to be able to enjoy evening games

Do you have any concerns extending light days and times for Mackenzie Field and Angell Football Field?

Main concerns expressed:

• Parking in the neighborhood related to games, want better enforcement (City of Kalamazoo)
• Music and yelling from the games/practice
• Traffic going the wrong way on Burroughs between Crawford
• Litter on the edges of the property, in and outside the fence
• Storage of equipment and materials outside barns, recently improved, but historically problematic
• Desire for set of guidelines in writing from College to address above

Other noteworthy points:

• Baseball is the most disruptive in terms of noise. There are no stadium lights on the baseball field
• Acknowledgement that some of the traffic is from WMU’s stadium
• Acknowledgement that some of the noise is from WMU’s facilities

Do you have any concerns extending light days and times for Mackenzie Field?

Respondents equally have and don’t have concerns with extending the light times and days for Mackenzie Field. Reponses were similar to those for Angell Football Field.

• 13 respondents are concerned (1 in-person, 12 virtual responses)
• 11 respondents are not concerned (1 in-person, 10 virtual responses)

Responses include:

• Less concern for the light and more concern for the level of noise
• Concern for changing the agreed upon arrangement
• Concern for renting the stadium out to other organizations
• Strong preference for keeping the current arrangement
• No concern, and feel that lights are a respectable distance from homes
• Desire for students to be able to enjoy evening games

Stadium Lighting Outcomes

To be codified in Kalamazoo College Master Plan. To repeal and replace section 3 of ordinance 1869, which re-zoned the campus to IC (Institutional Campus).

Mackenzie Soccer Field

• Light Days increased from 60 to 75 occurances annually
• No use between 11 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.

Angell Football Field

• Light Days increased from 30 to 35 occurrences annually
• No use between 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. with the exception of 5 occurrences until 11 p.m.