| Community Visioning Meeting - Area D |
| Arcadia / Knollwood / Westwood |
| Group One - Visions | ||
| Rank | Visions | Votes |
| 1 | Alive downtown with student housing and shuttles to campus; community center; intact neighborhoods; "Diether Haenicke Preserve" in the Arboretum. | 17 |
| 2 | Metropolitan government that is responsive. | 9 |
| 3 | Clean river with banks and activities; outdoor recreation and facilities; greenway from WMU to CBD; vibrant Arcadia Creek corridor; pedestrian and bike ways throughout city; greenway from WMU to downtown; vital downtown; greenway from downtown to river; "wonderful" place. | 7 |
| 4 | Clean, bright gateway, homes and prosperous neighborhoods. | 5 |
| 5 | Extended hours of Metro Transit (smaller busses; more buses; can go into neighborhoods; elderly access to mass transit) | 4 |
| Revitalize north side without displacement. | 3 | |
| Community Center with elderly facilities; children; central location for town meetings. | 2 | |
| Visual pollution removed (billboards; telephone poles; wires-utilities) | 2 | |
| Zero poverty level. | 2 | |
| Businesses in brownfields (Gruen plan implemented). | 2 | |
| Continued support of downtown events and concerts. | 2 | |
| Asylum Lake as a preserve for community. | 2 | |
| Keep truck traffic out of downtown. | 1 | |
| Incorporated mental and health facility. | 1 | |
| Close half of streets to cars and have more bike / pedestrian environment. | 1 | |
| Train depot - clean and well kept. | 1 | |
| Flexible, extended hours in city government. | 1 | |
| Affordable student housing / quality beautification. | 1 | |
| Students using transit. | 1 | |
| Greater commitment to children. | 1 | |
| Facilities for children to study out of school. | 1 | |
| Excellent school system. | 1 | |
| Improved recycling (active helping of poor / elderly to upgrade homes for energy efficiency) (green teams). | 1 | |
| Children integrated and playing in school yards. | 1 | |
| Improved facilities; sidewalks and roads repaired. | 0 | |
| Less parking at WMU. | 0 | |
| Plowing sidewalks in winter for pedestrians; walking to WMU. | 0 | |
| Psychiatric hospital given to citizens for public space. | 0 | |
| Public pool. | 0 | |
| Buffalo in Kalamazoo. | 0 | |
| Parks with benches - people friendly; ice skating; improved recreation. | 0 | |
| Prouds | ||
| Rank | Prouds | Votes |
| 1 | Small town / diversity. | 9 |
| 2 | New museum. | 5 |
| 3 | Affordable housing and events. | 4 |
| 3 | Wildlife. | 4 |
| 5 | Great safe neighborhoods. | 3 |
| 6 | Historical districts. | 3 |
| 7 | Bronson Park. | 3 |
| 8 | Citizens. | 3 |
| 9 | Trees and plantings. | 3 |
| 10 | Diversity of architecture. | 2 |
| 11 | WMU. | 2 |
| 12 | Affordable cost of housing. | 1 |
| 13 | Gilmore Festival. | 1 |
| 14 | Downtown Mall. | 1 |
| 15 | School district. | 1 |
| 16 | Neighborhoods and coalitions. | 1 |
| 17 | Metro Transit. | 0 |
| 18 | Recovery from tornado. | 0 |
| 19 | Air museum. | 0 |
| 20 | "Large" airport. | 0 |
| Sorries | ||
| Rank | Sorries | Votes |
| 1 | Loss of greenspace. | 8 |
| 2 | Poor zoning enforcement. | 7 |
| 3 | Traffic / poor roads. | 5 |
| 4 | Arboretum. | 4 |
| 5 | WMU (too large, too many changes, not a good fit). | 3 |
| 6 | Automobile use / lack of sidewalks. | 3 |
| 7 | Crime / accidents. | 3 |
| 8 | Fragmented government. | 2 |
| 9 | Uncertain future. | 2 |
| 10 | "Compromise" in planning. | 2 |
| 11 | Government and WMU not responsive to citizens. | 2 |
| 12 | Brownfields. | 2 |
| 13 | Students not downtown. | 1 |
| 14 | Poverty and economic flight. | 1 |
| 15 | Too much multi-family use. | 1 |
| 16 | City Charter needs rewriting. | 0 |
| 17 | No cooperation with Portage. | 0 |
| 18 | Drug wars. | 0 |
| 19 | Student citizenship not good. | 0 |
| 20 | Arcadia Pines. | 0 |
| 21 | Consolidation of stores / loss of "mom & pop" stores. | 0 |
| 22 | Empty malls. | 0 |
| Group Two - Visions | ||
| Rank | Visions | Votes |
| 1 | How good public schools are; vibrant; proud of schools. | 12 |
| 2 | Vibrant single family neighborhoods; low density development; yards landscaped; no garbage; medians in downtown roads. | 12 |
| 3 | WMU / Community cooperation; student housing downtown. | 9 |
| 4 | Safety in neighborhoods - comfortable walking in neighborhoods. | 7 |
| 5 | One cohesive community; integrated community; intergovernmental cooperation; no congestion. | 5 |
| 6 | Acrylic cover over Mall; entertainment downtown. | 3 |
| 7 | One of the top communities in the nation. | 3 |
| 8 | Better public transit. | 3 |
| 9 | Lack of traffic downtown, less congestion, better public transportation access, relocation of railroad tracks (none in city). | 3 |
| 10 | Community synergy. | 2 |
| 11 | Parks in neighborhoods - trees, benches, knolls, flowers. | 2 |
| 12 | Responsive government. | 2 |
| 13 | Tennis courts and outdoor recreation. | 2 |
| 14 | Sidewalks, trees, pedestrian malls, arts, growth of plays and festivals. | 2 |
| 15 | Mixed uses downtown; residential community rooftops; cultural activities downtown. | 2 |
| 16 | Businesses that have survived. | 1 |
| 17 | Kalamazoo wins award for best roads. | 1 |
| 18 | "Last gas guzzler retired." | 1 |
| 19 | Curblawns and ornamental streetscapes. | 1 |
| 20 | Kalamazoo taxes reduced. | 0 |
| 21 | New employment downtown. | 0 |
| 22 | Driving away from congestion (Green light @ West Main and Drake). | 0 |
| 23 | Gas-lit roads. | 0 |
| 24 | New employment downtown. | 0 |
| 25 | Highways with flowers. | 0 |
| 26 | Free parking and two-way streets downtown. | 0 |
| 27 | Cohesive neighborhoods. | 0 |
| 28 | Growth without change - familiarity. | 0 |
| 29 | Community pools and facilities. | 0 |
| 30 | Little to no crime committed by juveniles. | 0 |
| 31 | Parkways clearly marked. | 0 |
| 32 | Continuity of life. | 0 |
| 33 | Elevated walkways. | 0 |
| 34 | Bike paths and trails along river. | 0 |
| 35 | Intergovernmental cooperation. | 0 |
| 36 | Red brick paved roads. | 0 |
| 37 | Literacy rate highest ever. | 0 |
| 38 | People living downtown. | 0 |
| 39 | WMU 21 Notre Dame 3. | 0 |
| 40 | East side revitalization. | 0 |
| 41 | No congestion. | 0 |
| 42 | Riverwalk and cafes. | 0 |
| 43 | Ballpark packed. | 0 |
| 44 | Rooftop gardens / historic buildings. | 0 |
| Prouds | ||
| Rank | Prouds | Votes |
| 1 | Cultural resources (theaters, library, museum). | 9 |
| 2 | Colleges and universities. | 8 |
| 3 | Diversity of neighborhoods - historic neighborhoods. | 5 |
| 4 | Open space. | 4 |
| 5 | Festivals and events. | 3 |
| 6 | Milham Golf Course. | 2 |
| 7 | Small town. | 2 |
| 8 | Private investment downtown. | 2 |
| 9 | Low cost of living. | 1 |
| 10 | Volunteerism. | 1 |
| 11 | Public support of arts. | 1 |
| 12 | Bronson and Crane Parks. | 1 |
| 13 | Arcadia Creek. | 1 |
| 14 | Pedestrian Mall. | 1 |
| 15 | Public schools. | 1 |
| 16 | Hospitals. | 1 |
| 17 | Educational diversity. | 1 |
| 18 | Carver Center. | 0 |
| 19 | Gateway coalition. | 0 |
| 20 | BRI. | 0 |
| 21 | Derek Jeter. | 0 |
| 22 | Job opportunities. | 0 |
| 23 | Art fair. | 0 |
| 24 | Oakland clinic. | 0 |
| Sorries | ||
| Rank | Sorries | Votes |
| 1 | High density development (Arboretum); owners vs. renters. | 9 |
| 2 | Lack of regional cooperation. | 8 |
| 3 | Tax base. | 5 |
| 4 | City Commission. | 4 |
| 5 | Victor Gruen Plan (1960's). | 3 |
| 6 | Brownfields and urban decay. | 3 |
| 7 | I-94 segregation (Kalamazoo / Portage split). | 3 |
| 8 | Development vs. quality of life. | 3 |
| 9 | Kalamazoo Public Schools. | 3 |
| 10 | Traffic and roads; railroads vs. automobile; delays. | 3 |
| 11 | WMU administration treats community unfairly. | 2 |
| 12 | Arboretum. | 1 |
| 13 | Dead Shopping Mall (West Main) | 1 |
| 14 | Treatment of juveniles. | 0 |
| 15 | Not enough entertainment. | 0 |
| 16 | People live on the edge of town. | 0 |
| 17 | Milham Park maintenance. | 0 |
| 18 | Low paying jobs. | 0 |
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Council ] [ Community Profile Report ] [ Preface ] [ Neighborhood Visionary Meetings ] [ Communitywide Visionary Forum ] [ Area A ] [ Area B ] [ Area C ] [ Area D ] [ Area E ] [ Area F ] |