City of Kalamazoo Parking

These changes are designed to improve parking availability for all users.

• Pricing will change on some streets to go along with free 90-minute parking in the Epic and Kalamazoo Ramps, which was established in 2023, as called for in Downtown Kalamazoo’s parking plan: Parking+, Strategic Blueprint and Action Plan

• Pricing will better match demand for each block, with higher-demand streets with meters, and lower-demand streets without. Areas with meters have two pay zones, the ‘base rate’ zone, and ‘premium rate’ zones. Enforcement will extend into the evening in the premium rate zones.

• Those blocks with pricing will offer mobile pay through Parkmobile and Oobeo, or through meters - either pay stations or single-space meters. Pricing changes are mapped below.

• Additionally, on-street barrier-free spaces will be expanded to enhance access to all downtown blocks.

• Look for these changes to take place toward the end of October 2025

Why charge for parking on the street?

• Paid parking encourages visitors to use in-demand spaces wisely and opt for cheaper or free options for extended visits.

• By contrast, free parking on high-demand streets increases demand for a fixed supply, resulting in more people looking for parking precisely where they are least likely to find an available space.

• By managing demand through pricing, parkers can expect to find a space where they want it, thereby reducing parker uncertainty and frustration, and reducing car traffic.

• The locations selected for paid parking are based on historical data indicating where parking demand is highest, and where it is lowest – with the result that some free spaces will become paid parking, and some paid-parking spaces will become free parking.

• Finally, paid parking in high-demand locations not only makes it easier to find available spaces, but it also generates revenue to help offset the cost of the hundreds of free parking spaces the City maintains to support downtown businesses, employees, residents, and visitors.

Why is the City replacing single-space meters with pay stations?

• Pay stations offer far more flexibility to parkers compared to the existing meters – including multiple forms of payment, being able to pay for parking in various locations, and providing real-time parking information that can prevent users from paying for parking they don’t have to or parking at times when it is not allowed.

• Pay stations offer almost all the conveniences of mobile payment options for those who cannot, or would rather not, pay with an app or their phone.

• Pay stations offer several advantages to cities compared to traditional meters – including reduced maintenance costs, easier compliance monitoring and payment collections, and reduced physical clutter on downtown sidewalks.

• Modern pay stations easily accommodate changes to rates and time limits as downtown conditions evolve.

• Watch the City Commission presentation here (https://www.youtube.com/live/EjAT7snUeK8?si=hnVno8_Z4aPEMAQ9)  The presentation starts around the 8 minute mark.