Last night, in its ongoing effort to encourage development and reduce traffic constrictions in the east end of downtown, the City Commission voted yes on the proposed Harrison St / Ransom St / Gull Road roundabout.
The Commission also approved a 'Memorandum of Understanding' with local developer Treystar to extend Harrison Street south of E Michigan Ave, alongside The Foundry development, currently underway. In this partnership, the public road will be constructed by the private developer, with on-street parking provided, and the city will provide utilities, street lights, etc. It will end in a cul-de-sac for now.
Longer-term plans involve extending this road all the way to Pitcher Street, in an effort to improve the road network and make the entire area more attractive to potential development. 50 acres, comprising 45 parcels in this area, were recently rezoned to mixed-used.
Street extension, parking planned near downtown Kalamazoo developments
Image Source:
MLive
Here's a quick sketch of what the future extension of Harrison to Pitcher would probably look like:
