Community Visioning Meeting - Area A
Northside / Eastside / Burke Acres

 

Combined Visions
Rank Vision
1. Restoration of pride, respect and racial harmony among all people.
2. A northside mini-mall/shopping district/grocery.
3. Well-kept, owner-occupied homes with 90% employment.
4. Firms that are an asset to the neighborhood; clean, high wages, high tech, blends in with neighborhood.
5. No drug traffic.
6. Strong owner-occupied residential base.
7. Solid stable economy.
8. Better health care and child care.
9. Churches bring congregations back to the neighborhood.
10. More retail commercial and housing development.
11. Parks and recreation.
12. Preserve, restore, reuse and beautify the neighborhood.
13. Commercial and residential mix to allow people to walk to stores.
14. Wide, clean streets with beautiful trees and better access.
15. A safe 24-hour community.
16. Recreation activity; bowling, swimming, skating.
17. A movie theater downtown.

 

Group One - Vision Statements
Rank Visions
1. Restoration of pride and respect among young people. / Racial harmony.
2. No drug peddlers.
3. Well-kept homes. / 95% home ownership. / 80% to 90% employment.
4. Wide, clean streets. / Better access to the interstate. / Revitalization of city trees.
5. More choices of health care and child care.
Others:
  • Better government cooperation.
  • Equity of city services.
  • Normal convenience stores.
Rank Visions
  • Locally owned stores within walking distance.
  • One religion.
  • A-I public education.
  • Accessibility to Kalamazoo businesses.
  • Neighborhood parks are used and the north side little league complex is also.
  • Ward system is in place.
  • You can leave your doors open in safety.

 

Prouds
Rank Prouds
1. Universities and colleges; Lincoln School, Old Central, educational advantages.
2. Resilience of northside neighborhood.
Others:
  • Upjohn locally owned.
  • Magnificent downtown mall.
  • Checker motors.
  • Mt. Zion Church; Galilee Baptist Church.
  • Parents raised children here.
  • Visioning session; we can talk together.
  • Broad cultural advantages.
  • NACD building built without public funds.
  • Ability to deal with change.

 

Sorries
Rank Sorries
1. No convenient commercial services.
2. Drug traffic and its effect on youth.
Others:
  • Upjohn is not locally owned.
  • Mall is deteriorating.
  • Checker is gone.
  • One less college.
  • Loui's cutlets are gone.
  • Businesses that have left.
  • No grocery store.
  • North side little league is gone; north side owns park.
  • Too far to get gas.
  • No place to shop.
  • Kids don't have organized activities.
  • Little children in the streets.
  • Few minority-owned businesses; fewer now.
  • Businesses aren't within walking distance.
  • People have to go outside the city to develop land.
  • Less stability in employment; long-term employment.
  • Cost of developing in the city.
  • Wastewater plant is 70% underutilized.
  • Truck traffic; 131 exit; truck access.
  • Loss of economic development.
  • Streets are falling apart.
  • No ward system of city government.

 

Group Two - Visions
Rank Visions
1. North side mini-mall/shopping district/grocery store.
2. Strong residential base; revitalized housing especially owner-occupied.
3. Churches bring their congregations back to the neighborhood to live.
4. Recreation activity; bowling, swimming, skating.
5. A movie theater downtown.
Others:
  • Roads improved.
  • Economic opportunity for youth.
  • Safe for senior citizens.
  • Connected open spaces including Kal-Haven Trail.
  • Partnership with media for improving area.
  • Drug-free community.
  • Develop 131 business loop.
  • No highway through our neighborhood; reroute traffic.
  • South connector; 131 to Riverview.
  • Annexation of north business loop.
Rank Visions
  • Gateways.
  • Higher graduation rate from high school.
  • Two-way streets downtown.
  • Bike rental business on trails.
  • Better intergovernmental cooperation.
  • Need more park land on west side.
  • Jacobson building is on the tax rolls.
  • Higher paying jobs.
  • Convention facility.
  • Take advantage of wastewater treatment facility's capacity.
  • Students using downtown like they do in Ann Arbor.
  • High-speed rail; Detroit to Chicago.
  • Interurban rail.

 

Prouds
Rank Prouds
1. Does not have a ghetto.
2. Do have kids doing well.
3. People choose to stay.
Others:
  • History.
  • Statute of Dr. King.
  • Citizens.
  • Neighborhoods.
  • Neighborhood watch; streets are safer.
  • Inclusiveness in discussions.
  • Colleges and universities; access to education.
  • Public safety department has done a lot to combat drug abuse.
  • Education system is excellent.
  • There are five parks on the north side.
  • There are 13 new houses built in three years on the north side.

 

Sorries
Rank Sorries
1. There are fewer black businesses today. / No grocery stores. / Can't spend our money in our neighborhood.
2. Can leave here and buy drugs within a few blocks.
3. Roads.
Others:
  • Dr. King's statue in the wrong place.
  • Increase in rental housing.
  • Not maintaining housing stock well.
  • Media only covers bad behavior, especially black Americans and teenagers.
  • As incomes go up, people leave.
  • North side means brownfields and not recreation spaces.
  • Universities don't contribute to Kalamazoo enough; they are tax-exempt and not contributing.
  • WMU could be more involved.
  • No north side credit union.
  • No capital for startups.
  • Need more writing after the fourth grade.
  • The comprehensive plan presentation doesn't show positives of the north side.
  • Emphasis on negatives not positives in the community.

 

Group Three - Visions
Rank Visions
1. Firms that are an asset to the neighborhood: clean, high-paying, blend in with neighborhood, and high tech.
2. More commercial, retail and housing developments.
3. Commercial and residential mix to allow people to walk to stores.
4. Preserve, restore, reuse and beautify neighborhoods.
5. A safe 24-hour community.
Others:
  • Through truck traffic is rerouted around neighborhood.
  • Neighborhood schools.
  • New commercial uses on vacant lots.
  • Major magnet store to draw people into other stores.
  • More neighborhood parks.
  • A planned neighborhood that makes sense.
  • Rediscovery of local beauty.
  • New recreational building.
  • Neighborhood self-government.
  • Better relationship between city hall and neighborhoods.
  • More trees, bushes, flowers and gardens.
  • More small, local businesses.
  • You can walk to good restaurants and entertainment.
  • More community spaces.
  • Firms that are an asset to the neighborhood: clean, high-paying, blend in with neighborhood, and high tech.
  • Reuse vacant buildings or raze them.
  • Better streets.
  • Better routing of traffic.
  • Boulevard on Michigan Avenue.
  • More pedestrian-oriented city.
  • High quality cultural center and activities.

 

Prouds
Rank Prouds
1. Neighborhoods which meet basic needs on a pedestrian level.
2. Pride in neighborhoods.
3. New investment in neighborhoods; churches and new homes.
Others:
  • Mall City.
  • New NACD building.
  • Good community events and festivals.
  • River; potential for development.
  • Downtown investment.

 

Sorries
Rank Sorries
1. Incomes leave the neighborhood.
2. Absentee landlords.
3. Prejudice still exists in community - redlining by lenders.
Others:
  • Lack of services.
  • Perception of high crime.
  • Media only highlights negatives.
  • Annex sports complex.
  • Local governments don't use local talent/business.
  • Unwise funding.
  • Lack of funding for infrastructure.
  • Condition of infrastructure.
  • Limited basic services; commercial/retail in neighborhood.
  • Lack of grocery store.
  • River is neglected.
  • Land speculation drives away development.
  • North side of downtown is neglected.

 

[ Vision Council ] [ Community Profile Report ]
[ Preface ] [ Neighborhood Visionary Meetings ] [ Communitywide Visionary Forum ]
[ Area A ] [ Area B ] [ Area C ] [ Area D ] [ Area E ] [ Area F ]