Community Visioning Meeting - Area C
Southside / Westnedge Hill / South Westnedge / Oakland / Winchell / Oakwood / Hill -n-Brook / Parkview Hills / Colony Farms

 

Group One - Vision Statements
Rank Visions
1. New industries moving into city; new business park.
2. Revitalized downtown; businesses, housing, entertainment, goods stores, restaurants.
3. Neighborhood integrity maintained.
4. State of the art public transportation (24 hours).
5. Intergovernmental cooperation.
Others:
  • Easy access to highways from downtown.
  • Clean waterways.
  • Excellent school results; small class sizes.
  • More programs to encourage small businesses.
  • School and employees working together (VocTech).
  • Strong programs for seniors (services and housing).
  • Abundance of leisure activities and space.
  • 20% increase in population due to new families moving in.
  • New bike trails.
  • Buildings downtown with mix of uses; commercial, housing, restaurants.
  • Re-use of vacant buildings.
  • Indoor recreational building.
  • Improved gateways into and throughout city.

 

Prouds
Rank Prouds
1. Brownfield development.
2. Historic preservation
3. Cultural core of the region.
Others:
  • Integration of universities and schools.
  • Historic use of lands.
  • Whites Lake Association bought land.
  • Public Safety.

 

Sorries
Rank Sorries
1. Loss of employers and stores on north side.
2. State of the roads.
3. Mental crisis center in neighborhoods.
Others:
  • Influence of developers on planning and zoning decisions.
  • Lack of pride in some properties and lack of upkeep.
  • Losing open space.
  • Lack of long term view on preservation of woods and loss of shopping diversity downtown.
  • Lack of trust between governments.

 

Group Two - Visions
Rank Visions
1. Increased home ownership; improved housing stock.
2. Increased use of open space (Genessee Preserve Project).
3. Unified government countywide.
4. Creative reuse of buildings/spaces; adaptive reuse.
5. Downtown cultural center, arena.
Others:
  • More jobs; increased prosperity.
  • Development/diversification of river property.
  • Better traffic flow (all modes); public transit improvement.
  • Excellent public education.
  • Improved roads and infrastructure.
  • Increased tax base.
  • Decreased crime.
  • Improved town & gown relationship (including other nonprofits).
  • Increased ethnic and cultural awareness/relationships.
  • Public safety still effective.
  • Strengthened neighborhoods.

 

Prouds
Rank Prouds
1. Cultural events.
2. Large town amenity/small town appeal.
3. Diversity.
Others:
  • Downtown safe at night.
  • Community participation (invited into governance).
  • Innovators and leaders.
  • Education level.
  • Housing for seniors.
  • Better use of Bronson Park.
  • Responsible citizens.
  • Safe place to live.

 

Sorries
Rank Sorries
1. Future of downtown; empty spaces downtown and in neighborhoods.
2. Lack of environmental vision / Little park and free space available.
3. Increasing amount of rental property.
Others:
  • Paralysis by analysis; implementation not easy.
  • Inter-community cooperation is embryonic; governmental bickering.
  • Potholes.
  • Loss of downtown restaurants.
  • Increasingly undereducated population.
  • Public schools.
  • Vacant buildings and lots.
  • Parking.
  • Inequity of opportunity and income.
  • Conservative viewpoint.
  • Public transportation.

 

Group Three - Visions
Rank Visions
1. Superior school system.
2. Vital and safe downtown.
3. More natural greenspace with cultural history.
4. Develop laws to protect Kalamazoo River from further contamination.
5. Successful redevelopment of brownfields.
Others:
  • State of the art mass transit system including bicycles.
  • Open space and restoring the environment.
  • No superfund sites.
  • Fewer people in poverty.
  • WMU cooperation with the community.
  • More owner occupied housing.
  • Better streets.
  • Uni-government services.
  • Redevelopment of residential areas.
  • Communities where residents are interested in their future.
  • Better use of the riverfront.

 

Prouds
Rank Prouds
1. Brownfield redevelopment actions.
2. Diversity of cultural activity.
3. Water and wastewater.
Others:
  • Citizen participation.
  • City has an identity and a soul.
  • Growth of WMU.
  • Arcadia Commons development.
  • Volunteers; events and activities.

 

Sorries
Rank Sorries
1. Lack of open space.
2. Lack of growing tax base.
3. Number of people in poverty.
Others:
  • Lack of intergovernmental cooperation.
  • Lack of decent low-income housing.
  • WMU insensitivity to community needs.
  • Lack of bike routes.
  • Urban sprawl.
  • Giving away tax abatements to businesses.

 

[ Vision Council ] [ Community Profile Report ]
[ Preface ] [ Neighborhood Visionary Meetings ] [ Communitywide Visionary Forum ]
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