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Kalamazoo update: Kalamazoo Avenue bid approved, two‑way conversion work starting and Verberg Park upgrades funded
Summary
City staff and the city commission liaison announced the Kalamazoo Avenue construction contract has been awarded and work will begin next month in phases; the city also allocated about $500,000 for Verberg Park improvements including a bicycle pump track, kayak launch, pavilion and new playground.
City staff and the city commission liaison provided several infrastructure and parks updates at the Kalamazoo City Planning Commission meeting on June 4, 2026.
Staff said the city commission approved the bid for Kalamazoo Avenue reconstruction and that a staff presentation at the June 15 committee meeting will explain the project’s rerouting and staging plan. The work will include a master‑plan amendment related to converting streets to two‑way operation; staff described the effort as the culmination of a long planning process.
Lance Praedel, the city commission liaison to the planning commission, said the two‑way conversion project represents nearly a decade of work across about 15 commissioners and that construction will begin next month in three phases designed to maintain at least one travel lane to support downtown businesses during work. "We are going to be breaking ground... It's a three‑phase project," Praedel said.
Praedel also highlighted a roughly $500,000 allocation for improvements at Verberg Park, including what he described as the city’s first bicycling pump track, a new kayak launch, a pavilion and a playground. He noted the timing aligns with other summer programming and regional events including Pride Fest, an art fair and the Dew Tour.
The commission received these updates as part of the planner’s report; no formal action on these items was taken by the planning commission at the June 4 meeting.
