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Kalamazoo staff outline Imagine Kalamazoo 2035 engagement and timeline for strategic vision
Summary
Interim Director Christina Anderson told the commission the design phase of Imagine Kalamazoo has engaged roughly 5,200 participants and outlined a timeline: commissioner comments due Aug. 21, public review in September and a goal of commission action on the strategic vision Oct. 19 ahead of a master-plan process next year.
Interim Director Christina Anderson presented an update on Imagine Kalamazoo 2035, summarizing a three-phase community engagement process and the next steps to translate that input into a strategic vision and master plan.
Anderson said the engagement process moved from the early 'Imagine It' phase through the 'Planet' activities to the 'Design It' phase of neighborhood-level workshops. "We are at just shy of 5,200 participants across all of these activities," she told commissioners, highlighting outreach that included a community book read, in-person roadshows, focus groups and 15 neighborhood open houses with seven activity tables addressing topics such as housing, transportation, environment and economic vitality.
She described how staff will use three lenses—community voices, data (including an NCS survey and housing reports) and staff expertise—to turn goals and outcomes into implementable strategies, measures and projects. Anderson said the staff-led focus groups will begin in September at Western Michigan University and that department roadshows to refine strategies are planned for October.
On timing, Anderson asked commissioners to provide final comments by Aug. 21, said the strategic-vision draft will be released for public review in September, and that staff hopes to return the document for commission consideration on Oct. 19. She said the subsequent master-plan work is expected to move in early next year and will incorporate measurable strategies that inform future budgets and capital plans.
The presentation also emphasized that the strategic vision is intended as a "North Star" to guide department plans and budgets, while the master plan will be the implementable document that contains strategies, measures and, where required, a statutory future land-use plan.
Commissioners asked about how the 2027 budget would account for the work (Anderson described a hybrid approach for 2027 with more alignment to come in 2028), how focus-group participants are selected (staff compiled a list of about 70 community partners and will invite topic-specific experts), and how new or emerging issues (for example, data centers) would be considered within the strategic-vision framework.
