‘New vision’ for Arcadia Creek Festival Place in the works - mlive.com

KALAMAZOO, MI — Changes at Arcadia Creek Festival Place are being discussed, aimed at improving use of the public space centrally located in downtown Kalamazoo.

Arcadia Creek Festival Place was previously redesigned in 2004, with the installation of a band shell, pavilion, fountain and playground.

Now, a planning process is underway to create an updated vision for the site, according to a request for proposals published by Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership.

In the past, the site has hosted popular events such as the Kalamazoo Blues Festival, Audiotree Music Festival and the annual Ribfest event. Some of the events held at Arcadia Creek Festival Place in the past are no longer held there. Greek Fest held its last event at the space in 2016. After six years of hosting the Audiotree Music Festival at Arcadia Creek Festival Place, Audiotree announced in 2019 it would not hold the event in Kalamazoo.

The request for proposals document states the city-owned venue now has “deteriorated conditions,” leaving it less attractive to day users and event hosts alike.

The document states there is a $65,000 budget for a firm to take on the role of guiding the process of exploring the site’s future, which would include public meetings to seek input from the community.

Andrew Haan, president of Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership, said local leaders are still early on in the process of determining the site’s future.

“The festival place is a really critical asset in our downtown and in recent years it’s not been leveraged fully," Haan said. “It’s not programmed as much as we’d like, it’s not active as much as we’d like.”

Haan said Kalamazoo Downtown Partnership received 10 proposals, and five of the applicants are being interviewed.

“Really just starting the process of stating to think about what’s next for that space,” he said.

That process will include opportunities for the public to give input about what they believe should go there, Haan said.

“We’re looking forward to a great new vision for what to do there,” he said.

Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson, a member of the Downtown Development Authority, said the process is a chance for community engagement and creative thinking about the city’s future.

The planning process aims to help the location become a more vibrantly used space, Anderson said. The downtown needs open space, he said, especially with more people living downtown.

“We need it to be engaging and vibrant space,” Anderson said. “What does that look like?”

The request for proposals asks applicants to provide examples of how other locations have used public space to drive activity, traffic, investment, and quality of life to peer communities.

“With downtown Kalamazoo experiencing robust growth and development, now is the time to reevaluate and re-assess Arcadia Creek Festival Place to determine what is the best path forward for this space to better serve the community and be successful,” the document states.

Nearby, Catalyst Development Co. is building an estimated $60-million building at 180 E. Water St., across from the Arcadia Creek Festival Site, that will house the headquarters of the Kalamazoo Promise and Southwest Michigan First, and provide space for other tenants.

“Downtown has evolved a lot in the last 15 years,” Haan said.

He said the redesign could result in an asset to be used by people who are often downtown, and also to drive traffic. He said New York City’s Bryant Park, Fort Worth’s Sundance Square and Detroit’s Campus Martius Park are some examples of notable public spaces in other locations.

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‘New vision’ for Arcadia Creek Festival Place in the works - mlive.com
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