Arcadia Creek Festival Place
- Project value$3,600,000 (current project budget)
- Project schedule2025 Planning & Design; 2026 Construction
- Contractor nameElite Construction, LBA Landscape Architects, Viridis Design Group
The City of Kalamazoo is working with design partners and community stakeholders to redesign Arcadia Creek Festival Place into a dynamic public space that serves residents, workers, and visitors throughout the year. It has long been known as an event venue, but the park’s full potential as a vibrant, everyday community space remains untapped. With major downtown street improvements starting in 2026 and a new event center under construction just a few blocks away, this redesign presents a unique opportunity to reimagine the festival place and shape the future of downtown.
In April 2025, the City hosted a multi-day design charrette to gather input from a wide range of stakeholders, including event organizers, downtown residents & business owners, economic development professionals, and utility & infrastructure partners. Participants discussed current challenges, future opportunities, and ways to ensure the park can best support downtown vibrancy, inclusive community use, and efficient event logistics.
In June 2025, the group reconvened to further refine the original design concepts. A preferred design option was presented to the community at an open house with the project team.
Preferred Design
Project Mission Statement
To re-envision the park into an intimate yet dynamic space that enhances the daily lives of downtown residents, workers, and visitors alike, immersing them in a beautiful and active place where social engagement, civic pride and community are celebrated.
Guiding Design Principles
- Celebrate Community: Provide spaces for families, festivals, play, and social interaction.
- Design for Flexibility: Support events both large and small, with infrastructure that’s easy to manage and cost-effective.
- Engage All Seasons: Make the park usable year-round with shelter, comfort, and transitional programming.
- Include Everyone: Create a welcoming, universally accessible space where all feel safe and valued—including unhoused residents.
- Connect & Activate: Strengthen ties to the broader downtown, surrounding neighborhoods, and Arcadia Creek itself.
- Sustainability & Stewardship: Use native landscaping, promote biodiversity, and design with maintenance in mind.
Common Themes from Stakeholder Focus Groups
- Make It an Everyday Park: Prioritize daily use with opportunities for play, relaxation, and connection.
- Right-Size the Event Space: Create infrastructure that makes events easier to plan and host.
- Embrace the Water: Activate Arcadia Creek as a central amenity with improved access.
- Improve Connectivity: Link the park more effectively with downtown and nearby neighborhoods.
- Create a Destination: Give people a reason to visit beyond scheduled events.
Initial Design Cocepts
The preliminary concepts below were developed in response to feedback gathered during the April 2025 design charrette. These early drawings explore different ways Arcadia Creek Festival Place could be transformed to better support everyday use, community events, and downtown vibrancy. Each concept reflects themes and ideas shared by stakeholders, but these designs are not final. They are intended to spark further conversation and will continue to evolve with additional input from the community throughout the design process.
Project Budget
The current budget for renovations at Arcadia Creek Festival Place is $3.6 million. This includes a $1.6 million allocation from Kalamazoo's Federal American Recovery Plan Act funding, which helped leverage an additional $2 million from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Revitalization and Placemaking grant program. If the final project design estimate exceeds this budget, the City anticipates seeking additional grant opportunities to fund the project.
Location
145 E Water St, Kalamazoo 49007 View Map
42.2938972,-85.5821126
145 E Water St ,
Kalamazoo 49007
145 E Water St ,
Kalamazoo 49007
Arcadia Creek Festival Place