EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — East Grand Rapids voters will soon decide whether the city can borrow up to $9 million for a proposed three-story parking deck near East Grand Rapids High School.
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The deck is proposed for the high school parking lot along Bagley Street. While supporters say the project could provide a centrally located place for public parking, some nearby neighbors are pushing back over concerns about traffic, safety and cost.
John Chronowski, who has lived in the neighborhood for 43 years, is among those opposed to the proposal. He helped form Walk Safe EGR, a group of local residents campaigning against the deck.
“This is supposed to be a walkable community, bike-friendly, and sustainable. There’s nothing associated with the parking deck that they want to build, with those three words.”
Chronowski said he is also concerned about how additional vehicles could affect surrounding streets.
“Well, number one, it’s going to make it more chaotic. It’s chaotic to begin with now.”
The city and East Grand Rapids Public Schools say the deck would help replace parking lost to high school renovations.
Designs call for about 240 parking spaces, with roughly 51 ground-floor spaces available to the public during school hours. When students are not in the building, all levels of the deck would be available.
For more information about the proposal, visit the city's Bagley Deck project page.
The city says the proposal also includes a new traffic signal, pedestrian path and other walking and biking safety improvements.
Gaslight Village business owner Andrew Grashuis believes the benefits could extend beyond the school.
“This would give us a centrally located spot for the public use and in a safe haven. It’s next to the high school, it’s right near the downtown space.”
Grashuis believes some visitors stay away because they think parking is difficult to find and that having a designated place to park could encourage more people to shop and dine in the area.
“I’ve seen it firsthand because again I work down here every day and live down here so I’m all in for it.”
Grashuis acknowledged that additional parking could lead to more traffic but believes the proposed traffic signal would help.
The city said in a statement that it is neutral on the campaign. If the bond proposal fails, the project will not proceed as proposed.
Early voting is already underway ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3. If voters approve the proposal, that does not mean construction would begin immediately.
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