EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Voters in East Grand Rapids have rejected a proposal that would have allowed the city to borrow up to $9 million to build a three-story parking deck on Bagley Avenue.
The proposed deck was intended to address parking concerns tied to major renovations at East Grand Rapids High School, which are expected to eliminate a number of parking spaces.
Under the proposal, the structure would have been shared between the school district and the city, providing parking for students, staff and the public.
Business owner sees opportunity for Gaslight Village
For East Grand Rapids business owner Andrew Grashuis, the proposal also represented an opportunity to bring more people into Gaslight Village.
After the vote, Grashuis said he still sees a need for more parking options to help the business district grow, while emphasizing that Gaslight Village already has plenty to offer visitors.
“I wouldn’t discourage you. We have great shops here, we have great business owners around them all the time. It’s a great space. Obviously, it’s as walkable as you’re going to find probably in the state with what it offers.”
Grashuis does not see a major daily parking shortage but believes centralized parking could encourage more people to visit.
Neighbor wants district to consider other options
John Chronowski, who lives across from where the parking deck would have been built and co-founded the group Walk Safe EGR, sees the next steps differently.
“We think that they should be thinking about the future, not the present, and we think that that money can be better spent to benefit students and the residents of EGR.”
Chronowski wants the district to explore less expensive parking alternatives while also considering investments in sustainability, including solar energy.
“We’re not members of the school board, but they needed the community involved in this more, and we’re waiting to hear what their next steps are.”
Watch the video report
Parking challenge remains during high school renovations
The district still faces a parking challenge during the high school renovations. District documents show the number of on-site spaces dropping to about 65 during part of the project.
In a September letter, the superintendent said the district would review the vote with the city before determining whether to continue pursuing a parking structure, pause the effort or explore other options.
For more information from the district, click here.
What comes next
The city said in a statement that it will continue focusing on community needs.
It remains unclear what the district will do next. FOX 17 reached out to the district for additional information but had not received a response.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
