PARKING 
Downtown Kalamazoo’s parking system has been managed by DKI since 1989 when it was privatized. Since then, this award winning system offers over 4,200 spaces of which over 1,200 are on-street parking spaces with nearly 400, 90-minute FREE spots, located in premier retail locations; more than 1,800 spaces in three ramps; and nearly 1,200 in nine surface lots.
DKI’s Parking Committee, comprised of downtown stakeholders, oversees policy and guidelines through a Five Year Parking Plan that addresses parking rates, maintenance, safety initiatives, customer service standards, emerging technologies and programs. Operations are managed by Central City Parking, under contract with Ampco System Parking which offers the following programs and services:
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Customer Service-for attended surface lots and ramps only - includes lock-out service, escort service, and jump-starts.
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Parking Validation Discounts-allows businesses to pay for their customer’s parking. Nearly 100 businesses currently participate.
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Part-Time Employee Discount-provides part-timers special rates of $1.50 for up to six hours per day at designated parking properties.
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Meter Card-”plastic for parking”, eliminates need for change and can store up to $50 on a card good at any individual downtown meter.
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On-Line Payment-internet access for paying monthly permits & parking violations.
Parking has been and continues to be an important issue. Long term viability of the downtown partially depends on the availability of conveniently located parking to serve employees, customers, residents and visitors. Its availability can help ensure that customers can easily access businesses and help ease concerns for those who are not familiar with downtown.
Planning for parking in a downtown is different than for any other area. Aside from the fact that many downtown buildings predate the automobile, downtowns are intended to be compact, walkable, interactive and visually attractive. Therefore, the provision of surface lots and parking structures needs to be accomplished in a way that serves modern parking needs while protecting and furthering the overall vision for downtown.
Downtown Kalamazoo Parking Mission “To work with downtown businesses, customers, property owners, the City of Kalamazoo and Ampco System Parking, to further develop the parking system into a resource for economic development in a fiscally responsible manner.”
For more information on downtown parking, explore the following links: