Kalamazoo College received approval from the city’s commissioners Monday to move forward with a master plan that focuses on enhancing and expanding the on-campus living experience while strengthening the connection between K’s campus and the surrounding community.

The 2022 Campus Master Plan was developed over 10 months by encouraging feedback and input from the West Main Hill Neighborhood Association, the Historic Stuart Neighborhood Association, city officials and members of the K community. The plan updates the 2012 Campus Master Plan and presents a roadmap of how the College envisions the physical campus may evolve over time. The team determined the plan’s goals would include:

• Enhancing the campus identity and its image along its public edges.
• Identifying sites for future student housing.
• Replacing Trowbridge Hall residence hall.
• Raising the number of students living on campus.
• Improving pedestrian safety and connectivity to and from campus.
• Finding holistic parking solutions.
• Increasing outdoor gathering spaces on campus.

Since September 2021, the master plan process has been guided by a K committee consisting of Associate Vice President for Facilities and Chief Sustainability Officer Susan Lindemann, Vice President for Student Development Malcolm Smith, Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid Mj Huebner and Professor of Physics Tom Askew and informed by campus and community participation. It also included input from the City of Kalamazoo through City Planner Christina Anderson, who helped ensure that the plan connected to the strategic goals of Imagine Kalamazoo 2025, the vision and guide for Kalamazoo’s future, as imagined by community members and stakeholders throughout the city.

“The campus master plan presents a collective vision created through participants who were eager to collaborate on a plan that benefits everyone,” Lindemann said. “We are grateful to the West Main Neighborhood Association, the Historic Stuart Neighborhood Association, the City of Kalamazoo, and our campus partners for their support and confidence.”

As part of its next steps, the College is expected to begin fundraising for a new residence hall while drafting more detailed planning and design for that hall. The campus master plan is available for public view at the College’s website.

“Our master plan creates opportunities to foster an inclusive and supportive campus with updated facilities, safer and more accessible pathways and improved gathering spaces, while continuing to foster partnerships with the city and community at large,” Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez said. “This plan helps ensure that our future footprint will serve the needs of all our community members.”

About Kalamazoo College

Kalamazoo College, founded in 1833, is a nationally recognized residential liberal arts and sciences college located in Kalamazoo, Mich. The creator of the K-Plan, Kalamazoo College provides an individualized education that integrates rigorous academics with life-changing experiential learning opportunities. For more information, visit www.kzoo.edu.