By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Zeeland city planners have finalized their wish list of projects they would like to see the city pursue this year.
The city’s Planning Commission last Thursday approved its 2026 capital improvement project list and sent it to City Council, which will consider the list at its goal-setting session Jan. 26-27.
“It’s a list of the goals and actions that the commission feels would be beneficial to move the city closer to the master plan,” Community Development Director Tim Maday said.
The list doesn’t include details on how much a project might cost or how it might be accomplished.
“The idea behind this list is (that) cost should not be an issue, just what would bring us closer to the vision for the city (that’s been) established in our plans,” Maday said. “While there are some expensive, big items, these are things that we feel are beneficial to keep in front of us.”
Commissioners started work on putting together this year’s CIP list last fall with a bus tour of the city to generate new ideas and check on the status of projects that had been on last year’s project list. Forty projects were generated for the new list, with commissioners then rank-ordering which projects should be given the most attention.
Commissioners ranked developing additional parking downtown as No. 1 on the list. A working group of city staff, council members, planning commissioners and members of the Shopping Area Redevelopment Board (SARB) was to hold its first meeting to review the city’s parking system Monday. Commissioners Amanda Cooper and Dan Klompmaker are part of that group.
Ranking second was burying overhead utility lines, with a priority on lines that run through rear yards and along busy streets. That project is carried over from last year’s list.
Rounding out the top 10 in priority on the CIP list were:
3. Constructing a pedestrian crossing over Business Loop Interstate 196, a project that’s a holdover from last year.
4. Expanding the city’s snowmelt system. Work is getting underway on the reconstruction of Church Street, which will include the addition of snowmelt on the section of Church between Central Avenue and Washington Avenue.
5. Implementing the recommendations of the Washington Avenue visioning report, between State Street and Maple Street. The City Council endorsed the recommendations of that report early last year.
6. Study the construction of a parking structure on the north side of downtown, a topic that will likely be addressed by the working group studying parking.
7. Purchase property to support the implementation of the Washington Avenue visioning report.
8. Construct a roundabout at Main Avenue and Fairview Road, near Mead Johnson Nutrition and Herman Miller.
9. Redevelopment of industrial sites on Washington Avenue adjacent to downtown.
10. Identify the future use of 303 E. Main Ave., the former site of Main Street Auto Repair, and a developer to redevelop the site in accordance with the downtown vision plan. The city purchased the site early last year, and it’s currently being used for long-term overnight parking for downtown tenants, Maday said.
“The Police Department is providing overnight parking permits to people to put their cars at Main Street Auto, so that way they don’t have to move them for long periods of time,” Maday said. “Ultimately, we do want to see redevelopment of that site. The (request for proposals) is pretty much complete, and we expect that (proposal) to come out next year.”
Some of the projects that were on last year’s CIP top 10 have seen progress in the past year, most notably the top-ranked item, the completion of the 17 E. Main mixed-use redevelopment project. That development resulted in a three-story building with 22 one-bedroom apartments on the top two floors and a proposed restaurant on the main floor.
The City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing next Tuesday on a liquor license request for the proposed 132-seat El Rancho restaurant that is expected to be part of the 17 E. Main project.
While just outside the top 10 at No. 11 on the CIP list, commissioners discussed whether a four-way stop should be implemented at the intersection of Main and Centennial Street.
“That intersection has been studied a number of times from a pure traffic warrant (standpoint). It does not meet the standard for a four-way,” said City Manager Tim Klunder, who sits on the Planning Commission.
“I go through that intersection multiple times a day. A lot of people (driving) on Main stop (at Centennial) and sit there,” Planning Commission Chairman Bill Elhart said.
Police Chief Tim Jungel could make a recommendation to council to approve a traffic control order making the Main/Centennial intersection a four-way stop, Klunder said.
“I think the concern happens is when you have an accident at that intersection. Somebody may question, ‘well, did that warrant a stop sign,” Klunder said.
Zeeland Record
Zeeland city planners have finalized their wish list of projects they would like to see the city pursue this year.
The city’s Planning Commission last Thursday approved its 2026 capital improvement project list and sent it to City Council, which will consider the list at its goal-setting session Jan. 26-27.
“It’s a list of the goals and actions that the commission feels would be beneficial to move the city closer to the master plan,” Community Development Director Tim Maday said.
The list doesn’t include details on how much a project might cost or how it might be accomplished.
“The idea behind this list is (that) cost should not be an issue, just what would bring us closer to the vision for the city (that’s been) established in our plans,” Maday said. “While there are some expensive, big items, these are things that we feel are beneficial to keep in front of us.”
Commissioners started work on putting together this year’s CIP list last fall with a bus tour of the city to generate new ideas and check on the status of projects that had been on last year’s project list. Forty projects were generated for the new list, with commissioners then rank-ordering which projects should be given the most attention.
Commissioners ranked developing additional parking downtown as No. 1 on the list. A working group of city staff, council members, planning commissioners and members of the Shopping Area Redevelopment Board (SARB) was to hold its first meeting to review the city’s parking system Monday. Commissioners Amanda Cooper and Dan Klompmaker are part of that group.
Ranking second was burying overhead utility lines, with a priority on lines that run through rear yards and along busy streets. That project is carried over from last year’s list.
Rounding out the top 10 in priority on the CIP list were:
3. Constructing a pedestrian crossing over Business Loop Interstate 196, a project that’s a holdover from last year.
4. Expanding the city’s snowmelt system. Work is getting underway on the reconstruction of Church Street, which will include the addition of snowmelt on the section of Church between Central Avenue and Washington Avenue.
5. Implementing the recommendations of the Washington Avenue visioning report, between State Street and Maple Street. The City Council endorsed the recommendations of that report early last year.
6. Study the construction of a parking structure on the north side of downtown, a topic that will likely be addressed by the working group studying parking.
7. Purchase property to support the implementation of the Washington Avenue visioning report.
8. Construct a roundabout at Main Avenue and Fairview Road, near Mead Johnson Nutrition and Herman Miller.
9. Redevelopment of industrial sites on Washington Avenue adjacent to downtown.
10. Identify the future use of 303 E. Main Ave., the former site of Main Street Auto Repair, and a developer to redevelop the site in accordance with the downtown vision plan. The city purchased the site early last year, and it’s currently being used for long-term overnight parking for downtown tenants, Maday said.
“The Police Department is providing overnight parking permits to people to put their cars at Main Street Auto, so that way they don’t have to move them for long periods of time,” Maday said. “Ultimately, we do want to see redevelopment of that site. The (request for proposals) is pretty much complete, and we expect that (proposal) to come out next year.”
Some of the projects that were on last year’s CIP top 10 have seen progress in the past year, most notably the top-ranked item, the completion of the 17 E. Main mixed-use redevelopment project. That development resulted in a three-story building with 22 one-bedroom apartments on the top two floors and a proposed restaurant on the main floor.
The City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing next Tuesday on a liquor license request for the proposed 132-seat El Rancho restaurant that is expected to be part of the 17 E. Main project.
While just outside the top 10 at No. 11 on the CIP list, commissioners discussed whether a four-way stop should be implemented at the intersection of Main and Centennial Street.
“That intersection has been studied a number of times from a pure traffic warrant (standpoint). It does not meet the standard for a four-way,” said City Manager Tim Klunder, who sits on the Planning Commission.
“I go through that intersection multiple times a day. A lot of people (driving) on Main stop (at Centennial) and sit there,” Planning Commission Chairman Bill Elhart said.
Police Chief Tim Jungel could make a recommendation to council to approve a traffic control order making the Main/Centennial intersection a four-way stop, Klunder said.
“I think the concern happens is when you have an accident at that intersection. Somebody may question, ‘well, did that warrant a stop sign,” Klunder said.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://www.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
