A parking crisis meets a ballot question

Construction at East Grand Rapids High School is set to begin in June 2026. That work will eliminate 139 parking spots during the build and leave the campus with a permanent net loss of 71 spaces, according to City Manager Shea Charles.

The city is proposing a solution that could land on the November ballot: a $13.6 million, three-story public parking deck on the Bagley Street lot near the high school. If voters approve, the average East Grand Rapids homeowner could pay roughly $150 per year to fund it.

"It is a widely known observation that parking is a challenge in East Grand Rapids," said David Decker, a neighbor who has been tracking the parking discussions.

The numbers behind the deck

The proposed structure would provide approximately 213 parking spaces based on preliminary designs, according to a city report cited by WOODTV. That would create a net gain of 92 spaces compared to the lot before construction begins, Charles said.

The financing would come through a debt millage. Charles said early estimates point to a 0.49 mill levy, which would translate to about $150 annually for a median-valued home, according to FOX 17.

The city has already approved spending up to $100,000 for design work to determine feasibility and operational details. The East Grand Rapids Public Schools district is contributing $40,000 for a temporary gravel lot with roughly 150 spaces to serve during the construction period.

If the deck moves forward, the city also set aside about $500,000 for a new traffic signal at Bagley and Lake, a measure traffic engineers say would be necessary.

"The construction of a deck is not a foregone conclusion by any stretch of the imagination," Charles said.

A decades-old problem in a shared space

Parking pressure in East Grand Rapids is not new. Charles noted that discussions about parking around the high school have been ongoing for decades. The city shares its central business district with schools, creating a complex environment where student and commuter traffic overlap.

The project is a joint venture between the city and the school district. City leaders say they are hoping to have decisions ready for discussion by August 2026.

"If it does not get passed in November, then we do have a problem," Decker said. "I will reserve my judgment until I really see how it is going to operate. But I do have some concerns."

What happens next

The timeline depends on voter approval. If the millage passes in November, the city would move forward with construction planning. If it fails, the community would face the parking shortage without a structural solution.

City leaders say they are not rushing through the process. The design phase is still underway, and the final scope of the project could evolve as engineers and planners refine their work.