Vine Historical Background

Vine Neighborhood is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Kalamazoo.  Some of the area’s earliest homes were built during the 1840’s.  As the century progressed, large decorative Queen Anne mansions lined the major streets leading into town, such as West Ave.  (now Westnedge Ave.), Park Street, and Burdick Street.   These homes represented many of the town’s wealthy and influential families.  The rest of the neighborhood, bounded by West Lovell Street to the North, Asylum Road (now Oakland Drive) to the West, Crosstown Parkway to the South, and South Burdick Street to the East, housed moderate-income families.  Most notable among these residents were the Dutch immigrants, who built a strong community and even brought fame to Kalamazoo as the “Celery City.”  The Vine Neighborhood was a stable residential neighborhood.

By the turn of the century, the Vine Neighborhood continued to be one of Kalamazoo’s most popular neighborhoods, due to the proximity of the downtown churches and the central business district.  Small businesses flourished in the Vine Neighborhood, specializing in items such as meat, grains, groceries, and services.  By the early 1900’s, the neighborhood contained a variety of commercial and retail shops.  Residents could live and shop in the Vine Neighborhood and still walk downtown for work or church.  The Public School sat in the center of the neighborhood as well, bringing students from all over town into the area.  Kalamazoo College has its roots in the Vine Neighborhood, and development of Western Normal School (now Western Michigan University) on the top of Prospect Hill brought state-wide attention to Kalamazoo and the Vine Neighborhood.

With so many new businesses and institutions cropping up, the Vine Neighborhood became an ideal place for all types of people to live.  Housing demands continued to rise, especially for blue-collar families and for Western Michigan University students.  Population and housing densities rose dramatically during the early 1900’s.  Once large properties were subdivided and smaller lots became typical. In several cases the older houses were moved to the back of the lots to make room for new construction.

During the Depression era of the 1930’s many people found it difficult to meet the operating expenses of the neighborhood’s larger, older homes.  To supplement their incomes, many families opened their homes to boarders, primarily students, employees of the University, and downtown workers.  The boarders soon became an integral part of the community and grew to be a significant portion of the population.

With the arrival of the automobile and the continuing growth of Kalamazoo during the 1940’s, more and more families took the opportunity to move out to the new suburbs.  The 1950’s and 1960’s saw even more industrial growth and sprawling urban expansion.  Large companies began looking outside of the traditional downtown communities that were established, offering the convenience of city living and the luxury of rural settings, and the stable residential population continued to drain out of the inner-city neighborhoods like Vine.

Western Michigan University also experienced substantial growth during this time.  As the University expanded its academic programs it also expanded its campus, developing what is currently the Main (West) Campus. The increasing student population was in need of housing convenient to Western Michigan University.  Because many families were moving out of the area, investors purchased and divided the once-elegant single-family houses into apartments.  Demand for affordable, convenient rental units continued to rise during the 1960’s, continuing the trend of dividing single family houses into apartments.  By 1975, all students had the option to live off-campus, and the student population in the Vine Neighborhood rose steadily.

Western Michigan University continued its expansion of educational programs and student housing facilities on its West Campus during the 1970’s and 1980’s. Vine’s population changed substantially when students moved to the West Campus residence halls and the several apartment complexes located west and south of Western Michigan University. 

Vine Neighborhood Association

In the early 1970’s a core group of neighborhood residents joined together to address the increasing housing, nuisance, and safety problems surfacing in Vine.  They met informally in their homes, and began to advocate for the neighborhood with the city government.  Soon this grassroots group grew into a more sophisticated organization, adopting bylaws and electing directors.  The purpose of creating the Vine Neighborhood Association was to promote the welfare and well-being of all Vine Neighborhood residents by assisting in the prevention of crime, providing information on home rehabilitation, encouraging historical preservation, and combating community deterioration. 

For many years the Vine Neighborhood Association functioned with no funding source or staff support; volunteers conducted all activities.  Shortly after its incorporation in 1980 the Vine Neighborhood Association applied for and received Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to staff a neighborhood office.  For several years the Vine Neighborhood Association lobbied to gain city officials’ attention in addressing neighborhood concerns.  Through the persistent efforts of neighborhood residents, the City finally began to address Vine’s housing, safety, and nuisance problems.  The Vine Neighborhood Association has been successful in establishing effective working relationships with a wide range of city departments, such as Public Safety, Inspection Services, and Public Works, which directly impact the neighborhood.

The Vine Neighborhood Association has also been active in initiating several projects to improve the quality of life in Vine:

VINELINE – Initiated in the early 1970’s, the Vine Line is a bi-monthly newsletter which communicates with neighborhood residents on available programs and services, special activities, and current issues within the community. Originally hand-delivered by volunteers to residences, the Vine Neighborhood Association switched in the late 90’s to bulk-mailing VineLines to every residential unit and business in the neighborhood (approximately 3200 issues).

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH – Initiated in October 1977, this in an on-going program of crime prevention education and training.  A steering committee, consisting of several neighborhood residents, works with block-level supporters to canvass areas, organize block meetings, and plan neighborhood education programs.

HISTORIC STUDY – The Vine Area Historic District Study Project was established in 1986 to seek Local Historic designation for areas of the Vine Neighborhood.  A team of eight volunteers compiled architectural data to evaluate historic district eligibility.  The committee was successful in securing Local Historic District status for a large portion of the Vine Neighborhood.  A second, smaller portion was added in 1997 to include the neighborhood’s Northwest Quadrant.  This total area constitutes the largest Local Historic District in Kalamazoo and comprises almost the entire Vine Neighborhood.

Vine Village Plan

Vine Village Mixed Use Study Area

1. Maintain the residential character in this area as a guiding principle by increasing the percentage of owner-occupied residential units.  This is likely to happen on a case-by-case basis by evaluating anticipated impacts of proposed conversions of single-family dwellings to higher density dwellings and through the application of nonconforming status to multiple family dwellings in appropriate areas consistent with the Future Land Use Map.
   
   
2. Permit a limited amount of nonresidential, pedestrian-scale (stores relatively small, close together, with sidewalks and adjacent to residential neighborhoods) land use interspersed throughout the neighborhood.  The age and size of many of the houses lend themselves to low key commercial and office uses, while offering opportunities for residents to live and work in the same structure.  The mix of permitted uses must be crafted to contribute to the charm of the area while maintaining the residential character.  The use of the special use permit process will be needed to evaluate the impact of proposed office/commercial uses.
   
   
3. Apply nonconforming status to enterprises that do not meet the Vine Village criteria.
   
   
4. Preserve and incrementally expand the neighborhood commercial node at Vine and Westnedge without detracting from the character of the adjacent neighborhood.  The neighborhood commercial located at Vine and Westnedge is one of the success stories in the neighborhood as well as the City.  Redevelopment of this area has provided a gathering place for neighborhood residents and has provided a source of civic pride.
   
   
5. Convene a task force to examine the needs of the Vine Village area and      develop a specific action plan for implementing the Vine Village concept.

511 WEST VINE STREET – Initiated in 1994, the Vine Neighborhood Association participated in the substantial rehabilitation of the Central Corners complex located at the corner of Cine and Westnedge Streets.  This includes the building at 511 W. Vine Street, which was purchases through Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services and was renovated to serve as its new office location.  Its offices contain a conference room with kitchenette, separate office for its Executive Director and several workstations.