Without the deck
Side streets, San Lu Rae to Ogden
“…require students to cross Lake Drive.”
San Lu Rae already hit 233% of its legal spaces in the 2025 study.3
Crosses Lake Drive
✓ Public Parking Facility & Pedestrian Safety Bond
Safer streets for every student.
One structure next to the high school gets student cars off crowded side streets, adds a signal at Lake & Bagley, and frees curb space the city can turn into bike lanes.
TodayCars at the curb, bikes in traffic
With the deckCars go up, bikes get the curb
Illustration of what the bond resolution allows. The City Commission decides which streets change, with public input.6
Straight from the city’s own documents.
The ballot, the bond analysis, and the city’s traffic engineer.
0
streets a student crosses when parking in the deck.
City traffic engineer’s memo, 202580–87%
school-lot use during school hours, measured before the renovation removed 71 spaces.
City parking study, 2025$49
a year per $100,000 of taxable value, the ballot’s 20-year average.
Official ballot language · 0.4925 mills
The walk to class
Three places the cars could go. Only one has zero crossings.
The high school renovation permanently removes 71 student spaces.1,4 The city’s traffic engineer studied where those cars could go. Here’s what he wrote about students on foot.1
Middle School lot
About 1,000 feet away
“Students will need to cross Lakeside Drive.”
The engineer expected many students to park on side streets anyway.1
Crosses Lakeside Drive
Vote yes: the Bagley deck
Right next to the school
“…will not be required to cross any streets.”
With a 10-foot pedestrian path, heated sidewalks and a drop-off lane.7
Zero street crossings
Bike lanes
Parking in the deck is what makes a real bike lane possible.
EGR adopted a Mobility/Bike Action Plan in 2021 to “complete a safe and connected network of cycling facilities.”18
The catch: the plan was built “without impacting on-street parking.” So Wealthy between Lovett and Lakeside is getting painted sharrows, not a bike lane.18
The bond resolution says moving city parking into the garage frees street space for dedicated lanes for e-bikes, scooters and bikes, and advances the Mobility Plan.6
- Cars move off the curb and into one structure
- Curb space can become dedicated bike lanes
- Kids on bikes stop sharing the lane with traffic
Safety & traffic flow
Built around people on foot, and the afternoon rush.
Today the site is an open surface lot. Design is paused until the vote, so these are the features on the table and the standards residents can hold it to.7,9
Signal at Lake & Bagley
The city expects it to “facilitate safer crossings for pedestrians” and improve peak-hour traffic management.6
Drop-off lane
On the south side, keeping pickup lines out of the travel lane.7
10-ft pedestrian path
Along the north side, separated from car traffic.7
Heated sidewalks
Around the whole perimeter. No ice on the walk in January.7
Glass stair & elevator towers
Two stair towers and an elevator tower.7 Federal guidance: put them on the perimeter, behind glass, visible from outside.12
Lighting & cameras
The same guide calls lighting “the single most important” security feature, plus CCTV where warranted.12
Straight talk on traffic
The engineer expected after-school exits to “cause less network traffic issues,” with fewer cars circling side streets for a spot.1 The same memo flags morning backups on Bagley and a 30–60 minute load-out with a single exit.1 That’s why the bond funds the signal and a separate drop-off lane, and why exit design is still open until after the vote.6,9
Stop signs only work when drivers stop
After residents reported “a lot of near misses” on Lakeside, the city tested temporary traffic circles from August to October 2025. Feedback split 50/50 and they came out.16,17 A signal and a separated lane don’t depend on every driver getting it right every time.
What it costs
About $4 a month per $100,000 of taxable value.
$9,000,000 borrowed, $13,212,282 repaid over 20 years at an estimated 4.13%. The rate falls every year as the city’s tax base grows.6
0.4925average mills (0.5922 in year one)
50/50split with EGR Public Schools, which has $7M on hand9
~$150a year for the average homeowner5
| Taxable value | Year one | Average | Final year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100,000 | $59 | $49 | $41 |
| $200,000 | $118 | $99 | $81 |
| $300,000 | $178 | $148 | $122 |
Taxable value is on your tax bill, and is usually well below market value. Operating costs are estimated at $130K–$160K a year, shared with the schools.2,10
Heard it around town?
Here’s the record.
Short answers from city documents, the engineer’s memo, and state law. Sources are numbered at the bottom.
The need
“There’s no shortage. The village is only 72% full.”
That’s all 1,310 spaces, from the D&W to Waterfront Park. School lots ran 80–87% on school days, before 71 spaces disappeared. Averages are great until you need a spot at 7:45 a.m.3
“371 spaces sat empty at peak.”
Somewhere in Gaslight Village. A student with a first-hour class needs one next to the high school.3
“School lots are half empty after 3 p.m.”
True, and beside the point. The 71 missing spaces are needed during the school day, not for the 6 p.m. rush.3
“The crowded streets are just illegal parking. Enforce it.”
Ticketing doesn’t create parking. It moves the same cars one block over.3
“The engineer said not to build any parking.”
That was his first pass in Nov. 2025. In Feb. 2026 he wrote some of those options “may not be feasible due to certain on-campus limitations.”1
“The $158.9M school bond should have covered this.”
It tried. The plan had underground parking, which turned out not to be buildable. The district is paying its half from money it already has.4,9
“Spend it on teachers, not brick and mortar.”
Michigan doesn’t allow it. Bond money can only fund capital projects, never salaries.19
“A structure this size belongs on a commercial corridor.”
The cars belong to high schoolers. Park them a corridor away and they’re crossing Lake Drive again.1
Traffic
“The intersection will fail. LOS F, even with a 2-story deck.”
LOS grades rush-hour wait times for drivers, not safety. A 2-story deck (about 136 spaces) holds fewer cars than the two lots it replaces held before construction (160).1 If that version fails, the same cars were already overloading a corner with no signal at dismissal. The fix for that is a signal, and it’s in this bond.6
“It needs a $350K–$600K signal just for the garage.”
The signal (about $500K) is paid for by this bond and will make crossings safer. That’s the solution, not the problem.6,9
“Cars will back up into the garage.”
The memo does flag a 30–60 minute load-out with one exit. That’s why exit design matters, and it’s still open until after the vote.1,9
“It’s a 3–4 story tower.”
Three levels. 240 spaces.7
“‘Mixed-use’ means a transit hub with outside buses.”
The ballot says a public parking facility, signals, and pedestrian and micromobility safety. No buses, no hub.6
“Bagley is too short and narrow.”
A short street right next to the school is where you want the cars to stop, instead of spreading them over a dozen residential blocks.1
Safety
“Parking garages are the #3 spot for violent crime.”
That FBI category lumps every lot and garage together, and this site is already a parking lot. The research usually cited is a how-to for safe garages: glass stairs, bright light, clear sightlines.11,12
“Picture a student alone on an upper level after rehearsal.”
Now picture that student today, walking to a car on a dark side street across Lake Drive. A lit, glass-walled deck next to the school is the better walk.1,12
“Car thefts happen in parking settings.”
Cars get stolen where cars are parked. Moving them to the curb doesn’t change that. Lighting and visibility do.12
Cost & process
“It will cost taxpayers $16M, even $20M.”
The city’s bond analysis says $13,212,282 over 20 years. The schools’ half comes from funds already on hand, and there’s no new school tax on this ballot.6,9
“That’s $250,000 per parking space.”
Only if you divide by 72 instead of 240. It’s $64K–$75K per space, split two ways.7,10
“$200K+ a year to run, plus policing.”
The city estimates $130K–$160K a year in total, shared with the schools.2,10
“The last deck was torn down at taxpayer expense.”
The old Jade Pig deck was private. It came down in Jan. 2025 for a private redevelopment, and that plan includes a new deck.13,14
“The Commission rushed it with an emergency meeting.”
The Aug. 6 meeting fixed a typo: “$0.44925” should have read “$0.4925.” Rushed or not, the final say is yours.6
“A judge just ruled against the city.”
On a different project, the D&W / Gaslight Investors plan. Nothing to do with Bagley.14
Questions
Quick answers
What exactly am I voting on?
Whether the city may borrow up to $9,000,000 over no more than 20 years for part of the cost of a public parking facility on Bagley at the high school lot, traffic signals at Lake and Bagley/San Lu Rae, and pedestrian and micromobility safety infrastructure.6
Who can park there?
During school hours the bottom level is public and the top two serve staff and students. After school, the whole deck is public.7 Parking is intended to be free.8
How big is it?
Three levels and 240 spaces, with two stair towers and an elevator tower.7
Why did the school lose parking?
The 2023 bond renovation expands the high school onto the senior lot. The underground parking originally planned wasn’t feasible, which leaves a net loss of 71 spaces.1,4
Will traffic get better or worse?
Both effects are in the record. The signal is expected to improve peak-hour traffic management, and the engineer expected less network traffic after school.1,6 He also warned of morning backups on Bagley and a 30–60 minute load-out with a single entrance, so the final exit design matters.1
What is “LOS F”?
Level of Service is how traffic engineers grade an intersection’s delay, A through F, based on the average wait per car at the busiest 15 minutes. F means an average wait over about 50 seconds at a stop sign or 80 seconds at a signal. It’s a measure of driver delay, not of crashes or pedestrian safety, and long waits on a side street are one of the standard reasons to install a signal.
What happens if it fails?
The 71 spaces are still gone. The alternatives the engineer studied send student cars to side streets or to a lot across Lakeside Drive.1,10
What happens to my pledge and email?
Pledges are only counted; names are never published. If you ask for a reminder, your email is used only for voting reminders from this site, never shared, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe. Use the feedback form to have your pledge removed.
Is this final approval of the design?
No. If voters approve, bids, the agreement with the school district and the bond sale all come back to the City Commission.10
Feedback
Spot something wrong? Tell us.
This site only works if the facts are right. If you see an error, have a document we should read, or have a question, send it here. We’ll check it and fix what’s wrong.
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Vote yes on November 3.
Zero street crossings for student drivers. A signal at Lake & Bagley. Curb space for bike lanes. About $49 a year per $100,000 of taxable value.
0neighbors have pledged to vote yes
Polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can also vote early or by absentee ballot.
Sources
- Progressive Companies (Joseph P. Eberle, PE), memo to the Deputy City Manager re: “East Grand Rapids High School Parking,” Nov. 10, 2025, with follow-up letter Feb. 4, 2026. PDF
- City of East Grand Rapids, Deputy City Manager emails on parking deck operating costs (Apr. 23 and Feb. 4, 2026), with Shared Parking, 3rd ed., Fig. 5-1. PDF
- Fox 17, “Is there enough parking in Gaslight Village?” 2026.
- Fox 17, “Should East Grand Rapids borrow millions for a parking deck?” Aug. 5, 2026.
- Fox 17, “Construction to reduce parking in East Grand Rapids and voters may fund the solution,” 2026.
- City of East Grand Rapids, special meeting packet, Aug. 6, 2026: corrected bond resolution ($9,000,000, Version B) and MFCI, LLC tax levy analysis. PDF
- East Insider, “City Commission Meeting Preview: August 3, 2026.”
- East Insider, “City Commission Meeting Recap: August 3, 2026.”
- Fox 17, “East Grand Rapids considers multimillion-dollar parking deck,” 2026; and source 4.
- Citizen Portal, summary of the Aug. 3, 2026 City Commission meeting (AI-generated from the meeting video).
- FBI, NIBRS Crime Data Explorer, location type “Parking/Drop Lot/Garage.”
- Smith, M. S., Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design in Parking Facilities, National Institute of Justice, 1996.
- City of East Grand Rapids, Community Feedback Responses.
- City of East Grand Rapids, Gaslight Investors Planned Unit Development Project.
- School News Network, “It’s a resounding ‘Yes’ from GRPS, FH, EGR voters,” Nov. 9, 2023.
- WOOD TV8, “East Grand Rapids seeks feedback from community for roundabout,” Nov. 2025.
- City of East Grand Rapids, Construction Updates.
- City of East Grand Rapids, Mobility/Bike Action Plan (approved 2021; Implementation Plan 2022).
- Michigan Public, “What’s a school bond? Why is it on your ballot?” Oct. 27, 2025.