Kalamazoo Valley Community College

The mission of Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) strives to enrich the lives of students and communities by providing quality educational programs and services. Following this objective, the college identified an opportunity to offer additional space and expand programs when they received 13.5 acres of land donated from Bronson Healthcare Group (Bronson) in downtown Kalamazoo. As an outcome of several previous community brainstorming sessions, the idea emerged to advance urban revitalization in the city, particularly in regard to promoting community health, workforce development, and sustainability. KVCC envisioned incorporating these elements into their new campus and enlisted TowerPinkster to create a master plan to design and develop their vision.

TowerPinkster worked closely with KVCC, Bronson, and Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (KCMHSAS) to develop the land into a collaborative, innovative, urban-based food and health education campus.
The final master plan includes three buildings (Culinary and Allied Health, Food Innovation, and KCMHSAS Clinic) situated on separate properties, connected by Portage Creek and the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail (KRVT). TowerPinkster designed landscape improvements to promote walkability and engage with the adjacent Upjohn Park and surrounding neighborhoods. Native landscapes were restored to provide areas for wildlife habitats and situated for all the public to engage with natural surroundings. Plantings will reinforce agriculture, urban gardening, and pollination.

Now complete, the campus provides the next generation of culinary, health, and urban agriculture leaders with the knowledge necessary to address the complex, interrelated issues of nutrition, mental and physical health, sustainability, and social concerns.