KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — Kalamazoo County has big plans for new buildings to replace their old buildings downtown, and that could change the city’s skyline.

The county has been looking for a new home for their health and human services department, but have now abandoned plans to build a new facility at the Alcott Street location because of higher-than-anticipated costs.

They are looking at the former Illinois Envelope site in the Edison Neighborhood or repurposing a portion of their administration building downtown for the facility.

They are also talking to Western Michigan University about building a new consolidated courthouse at Kalamazoo Avenue and Park Street and are contemplating a new parking ramp on the other side of Park.

It would make use of largely-underdeveloped land that has largely been vacant since the 1980 tornado and the departure of the Gilmore auto dealership.

County Board Chair John Taylor said parking is the key.

“It all starts with the parking ramp,” Taylor said. “As soon as we build that ramp and add those hundreds and hundreds of spots.”

A lot still has to come together. The board has agreed to begin a five-point plan to begin answering some of the questions that have to be resolved before they can proceed.