Kent County Area Mobility Study
History
Kent County is growing, and the parts of the county with the highest and fastest growth are outside of the Grand Rapids urban core. Our townships and small communities are seeing new housing, jobs, and other economic opportunities, creating more demand for people to move about. While The Rapid provides transit services in the six core cities, most of Kent County has limited mobility services available.
The Kent County Mobility Taskforce was created to facilitate a countywide mobility study that will understand the mobility needs of residents and begin to chart a path toward improving mobility options throughout the county outside of The Rapid’s core service area.
Kent County partnered with the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council (GVMC) to secure a Service Development and New Technology Grant through the Michigan Department of Transportation to fund this study.
Mobility Study Findings
Action Steps
Throughout the study, the Mobility Task Force had robust discussion around how to transition the mobility study effort into action. It was determined that an implementation effort would be most successful as a branded partnership housed at a local organization and collectively funded through local partners, grants, and donations.
The task force directed staff to review and identify an organization to carry on the implementation effort. Through this work, the GVMC organically emerged as the leading agency candidate to coordinate regional stakeholders towards an implementation strategy. The task force made the following recommendations:
Request that the GVMC consider taking on the task of implementing an effort to achieve the established mobility vision.
Have county staff continue to work with the GVMC to formalize an implementation effort.
Have willing Mobility Task Force members continue to work with the GVMC in an advisory capacity to establish a foundation for implementation of the recommendations in the mobility study.
These recommendations have been accepted by both the Kent County Commission Chairperson and the GVMC.
Current Activities
In March of 2026, the GVMC was awarded a Michigan Mobility Fellowship from the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan. This award will allow the GVMC to hire a fellow for 15 months to focus on countywide mobility.
The GVMC will convene a meeting in late April of 2026 to serve as the inaugural conversation around an implementation effort.
Upcoming Meetings
TBD