Holland City Council votes Wednesday on the design contract as part of its consent agenda. City documents say the Windmill Island Gardens Fund will pay. They don't say how Tulip Time parking would work with a smaller lot.

The first step toward a makeover of Windmill Island Gardens' entrance comes up Wednesday night, on the consent agenda that Council usually passes in one vote without discussion.

Holland City Council meets Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 270 S. River Ave. Consent item 4K (report 12E6.4) asks Council to approve a $283,500 design contract with GMB, the Holland-based architecture and engineering firm (formally "GMB Ecosystem of Teams" in the contract), and to direct the Finance Department to make the needed budget adjustments.

The contract covers design only. Construction isn't part of Wednesday's vote. The packet says the contract lets GMB and city staff prepare bid documents for construction.

What's proposed

GMB worked with city staff over the past year on a "Comprehensive Plan" for the park's entry area. It's dated July 2026 and included in the Council packet. The city's action request says that "after decades of little investment, much of the park south of the canal needs updating or rebuilding."

The plan includes:

• A rebuilt and reconfigured parking lot, with one-way, 45-degree angled parking around a counterclockwise loop, plus a bus/RV area
• A woonerf at the entrance. That's a Dutch-style shared street favoring people on foot over cars.
• A new ticket building with a covered entrance, restroom, storage, and break room
• New paths for better accessibility, a "Main Street" redesign with flush brick paving, and children's garden upgrades
• In a second phase, replacement of the existing pedestrian bridge. That will need EGLE and Army Corps of Engineers permits and a separate bridge consultant hired by the city.

GMB's July 27 cost estimate puts Phase I at $5,572,321 and the Phase II bridge at $1,605,200, about $7.18 million in all. The estimate notes that individual pieces "can be addressed separately" depending on funding.

According to GMB's proposal, the timeline has permits approved in summer 2027 and bidding and construction starting in fall 2027.

Who pays

The action request says the contract will be paid from the Windmill Island Gardens Fund. It lists the General Fund cost as $0 and checks "No" for "Included in Budget." Future construction is "planned from the same fund as well as possible grants and fundraising." The packet doesn't give the fund's current balance, name any grants or donors, or mention money from Tulip Time.

Approving the contract would also waive competitive bidding. The city says GMB "was previously approved as a single source vendor for design services." The packet doesn't say when that happened.

The $283,500 may not be the whole design bill. Under GMB's proposal, contractor bidding and construction administration are billed separately at hourly rates of $110 to $285. Reimbursable expenses (permit fees, outside consultants, and the like) are also extra. GMB's cost estimate sets aside $370,821 for A/E fees "through construction."

Does the Tulip Time crowd lose parking?

On paper, yes, at least some. The plan lists 257 existing parking spaces (plus 10 ADA spaces). The parking concept shows 212, which is 45 fewer, or about 17%. The plan's scope page had promised to "study revised layouts for better circulation and more parking."

The plan's Tulip Time drawing goes further: the north drive and the parking spaces next to it would be "blocked from vehicular use" so visitor lines can wind through the entry plaza. It doesn't say how many spaces that removes.

The packet has no Tulip Time parking study, overflow plan, or shuttle plan. One page mentions parking "Concepts A & B," but only one layout is included. With over 150,000 visitors this spring and summer, the park's second-busiest season according to WOOD-TV, residents may want to ask how the smaller lot would handle peak crowds.

Cost numbers worth a second look

A few figures in the packet don't line up neatly:

• The contract amount is written two ways. GMB's proposal gives the fee as "$283,500 (Two Hundred Three Thousand Five Hundred Dollars)." In words, that's $203,500. The city's action request lists a total cost of $283,500.
• $3.7 million vs. $7.2 million. GMB based its fee on an "estimated project cost of $3,700,000." That matches the Phase I construction subtotal ($3,708,214) before soft costs. Soft costs (20% contractor fees, 20% contingency, and design fees) bring Phase I to $5.57 million. The $3.7 million also leaves out the $1.6 million bridge phase, even though bridge replacement is in GMB's scope.
• The ticket building. The estimate prices a 240-square-foot enclosed building at $700 per square foot ($168,000). The $390,984 total for the ticket building also covers a 300-square-foot covered entrance ($165,000), a $20,000 restroom allowance, gates, paving, utilities, and signage. Divided over the 240 enclosed square feet, the total works out to about $1,629 per square foot. Over the 540 square feet of enclosed and covered space combined, it's about $724. The floor plan drawing is labeled 15 by 36 feet.

How to weigh in

Under the agenda's rules, consent items pass together in one motion "unless stated otherwise by the public or a Council Member." If that happens, the item comes off the consent agenda and is discussed separately.

General public comment (5 minutes per person) comes after the consent vote on the agenda. If you want this item discussed, contact your councilmember before the meeting or say so before the consent vote. You can also email publiccomment@cityofholland.com.

Sources: City of Holland Oct. 7, 2026 City Council packet (action request 12E6.4, GMB Windmill Island Gardens Comprehensive Plan, July 27, 2026 Opinion of Probable Cost, GMB proposal dated July 22, 2026); WOOD-TV, Sept. 18, 2026.

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