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| Restaurants expanded into the street with street closures. Photo by DDA. |
The May 9 meeting, chaired by Riley, a DDA member, was an effort to garner public sentiment regarding street closures in downtown Northville. Currently closed to traffic in the city are East Main Street from North Center to Hutton and North Center from East Main to Dunlap. Authorization for those closures will expire Nov. 1.
A recent survey conducted by the DDA sought input from the community on whether or not the downtown street closures should continue (in some form) or reopen to vehicular traffic. Survey results, presented by Joe Blair, of Carlisle Wortman Associates, drew 4,053 responses. Of those, 74 percent were in favor of closures of either one or both streets and the vast majority or 80 percent wanted to keep the current downtown social district. Fifty-three percent of respondents wanted to expand the social district which will continue in the near future, regardless of any decision regarding street closures. Survey results, including an extensive array of written comments, are posted on the DDA website.
“We are pleased with the number of responses that we received from both the residential and business community. Their participation will provide important feedback to the DDA and city council as we make decisions that will impact our community,” said DDA Director Lori Ward.
Approximately 20 people out of 75 in the audience - in person and on Zoom - expressed their thoughts about downtown Northville. Several wanted to see a better-looking streetscape - improve the appearance at the social district entrances. One longtime resident said traffic on the secondary streets is congested and drivers get impatient with all of the stop signs. Several said they liked the European feel, but one respondent said he and his family want a return to small town America with streets open to traffic.
Several said it's important to look at lasting solutions, especially to help downtown retailers, services and restaurants thrive. It's more than just those two streets that need consideration, others said, there should be a balanced solution for better traffic distribution along with input from traffic engineers.
Initially, the streets were closed due to pandemic restrictions that limited the number of people allowed inside businesses.
The closed streets resulted in a greater surface area for social distancing and downtown restaurants and retailers were permitted to expand their outdoor dining and retail presence to help maintain sales during a difficult time. Northville was one of the first cities in the state to establish a social district, officials said.
When a decision is reached, the DDA board members are expected to take a recommendation to the June 6 meeting of the members of the city council.
For more information or comments, contact the DDA office at lward@ci.northville.mi. us or (248) 349-0345.
