During the Aug. 1 meeting, members of the Northville City Council permanently closed portions of both Main and Center streets to vehicular traffic. Retailers and restaurant owners have expanded their footprint onto Center Street from Main to Dunlap and on Main Street from Center to Hutton. Responsibility for the design and functionality of the area has been assigned to the Northville Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
“They've handed us this decision. We're going to make it work,” Commented DDA Director Lori Ward. She recently posted a request for bids for design services to redo the entrances of the social district, comprising the closed sections of Center and Main streets. Bid submissions are due Aug. 31, a city spokesman noted. A separate traffic engineering study will also be conducted by the city to determine how best to reroute traffic on the narrow streets.
Members of an appointed Advisory Committee including the Economic Development Committee along with some merchants, will work with a consultant to address the comments that the DDA has received from the community about the appearance and function of the social district. The selected design team will develop a plan to improve the entryways to the pedestrian areas, eliminating the water barricades and police cars and replacing them with more attractive solutions, Ward explained. Overhead lighting, additional planters, outdoor heaters, and other amenities will also be addressed in the plan.
“Business owners are relieved they have an answer about whether the streets would reopen or stay closed,” Ward said. “Now they are asking, 'What can we do to help make it successful?'”
Prior to the decision to close the streets permanently, members of the city council reviewed reams of data and studied traffic volume in the area and the input of business owners. The officials also scheduled Town Hall meetings regarding the closures and were aided by a DDA-convened survey.
“It's going to take all of us working together: merchants, community, city and the DDA,” Ward said. That sentiment was echoed by City Council Member John Carter and Mayor Pro-tem Barbara Moroski-Browne at the Aug. 15 council meeting. Moroski-Browne said, “Now the hard work begins” regarding finding and implementing solutions.
Mayor Brian Turnbull, who voted to reopen both streets, said the city needs to find ways to keep visitors coming back to the downtown year-round. He said having concerts on weekends, alternating between Main and Center street, has been a draw, but the streets need to be activated during the winter months, too. Visitors to downtown Northville are now free to carry drinks purchased from participating establishments to open areas in the social district. The abundance of flowers lining the streets and tivoli lights in Town Square and at outdoor dining areas has helped transform the downtown, officials agreed.
Not everyone is happy with the street closures, however. Tony Piccoli, owner of Cobbler's Corner on Main, told a news station that it is difficult for customers to find parking and to maneuver around the closures. Theresa Folino, a Northville resident, told a reporter that it is a challenge for the disabled to get around in downtown Northville and said changes need to be made to accommodate those needs.
City Council Member Andrew Krenz said the street closures will necessitate changes: to improve street crossing markings, provide drop-off areas and move handicap parking spaces closer. The middle of the street is intentionally left open so emergency vehicles can get through.
During the Aug. 15 meeting of the city council, Angela Jafaar, a local business owner, said she is concerned that the permanent downtown street closure will adversely impact surrounding businesses and could erode the tax base if revenues drop. She also questioned the validity of the survey that drew 4,000 responses from the community, which factored in the decision regarding public sentiment. Moroski-Browne said she agreed with Carter's comments regarding the downtown street closures and is looking forward to working with city administration, businesses and residents to find solutions.
