Opponents continue to battle Northville street closures
Traffic patterns in the City of Northville were expected to change this summer with the approval of a special event permit by members of the city council.
Councilmembers approved a special event permit during the Feb. 2 meeting which authorized the closure of Main Street between Center and Hutton streets from 3 p.m. Fridays to 7 a.m. Mondays during summer months. Center Street was to remain open except during larger, long-running festivals.
The decision follows a continuing dispute about the street closures. A letter to the city from an attorney representing Let’s Open Northville, a group battling the street closures, claims the latest permit violates a court order opening the downtown streets to vehicle traffic.
Attorney Kyle Konwinski claimed in the letter that the repeated weekend closures amount to the same type of seasonal closures the court previously ruled against.
“Meaning, the City authorized its own consecutive 27-weekend closure of Main Street,” the letter said.
The group has been battling downtown street closures since 2023 claiming in court filings the closures were unlawful. The court agreed and ruled the streets could only be closed for special events. The court also ruled that all dining platforms along Main and Center streets be removed in a decision last year.
City officials contend the newly approved closures are in compliance with the court ruling. The new plan will close the streets in alignment with Department of Public Works schedules. The $250,000 retractable bollards installed downtown will be raised Friday afternoon and retracted Monday morning, according to the disputed special event permit.
The Let’s Open Northville group is also challenging a planned 8-week shutdown of downtown streets during a $3.3 million improvement project at Town Square.
Konwinski’s letter claimed the city actions are an attempt to accomplish what the court expressly prohibited. He suggested the group will seek legal redress if the issue is not resolved.
Northville officials say the special permit plan complies with the court’s order and the actions are consistent and fully within the parameters of the court orders.
The social media post from the city stated that the closures necessary during the Town Square project are routine during “municipal infrastructure work.”
