Title
Resolution to Find the Ann Street Curb Cut at 201 North Main Street to be a Traffic Hazard and Approve Its Closure as Part of the Ann Street Improvements Project
Memorandum
Attached for your review and approval, pursuant to UDC Sec 5.21.2(D), please find a resolution to find the Ann Street curb cut at 201 North Main Street to be a traffic hazard and approve its closure as part of the Ann Street Improvements Project.
The City has designed the Ann Street Improvements Project which generally includes planned improvements on Ann Street from North First Street to North Fifth Avenue. The Project is a planned capital project (TR-SB-16-16) scheduled for construction in 2026, and it includes water main improvements (UT-WS-16-34), storm sewer improvements (UT-ST-24-03), streetscape updates (DDA funded), making existing quick build elements permanent, and implementing Vision Zero principles on this Tier 2 safety corridor.
When preparing the Project design, City staff observed that the Ann Street curb cut for the property at 201 North Main Street is a traffic hazard and in need of safety improvements. Currently, parking at 201 North Main Street is on the Ann Street side of the building via a 75-foot-long curb cut which may have been a driveway opening long ago. The east end of the opening is approximately 4 feet from the Ann Street crosswalk. Although there are no marked spaces, there is presently space for approximately eight cars to park perpendicular to Ann Street. However, in six of these spaces, there is only 12 feet from the building to the public sidewalk. Because a typical vehicle is longer than 12 feet, vehicles are routinely parked on the adjacent Ann Street public sidewalk creating a complete or partial obstruction of the sidewalk. Parking a motor vehicle on the sidewalk is prohibited under City Code, Sec 10:56(1) and Sec 4:22, and State law, MCL 257.674(1)(a).
The conditions at this location pose a hazard, as pedestrians are forced to walk in the road to avoid parked vehicles and are periodically in the direct path of vehicles moving both forward and in reverse to maneuver in and out of these parking spaces, which is uncomfortable and unsafe for pedestrians. Existing conditions at this location do not meet Vision Zero safety standards and are a hazard for motorized and non-motorized users.
The Project will address this traffic hazard by closing the curb cut and replacing it with curb and parallel on-street parking on both sides of Ann Street, among other improvements, which will improve safety for all users. There will be four short-term free on-street parking spaces on the north side (westbound) of Ann Street, and the south side (eastbound) will have three short-term paid parking spaces and one 2-hour handicapped space. The proposed on-street parking at this location is shown in the attached plan detail sheet.
The City and DDA have engaged the public regarding this Project, and responses to a public survey on how the Ann Street corridor is used and how it could be improved specifically noted safety concerns along the north side of Ann Street at 201 North Main.
According to staff research, prior to 1958, the property was used as a gasoline service station. When the building was converted to a self-serve launderette, a June 16, 1958 letter from the City Director of Building and Safety Engineering cited the curb cut as non-compliant and warned, “there is no guarantee that should a traffic problem develop on the corner, the city would not order the part or all of the curb cuts closed.” Also, the other curb cut on Main Street was removed at some point after this, but City records do not indicate when. Because Main Street is a State trunkline, it may have been removed during an MDOT project affecting Main Street.
City staff also engaged and engineering consultant, HRC, to review this location, its Ann Street curb cut, and the City’s project plan. HRC reviewed existing conditions, analyzed non-motorized and parking maneuvers, and reviewed crash and near miss data for this location. HRC concluded that existing conditions present a traffic hazard to motorized and non-motorized users and that the proposed plan to close the curb cut and replace it with curb and on-street parking would address the hazard and improve safety for all users.
City staff recommend that Council approve this resolution after the required notice and public hearing to allow the City to proceed with construction of the Ann Street Improvements Project to begin in spring of 2026.
Staff
Prepared by: Nicholas Hutchinson, P.E., City Engineer
Reviewed by: Jordan Roberts, Public Services Area Administrator
Approved by: Milton Dohoney Jr., City Administrator
Body
Whereas, In 2020 City Council adopted the A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality Plan that sets a goal of city-wide carbon neutrality by 2030 and whose success depends upon the City reducing its car trips by at least 50% by 2030;
Whereas, In 2021 City Council adopted Moving Together Towards Vision Zero, a Comprehensive Transportation Plan (the Vision Zero Plan), with the primary values of safety and sustainability;
Whereas, The Ann Street Improvements Project includes planned capital improvements to the water system, storm sewer system, streetscape, and transportation network;
Whereas, The Ann Street curb cut at 201 North Main Street has been demonstrated to be a traffic hazard to pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles;
Whereas, Removing the Ann Street curb cut at 201 North Main Street and restoring the public sidewalk for pedestrians, creating an amenity zone with street trees and streetlights, providing a solid curb line, and providing on-street parallel parking will remove the traffic hazard, implement adopted City policies, and improve traffic safety at this location;
Whereas, Section 5.21.2(D) allows a curb cut found to be a traffic hazard to be closed by resolution of City Council after notice and a public hearing;
Whereas, Notice of the public hearing was provided as required by Chapter 55 of the City’s Code of Ordinances, Unified Development Code, and a public hearing was held on this day;
RESOLVED, That City Council finds the Ann Street curb cut at 201 North Main Street to be a traffic hazard and approves its closure as part of the Ann Street Improvements Project; and
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator be authorized to take the necessary administrative actions to implement this resolution.