What's The Dream For West Nine Mile Road?
The Ferndale Downtown Development Authority held an open house where stakeholders could plant their opinions directly on the plans.
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The Ferndale Downtown Development Authority wants West Nine Mile Road to one day reflect the development philosophy of the rest of downtown Ferndale, and they know that means getting input and support from residents.
So on Wednesday evening the DDA held an open house complete with maps of possible plans on which residents could place their two cents with gold stars and sticky notes.
More than 50 people wandered in and out of State of the Art Framing Gallery where the open house took place, carefully studying the plans for the area of West Nine Mile between Livernois and Pinecrest that many would like to see as polished and pedestrian-friendly as the portion between Livernois and Woodward.
Possibilities include widening the sidewalks, general beautification like potted plants, and building a roundabout at Livernois and West Nine Mile to combat traffic congestion.
The DDA also acknowledges that West Nine Mile looks too much like a "strip mall," buildings look "tired and outdated," and there is "too much surface parking" that is underutilized--observations that many residents agreed with.
Right now the plans to revamp it all are simply a "wish list" put together by DDA officials who are hoping Ferndale's City Council will approve a tax increment finance (TIF) plan in the fall that would bankroll certain improvements.
And although the issue of a TIF plan is not one that will be put to voters, the DDA says it is still important for them to understand the financials behind it and to let officials know what they consider to be West Nine Mile's most pressing needs.
"We've shown in the past that we can make really positive changes with funds from a TIF," DDA Director Christina Sheppard-Decius said. "But the City Council is facing tougher decisions about how to spend money these days, and if we have plans that are based on solid projects that residents support, it will be easier to convince them to approve a TIF."
A TIF plan made possible more than 10 years ago the general improvements of downtown Ferndale from Livernois to Bermuda east of Woodward. There has since been $56 million in private and public investment in Ferndale, the DDA says.
"Ferndale 10 years ago bears no resemblance to what it is today," said Chris Hughes, communications and marketing director for the DDA. "It's proof that our past TIF plan worked."
A TIF plan allows a municipality to capture whatever additional tax revenue comes in as the result of rising property values within a specified district, and to use that revenue for improvements in that same district.
Many residents said Wednesday that they support a TIF plan for West Nine Mile. Their sticky notes echoed each other in theme: "Better traffic control!" one read. "Wider sidewalks," said another. And "How would pedestrians walk in the round-about? It just needs to be pedestrian-friendly!"
The DDA is taking these issues seriously, having already engaged a private civil engineer to draft plans for widening the sidewalks and acquiring the rights-of-way that would be necessary to do it.
"The pedestrian realm is uninviting, and in many areas unsafe," the DDA has stated.
Ferndale resident Dave Cottrill agreed, saying he'd love to walk on the sidewalks on West Nine Mile but doesn't because of how close pedestrians must get to heavy, fast-moving traffic.
If the Ferndale City Council approves a TIF plan for West Nine Mile this fall, Sheppard-Decius said the sidewalk widening project and other improvements should ideally coincide with its resurfacing in 2013, which is being financed with a federal grant.
Mark Blackwell
4:52 pm on Thursday, August 11, 2011
These are some excellent suggestions. Walking a dog where the sidaewalks hang over the edge of traffic like a Road To Hana is just dangerous sometimes. I love the benches in front of Blockbuster. A couple more resting cul D's sacs like that would be sweet. And if we're calling that crazy setup in front of Joe's Party Store a roundabout...why not lets make it a proper one so you don't have to wait two light changes to get out of Ferndale Foods?
Terry Parris Jr.
6:41 pm on Thursday, August 11, 2011
Mark: Per the light at Ferndale Foods... I think I've waited as long as an hour for that to change some nights.
Mark Blackwell
7:02 pm on Thursday, August 11, 2011
After the 3rd light change, I just turn right, then trick to the left right quick. he he he
Carey Gustafson
8:19 pm on Thursday, August 11, 2011
The intersection at 9/liv is totally insane. If you're on the west side trying to cross n/s bound you just can't because of the flow of traffic. You have to cross to the east side to cross. Nutso!
rolfsy
7:44 am on Friday, August 12, 2011
From what I can make out of the map in the first picture, excited to see a median island in the Ferndale Foods/Blockbuster lot. That's the 'bullfighting' part of any walk from north to south livernois. I think this island would clear things up for both peds and drivers in that spot.
I can see better how peds would cross nine with the roundabout, but would be curious to hear how a less mobile person would get into the circle during a steady flow of cars. Any sort of add-on light system usually defeats the natural advantages of a circle (i.e. campus martius).
Cool stuff either way - improvements can't happen soon enough.
Greg Pawlica
1:17 pm on Friday, August 12, 2011
A round-about is a TERRIBLE idea. Pedestrians will never have any control over being able to cross the street. The only way a pedestrian can control traffic is by either a traffic light, a traffic sign (stop sign), or a "yeild to pedestrian" sign...and we see how well those work on West Troy Street.
What they should do is just open up Livernois to the north and allow the intersection to become like every other intersection. The only reason Livernois was closed off is because years ago, the school use to be where Ferndale Foods parking lot is now. Back then, they closed that section to traffic for the safety of the children. There is no safety reason for that section to be closed today.
Many people either ignore the closure and/or use the east-end entrance onto Withington to get to Livernois. It is doubtful that traffic would increase on north Livernois if that section was opened up.
Cristina Sheppard-Decius
1:54 pm on Friday, August 12, 2011
Great input everyone! Keep it coming! Also, if you would like to share any additional ideas about redevelopment for Downtown Ferndale, you can fill out our brief survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FerndaleDDA
Terry Parris Jr.
4:22 pm on Friday, August 12, 2011
Cristina: Thanks the for link! I'll push it out on social media, too.
Linda Baker
11:02 pm on Friday, August 12, 2011
good ideas, hope there was some talk about replacing the lights in the middle of the sidewalks though - is there really enough room at the 9 & Livernois intersection for a roundabout? I can see people avoiding the intersection because they arent used to roundabouts and fear them.
R.L.
12:25 am on Saturday, August 13, 2011
In Sterling Hts, the roundabout at dodge Park and Utica was widened after the initial construction. On first snow a city plow truck flipped over in the tight roundabout. Just go look it, you get an idea of how big we need it just to flow traffic. Sterling Hts has two lanes of traffic on Utica Rd. In Ferndale we have four lanes choking drown to two and four south bound lanes merging. I'd hate to plow that in traffic. Are we following a worthy trend or wasting tax payer money?
rolfsy
6:07 pm on Saturday, August 13, 2011
Dodge and Utica is a pretty big roundabout. For a better comparison, considering that this roundabout is acting as stepdown from 4 to 2 lane traffic, with narrower north-south inputs, check out Oakley Park and Martin (West Bloomfield?).
Greg Pawlica
8:50 pm on Saturday, August 13, 2011
Let's remember that there has been talk of adding bike lanes to 9 Mile. I have yet to see how you can have bike lanes in a round-about. A biker traveling west on 9 Mile next to a car -- the biker wants to go south on Livernois and the car wants to continue west on 9 Mile...disaster.
Mark Blackwell
9:40 am on Sunday, August 14, 2011
The rules are the same for a biker as they are for a motorist. If you want to exit the roundabout, you stay to the right. If you're not there you, you hang left. Roundabouts have been commonplace in Europe since the dawn of transportation and they don't give it a second thought, let alone weigh the subject down with dark speculation and negative nay saying. They just kind of ... drive. We'll get used to that perspective quickly if Ferndale decides to construct one. We'll be used to it in no time.
It's important to remember, a roundabout isn't some kind of autobahn concept designed to make traffic move as fast as possible. It's an intersection. People slow down. You're only in the circle for a few seconds, and you slow just as you would to carefully make your way through any other intersection. You still have to yield to pedestrians, just as you always do (and it never ceases to amaze me how many drivers still don't understand that, so the danger to peds already exist; roundabouts aren't going to make it any better or worse.)
Carey Gustafson
11:37 am on Sunday, August 14, 2011
I like Greg's idea. Why reinvent the wheel WITH a wheel!
Reattaching Livernois to follow through the parking lot and continue on into Ferndale/Pleasant Ridge. Most traffic isn't heading Northbound there, anyhow, I think it would be better flow heading Southbound. And what the heck would happen with the fire station? How would the fire trucks move through a roundabout? I'm sure there's an answer but it seems a little silly.
Cody Cocker
4:07 pm on Sunday, August 14, 2011
No room for a roundabout.A non-issue if Nine mile had not been altered.Surface parking not being utilized-are people speaking of parking lots that are private property and if so,what is being proposed?Widening sidewalks-where does the additional space come from-take it away from livernois so the traffice flow can be reduced?Seating areas and potted plants-this is what is being discussed after the tax over ride? really? If your income is reduced you make your mortgage payments and purchase necessary items-you do not remodel your home.Easy to spend other people's money.
Mark Blackwell
5:01 pm on Sunday, August 14, 2011
Actually, for me, when the economy sucks, that's exactly when I DO make improvements on my home. But that's the difference between someone who sees room only for suffering austerity to enable those with wealth to hoard more of it, which is the conservative view - and someone who sees improvement with stimulus, which is the Keynsean model that is the Progressive view.
Cody Cocker
6:18 pm on Sunday, August 14, 2011
Note should have used redecorate instead of remodel.Big difference.Once again on this site, step out of the box and you are labeled conservative and belittled.
Greg Pawlica
10:43 pm on Sunday, August 14, 2011
No offense, Cody, but "doing nothing" is not really 'stepping outside of the box'. Within your posting, I didn't see any suggestion of what to do to improve the area...so I have to assume your your 'suggestion' is to do nothing. As for spending money after the Headlee Override...The DDA doesn't get any of that money from the tax increase we just spent. The money that is being proposed is coming from grants that the DDA has and/or is in the process of aquiring. These grants are being offered by the State and/or the national government. Either Ferndale applies for that money to use, or some other city across the state or country will get it. Why shouldn't Ferndale benefit?
Greg Pawlica
10:44 pm on Sunday, August 14, 2011
CORRECTION: The DDA doesn't get any of that money from the tax increase we just passed.
rolfsy
9:07 am on Monday, August 15, 2011
Does anyone know if a PDF of the street plan pictured in this article is available anywhere?