01-05-2025
Public split on seasonal street closures beginning in Northville, Michigan
In October 2023, a nonprofit called Let's Open Northville filed a lawsuit against the city of Northville, Michigan, to permanently reopen downtown streets that had been closed for six months.
On Thursday, May 1, those seasonal street closures kicked off again.
CBS Detroit
The closures occur on two primary downtown roads, Center and Main streets.
"You see people while they're having their meals, going into different stores, brings more foot traffic around," said visitor Andrew Stoe.
"I was walking down the sidewalk and I'm thinking, wait a minute. I can walk down the street and not have to look for cars," resident Barbara Benton said.
The seasonal closure from May until November occurs seven days a week and is part of the city's outdoor dining and social district season, which has been in place since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Northville community has been engaged in a heated debate for the last several years. Avid walkers like Benton have split on the issue.
"I like that they're closed when I walk my dog down here, but then I like them to be open if I'm just going to drive down here, pick up something quick," Benton said.
For small business owners like Prudence Kauffman, who relies on a high volume of customers, the street closures are detrimental to both her stores on Center Street.
CBS Detroit
"You come out Monday through Thursday; there's no one. It's a ghost town on the street. The street closures have definitely diminished our walk-in traffic. We don't get nearly as many people that are driving through town and see our sign and say hey, I want to stop in there," said Dear Prudence/Blackbird Owner Prudence Kauffman.
Kauffman says she's taken her frustrations to the city, but those concerns fall on deaf ears.
Northville Mayor Brian Turnbull tells CBS News Detroit he's listening and values the input from the public.
"It's really a gathering place for Southeastern Michigan and the communities around the Detroit area. Will it be that way the rest of our lives? Not necessarily. That's why we put bollards in, so we could be flexible in the future. We're looking and trying to be flexible and listening to our businesses, listening to our citizens, and listening to community input, both the city and the township," Turnbull said.
Meanwhile, Kauffman has to deal with these closures and hopes a compromise with the city will come sooner rather than later.
"We just really like to find some sort of compromise, like close the streets down only on the weekends, or leave Center open, close Main Street, but the city, they just won't look at that as an option," Kauffman said.
The trial between "Let's Open Northville" and the city of Northville is scheduled to begin in June 2025.
