Traverse City Record-Eagle

Archive: Friday

January 29, 2009

Officials mull new GT Commons entrance

Proposal calls for Franke Road extension

By MELISSA DOMSIC

TRAVERSE CITY -- Momentum could be building for a proposed extension of Franke Road as an entrance into the Grand Traverse Commons.

Plans are in the works to construct a southern entry into the property, beginning where Franke Road ends at Silver Lake Road.

The public can weigh in on the project at a meeting next month. So far, the chief concern appears to be cut-through traffic.

"Obviously, the Commons is a very beautiful piece of parkland that the community really holds dear," said Mike Groleau, a member of the joint Traverse City and Garfield Township recreational authority. "And when we talk about putting a roadway through, that will have an impact on the character of that parkland. The objective is to provide the needed access ... while preserving the parklike settings of the Commons."

The property, site of the former state hospital, straddles Traverse City and Garfield Township. It's home to several shops, condominiums, the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District building, a state government office and Munson Medical Center.

The main entrance into the Commons is 11th Street, but it's also accessible through Elmwood Street and Medical Campus Drive.

The city and township recreational authority and a joint planning commission are involved in devising a new southern entrance.

Project costs haven't been identified, but roughly $800,000 is available from the city, the recreational authority millage and a Michigan Department of Transportation funding program, said city Engineer Tim Lodge. Officials continue to seek grants and other capital sources.

Construction could begin as early as spring 2010, depending on how the planning process unfolds, Lodge said.

City officials are considering special road designs such as round-abouts to discourage cut-through traffic.

But city resident Rick Buckhalter contends the road will serve as a business bypass, creating excessive traffic from people wanting to avoid stoplights along Division Street.

"I'm concerned more about traffic volume than car speed," Buckhalter said. "The residents ... are going to be adversely affected forever."

Dan Tholen also worries about the traffic. Tholen, a statistician, works out of an office on the Grand Traverse Commons property and for years has been involved in the area's redevelopment.

"I don't want through traffic, but I recognize the need for public access to the barns, the recreational authority property and (TBAISD)," he said.

Tholen said he'd support the extension as long as it included traffic flow restrictions.

Get involved

For more information on the extension of Franke Road into the Grand Traverse Commons, visit www.partnershipsforchange.cc/gtcommons.

A public input meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Feb. 19 at Traverse City West Middle School.

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