TRAVERSE CITY -- It's loud, fast and remains a significant hurdle to plans for a pedestrian-friendly city.
But city officials aim to transform Division Street and its 20,000-plus vehicles per day bustle into a calmer, more walkable thoroughfare, and they plan to get the ball rolling now.
A reconstruction project may have to be put before voters; if so, the city hopes to place the measure on the August ballot.
The public will have a chance next week to share thoughts on proposed reconstruction. The city contracted with local engineering firm URS to develop a series of conceptual redesign plans, and they'll be presented during a March 17 open house.
"It's vitally important" that citizens show up and provide input, said Theresa Petko, a URS vice president. "This is an opportunity to have some give-and-take with the professionals that are involved in the project."
Designers will spend next Monday with a steering committee comprised of neighborhood presidents, business owners, area property owners and others. They'll sketch out designs the following day and present them back to the steering committee before the March 17 open house.
Steering committee members, along with citizens, will have a chance to suggest design alterations.
City voters have to approve any design plan that alters parkland property along Grand Traverse Commons land. City Manager Ben Bifoss said it's "reasonably likely" the approved project will affect parkland and therefore will have to go before voters.
Bifoss anticipates URS will need a few weeks to finalize a design after the open house. Commissioners have until late May to place an item on the August ballot, so a singular, finalized design likely would need to be in their hands for review by late April, Bifoss said.
Because Division Street is a state highway, Michigan Department of Transportation officials are on the steering committee and will have a say in any redesigns.
"If at the end of the day we want to implement a concept, it needs to have been developed within MDOT procedures," Bifoss said. "There's no point in holding an election for a plan that could not be implemented."
Bill Fernandez is president of the neighborhood association for Kids Creek, one of the neighborhoods that borders Division. He's on the steering committee, though he's not yet sure what to expect from next week's process.
"I'm pretty much going into it from the perspective of making sure (Division) is as palatable as possible for the residents of the city," he said.
Division Street handles between 21,000 and 24,000 vehicles each day, ranking it among the busiest streets in Traverse City, according to state transportation records.
Division Street design open house
Where: Hagerty Center, 715 E. Front St., Room B
When: 5 p.m. March 17
