West End Parking Lot Repairs Planned, Emphasis on ADA Design

The West End Beach parking lot – which suffered erosion damage from high water levels in the 2019-2020 season, rendering the lot partially unusable for years – is finally set to be repaired this year. Traverse City commissioners discussed the project Monday, with construction targeted for late August and the new design focused on making the lot mostly or entirely ADA parking. Mayor Amy Shamroe said the improvements would make West End the “most accessible beach” in Traverse City.

City staff brought a proposed design concept to commissioners Monday after the board agreed in December to pursue improvements to the lot. Commissioners at that time laid out several criteria they wanted to see in a repair project, including reducing parking spaces by about half, providing ADA access to the beach, eliminating permanent plastic materials from the site, using natural stone and native plants, and keeping to a budget of approximately $200,000.

Prior to the erosion damage, the West End Beach parking lot had 25 parking spaces, including one ADA/handicap space. Staff presented a conceptual design Monday that would reduce parking to 17 spaces, including two ADA spaces. A new dropoff/loading zone would be added to the west end of the parking lot, along with ADA access down to the beach. The east side would have quarried rock steps down to the beach, providing beach access from both sides of the lot. The design also reflects plans to expand the TART Trail to 12 feet wide during the state’s reconstruction of Grandview Parkway/Bay Shore Drive next year from Division Street to Cherry Bend Road. The trail is planned to remain located between the parking lot and Grandview Parkway.

City Engineer Anne Pagano said the city is working on a landscaping plan that will feature native species that do well in sand, so that the city doesn’t have to install irrigation on the property – a move she said would be the most environmentally beneficial for the site. Natural armor stone would be installed between the parking lot and shoreline. A five-foot-wide sidewalk would lead from the parking lot to new ADA-compliant restrooms that are planned to be installed at West End Beach this fall. Those restrooms – along with new restrooms going in at the RB parking lot next to the volleyball courts – were funded by just over $200,000 in state grant funding and a city match.

When reviewing the proposed design Monday, commissioners zeroed in on the amount of ADA parking included at the lot. Several commissioners said they had expected to see more than two ADA spaces, believing they had directed staff to include more than that. “This lot would be best served for people who can’t walk to the beach,” said Commissioner Heather Shaw. She also wanted to see the TART Trail moved closer to the water to avoid conflicting with vehicle traffic in the lot, though acknowledged commissioners hadn’t included that concept in their original planning. Such a design would likely cost significantly more than the $200,000 budget.

Commissioner Jackie Anderson said she “definitely” expected to see more ADA parking in the design. Commissioner Tim Werner added he had hoped to see the total amount of impervious surface decrease and more park space added to the site. “Is parking cars our best use of parkland?” he asked. Werner said the city shouldn’t just rebuild the lot as it once was, calling it an “opportunity to do something better.”

Mayor Amy Shamroe said she believed staff had tried to follow the commission’s guidelines while staying within the target budget, noting it was impossible to make the parking lot “perfect” for $200,000. If the city took on a “complete redo” of the property, it’d take many more years and cost far more money, Shamroe said. City Manager Liz Vogel also warned commissioners about the danger of letting the site linger in its poor condition after several years have already passed. “It’s getting worse,” she said. “We have a deteriorating asset on the beachfront.”

Commissioners seemed to indicate general support for moving forward if staff tweaked the design to feature mostly or entirely ADA spaces in the parking lot. Shamroe said one or two non-handicap spots would be OK in the design, but she mostly wanted to focus on ADA parking. Non-disabled beachgoers can utilize the dropoff/loading zone to drop off beach gear or family members, then park across the road and walk over, commissioners said. New bike racks are also planned to be installed on the property in conjunction with the new restrooms, providing better cycling access to the park.

Shamroe said a primarily ADA-accessible lot would be “fantastic” and a “huge win for our community,” noting that it’s difficult for individuals with disabilities or mobility issues to access the beach in most areas of Traverse City. With the tweaked design, West End “is going to be the most accessible beach we have,” Shamroe said. Staff said they would update the design and email it to commissioners for review ahead of a formal upcoming vote to contract out the work. A staff timeline calls for potentially putting the project out to bid in June, with construction anticipated to start at the end of August. Staff estimated that the parking lot improvements will take four weeks to complete once work begins.