What’s in a name? If you ask the residents of Traverse City’s Barlow Street – or a GPS service, like Google Maps – the answer can be complicated.

That’s because Barlow Street – a busy north-south corridor running from South Airport Road to East Front Street – isn’t one continuous road. Divided by the TART Trail, the southern section of Barlow stretches from South Airport to the trail, where it abruptly curves east and becomes Grove Street. On the other side of TART, Boyd Street curves north and becomes the second stretch of Barlow, which continues up to East Front Street.

Frustrated by the long-running confusion created by two unconnected, distinct sections of road sharing the same name, the northern inhabitants of Barlow are petitioning the city to rename their section of road Water Street.

“(Barlow) is not a continuous or through street…to continue north, you must first travel east or west to find another north-bound street,” wrote nearly a dozen residents in a signed petition to the city. “This leads to confusion for residents residing north of the TART Trail and can be problematic in emergency situations or when giving directions in general.”

Petitioner and Barlow Street resident Cyndi Dickey notes the southern end of Barlow Street near South Airport Road is primarily known for well-trafficked businesses and service organizations including the U.S. Post Office, Secretary of State Office and Salvation Army Traverse City. The northern half of Barlow, however, is quieter and entirely residential; City Clerk Benjamin Marentette confirms no businesses are located on the section of road proposed to be renamed Water Street. “Hopefully (the name change) would eliminate confusion, because we’re disconnected from most of the Barlow that people know about,” says Dickey.

In addition to the difference in character between the two stretches of Barlow, the road split also causes confusion on GPS services and creates problems for out-of-town visitors trying to navigate the corridor. “I supported (the petition) because of continued logistical problems…the TART Trail is a dead end, and when people try to get to my house, they think they can come directly from South Airport,” says northern Barlow Street resident Matt Soltysiak. “There have been a number of confusing times when people have tried to get to my house and have had to call to figure out the directions.”

According to Marentette, the process by which street name change requests are handled depends on who controls the road. Private streets are controlled by private property owners who can change their names at will, though the city provides input if a selected name conflicts with one already in use. State-controlled highways and roads – such as Division Street, which Traverse City Mayor Jim Carruthers once suggested renaming to Water Street – are the domain of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). Those types of transportation corridors rarely undergo name changes due to the potential confusion and cost caused by renaming heavily used routes.

Renaming public Traverse City streets is, by comparison, a fairly straightforward process involving petitioning the city, collecting neighborhood input, and obtaining approval from city commissioners. After the city clerk’s office received the Barlow Street petition, it sent surveys to all 45 potential affected property owners in the corridor. Marentette says 29 surveys have been returned so far, with 76 percent of residents in favor of the change and 24 percent against.

City staff also run potential name changes by the city’s equalization and emergency services departments to confirm the change won’t cause unnecessary confusion or disruption, particularly among 911 dispatch, fire, police and other first responders. Marentette says Water Street has received an all-clear from those departments as an acceptable new moniker for the northern half of Barlow.

“The plan is to bring this in front of the city commission at their September 5 meeting,” Marentette says. “If it’s a public street under the city’s control, it’s up to the city commission. They could approve it, reject it, or suggest something else.”

Only a handful of Traverse City streets have experienced name changes or name additions in recent years. In 2015, Airport Access Road was bestowed with a secondary name of Jack Coppens Drive in honor of decorated Coast Guard officer and World War II military hero John “Jack” Coppens. Because the road was partially owned by the city and partially owned by the airport commission – and because multiple businesses faced costly expenses under a prospective name change – the road was not officially renamed, but simply given an additional honorary secondary name.

One year before, in 2014, city commissioners approved a resolution proposed by attorney Robert Kuhn to name the alley running between Railroad Avenue and Wellington Street south of Eighth Street Station Street. That resolution established and named a street where none officially previously existed.

“But as far as a true renaming (of a public street), I can’t recall when that’s happened,” says Marentette, referencing the Barlow Street proposal. “It hasn’t in recent memory.”