Traverse City commissioners will consider a proposal Monday to close off some neighborhood streets to non-essential vehicle traffic during the pandemic – offering more room for pedestrians and cyclists to safely exercise while other regional trails and parks are closed due to crowding concerns.

Commissioner Ashlea Walter is proposing the concept, which has already been implemented in several larger cities across the country, including Denver and Oakland. Those communities have designated miles of street for primarily pedestrian and cyclist use, with vehicle access still available for emergency vehicles, essential deliveries, and homeowners. Walter says introducing a similar plan in Traverse City neighborhoods could expand recreational opportunities for residents, who have seen some outdoor options – like golf and boating – eliminated during the state’s Stay Some Stay Safe executive order.

“The big reason why people love to call our area home is their ability to access outdoor space for physical and mental health and wellbeing,” Walter says. “That is being shut down little bit by little bit as it gets increasingly crowded.” Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore announced this week it was shutting down all park trails and amenities; with those trails now off limits, Walter is concerned hikers will begin congregating more densely on other trails, creating a domino effect of trail closures.

“We’ve been hearing about it at the Boardman Lake Trail, at the Commons, at Hickory, even Brown Bridge (Quiet Area),” Walter says. “On lovely days, it’s getting somewhat crowded, making the six-foot distance difficult to achieve. I’d hate for them to be shut down. I’d like to see us be proactive about outdoor space for health…we have miles of streets that are sitting mostly empty right now, with very little traffic.”

Walter emphasizes she doesn’t believe high-profile corridors – like Front Street or blocks directly off Division Street – should be considered as part of the proposal. “Businesses are already hurting, and the last thing I want to do is make it hard for someone to do a pickup order or make deliveries,” she says. “That’s not the intent at all. We have plenty of streets in neighborhoods that could be used, that have alley access for cars.” Walter notes neighborhoods can already apply for city permission to close streets for block parties, using barricades at each block end that can still be navigated around for deliveries or emergency vehicles. She envisions a similar implementation for a pedestrian/cycling program from dawn to dusk on select streets each day.

“Barricades could be placed daily on designated street ends by neighborhood volunteers so as not to burden city staff with the task,” Walter wrote in a memo to commissioners. “The process of designating which neighborhood streets might be closed to vehicular traffic could be in concert with neighborhood associations and other citizen-led community organizations.”

Walter says the proposal is a low-cost, easy solution to temporarily expand safe recreational options during the pandemic, particularly as temperatures warm and more residents are eager to get outside. “It's about quality of life,” she says. “We know it to be the healthiest thing for people, to get outside and get fresh air.”

Also at Monday’s commission meeting…
> Two marijuana-related measures are returning to city commissioners for action Monday. The first is a resolution extending the May 6 deadline by which 13 medical marijuana dispensaries are required to open their doors or lose their city permits to August 6. Two dispensaries have already opened, but the remaining 11 are still in various stages of construction, permitting, or preparation for opening. With the pandemic shuttering most construction companies, city staff are looking to accommodate those business owners who may not meet the May 6 deadline for reasons outside their control. City Clerk Benjamin Marentette notes some businesses, however, appeared likely to miss their deadline even without pandemic delays – and some have stopped responding to city requests for information altogether. Those businesses are unlikely to be granted extensions, Marentette says, meaning they must open by May 6 or lose their permits.

Commissioners will also consider approving a measure that would forbid any new medical marijuana dispensary permits from being issued after May 5. The move could reduce the total number of medical marijuana facilities in the city. If any of the 13 permit holders fail to meet their deadline for opening, their permit would essentially disappear rather than being passed on to the next person on the lottery list. That could shrink the total pool size in the city – an issue that’s become a concern for commissioners after legal battles have emerged in Michigan over the right of medical dispensaries to co-locate with recreational dispensaries.

Limiting the number of medical dispensaries could limit the number of recreational dispensaries allowed in the city, and avoid owners being automatically granted recreational permits instead of having to go through the city’s planned merit-based process. Some business owners who were on the waiting list for medical marijuana permits have protested the move, saying it is pulling the rug out from under entrepreneurs who’ve been waiting a year to see if any of the 13 permits would become available. Marentette notes, however, “there was never a guarantee” wait-listed businesses would receive permits, and that city commissioners have the right to change the ordinance or even conduct a new lottery if desired.

> Commissioners will consider approving roughly $710,000 in contracts with Elmer’s Crane and Dozer for the reconstruction of Randolph Street between Division and Bay Streets. Elmer’s was the only company that bid on the project, which came in just under the city’s projected budget. The project will include street reconstruction, water main, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, sidewalk repair, street tree planting, bike rack installation, and four-inch PVC conduit installation for potential future streetscape lighting.