11/3/2023 0 Comments Meagan deja vu ypsilanti![]() Road reconfigurations were also suggested for Leforge Road and Huron River Drive just north of EMU, which is awkward for the many pedestrians traveling between campus and the city and could serve as a more lively commercial area. The reconfiguration of the Washtenaw Avenue and Cross Street intersection into two, two-way streets that would serve as a pedestrian-friendly “front door” to Eastern Michigan University is another major piece of the street overhaul. The Michigan Avenue roundabouts would be designed to help slow traffic through downtown. The plan presents rough ideas and designs for roundabouts at the intersection of Hamilton Street, Huron Street and Interstate 94 Michigan Avenue and Congress Street and at Michigan Avenue and River Street. “They made it two-way, and it’s a perfect example of such a change slowing down traffic on a street, creating a better climate for business and pedestrians and really creating a better destination.” “Ann Arbor did this with State Street, which was one-way a long time ago,” Gillotti said. Gillotti says she hears that people will skip destinations because of that, and the city’s aim is to keep people in the downtown area. What would be a one-block trip in many parts of downtown turns into a four to five-block trip because of one-way streets. ![]() “Two-way streets give better access to people trying to get to actual destinations in the city.” “One-way streets are designed to flow car traffic through a city or to keep the flow steady and efficient,” Gillotti said. Gillotti said the purpose is to provide better access to the city for motorists and slow traffic, which makes certain areas - like West Cross Street near EMU - more friendly to pedestrians. ![]() One of the most talked-about components of the plan is eliminating Ypsilanti’s one-way roads and changing them into two-way streets. This plan was designed to be flexible and serve as a guide to decision making when the master plan doesn’t address a specific situation a decade or two later, Gillotti said. Gillotti said those working on the proposed plan recognize that master plans have a “shelf life” because changes in the community or market cannot be predicted 10 to 20 years out. “We asked you for something different and outside-the-box and I think that’s what you gave us,” Planning Commission Chair Rod Johnson said. When the process began a nearly year ago, Gillotti was instructed to provide a different document than is standard for master plans, which are required by state law. Planning officials will now present the proposed plan to the public over the next several months before the Planning Commission takes it up for approval at its October meeting. 21, the Ypsilanti Planning Commission and Ypsilanti City Council held a joint committee in which City Planner Teresa Gillotti and planning consultant Megan Masson-Minock of ENP & Associates presented the plan. Ypsilanti’s proposed new master plan is complete.Īmong the highlights are proposals are an end to the one-way street network a reconfiguration of the Washtenaw Avenue and Cross Street intersection a blueprint for Water Street development improved zoning ideas to spur job growth the creation of “festival streets” and plazas the redevelopment of industrial zones into either “job centers” or residential zones and much more.
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