Livernois Resurfacing: What to Expect

Story By Ingrid Sjostrand | Photo By Bernie Laframboise

WHEN WARMER WEATHER APPROACHES, also with it comes the many orange barrels and road closings of looming construction. One such project expected to cause some disruption this summer season is the resurfacing of Livernois St., and it has many business owners concerned.

The construction is currently slated for June 1st through November 10th and, while its main purpose is repairing and resurfacing road conditions, plans are also set to incorporate protected bike lanes, improve pedestrian crossings and move bike racks. Justin Lyons, planning manager for the City of Ferndale, explains:

“The overall project area includes Livernois from W. 9 Mile to 8 Mile Road. The intersection at W. 9 Mile and Livernois will be improved with a new mast arm traffic signal (similar to the signals at Pinecrest, Bermuda, etc.) and a public plaza,” Lyons says. “A small amount of striping work will also be completed on the Detroit side of the Livernois/Eight Mile intersection.”

The long length of the project is intended to avoid closing the entire stretch of road at once.

“Construction efforts will be staggered/phased so that only one section is being fully disrupted at any given time, which is why the construction period lasts until November,” he says. “There will always be a minimum of one lane open in each direction on Livernois.”

FREQUENTLY REFERRED TO AS THE “UP-AND-COMING” area of Ferndale, Livernois is a street with a variety of light industrial businesses and a growing retail and restaurant presence. Siouxsan Miller, co-owner of Green Daffodil located at 624 Livernois, has run her retail storefront since 2009 and knows the area well.

“We are windows on the world for what goes on there on a daily basis. For a long time we have been the only business with an actual open sign, so we talk with a lot of business owners and folks who live in the area,” Miller says. “We have lots of thoughts and concerns about the proposed street project and the time frame that it might occur.”

These concerns include available parking during construction, the length of the project and if these changes are even necessary. Many of these sentiments are mirrored by other business owners like Je Donna Dinges, who moved her women’s clothing store Margaux & Max to 561 Livernois in September of 2016, and Dan Riley of Axle Brewing, which opened at 567 Livernois in June 2017.

Riley is most concerned about the availability of parking since his brewery and biergarten can accommodate over 150 people and summer will be their busiest season.

“If all street parking on Livernois is impacted for the duration of the project, as opposed to in phases, it will definitely have a major impact on our business during our important summer season.” Riley says. “We are the only hospitality business on the street and one of a few open to customers relying on street parking.”

Dinges echoes these fears, and hopes the City will provide some solutions, “There are already parking issues on Livernois due to the limited number of parking spaces. How will the city ensure that customers can reasonably get to the businesses on Livernois?”

THE MOST RESOUNDING FRUSTRATION was the lack of information available and communicated with businesses. Dinges didn’t even hear of the project until talking to other businesses and never heard back after reaching out to City officials.

“That was two weeks ago, and I have not heard one word,” she says. “The City needs to communicate with the businesses impacted by this construction every step of the way.”

“We really don’t want overkill done to our area, but we do want things done that make sense to the area’s real needs and would like to have a voice,” Miller says. “We are all small, professional business owners who need to know what type of construction might go on this year. We need the ability to plan and make changes to our business models to be able to weather construction pains.”

Lyons says the City has presented plans for the project at City Council meetings. He hopes to remedy much of the concern through an information and question-and-answer session scheduled for Thursday April 26th at the Gerry Kulick Community Center, and they have already started brainstorming solutions to many of the problems, including parking.

“More information will be provided at the April meeting, but the City is exploring options to help provide temporary parking solutions, including providing off-street spaces at the Kulick Community Center, wayfinding signage, and rideshare promotions.”

Lyons says many factors went into the timing of this project including the City’s Master Plan and the recently passed Road Improvement Bond, but the main reason is due to Federal funding that expires at the end of 2018.

“Construction is never easy for small businesses and homeowners, but the end result will make Livernois a greatly improved street for all users. Livernois is a key corridor for the entire city, and already has a number of great small businesses, artists, and long-time residents that has grown and changed over the years.” Lyons says. “This investment by the City (with federal funds) demonstrates a commitment to the corridor with a street design that encourages people to visit Livernois by multiple modes of transportation and continue to be a walkable district.”

More information and updates about the Livernois resurfacing project can be found at ferndalemoves.com/project/livernois-street.