NORTHVILLE, Mich. – The streets of Downtown Northville are open again after a judge ordered the section near Main and Center streets reopened last week.
“I’m excited about the future,” Northville Mayor Brian Turnbull said on Tuesday. “It’s not going to slow down the excitement and people coming to Northville, we have to be diligent about safety, for everybody right now. We have shut down our streets for dances and music since the 1800s.”
Tuesday (July 15) morning in downtown Northville was lively and full of fun as plenty of kids danced and played games during a kids’ concert, even as cars and motorcycles rolled along Main Street.
The small town, with a population of nearly 6,000, that straddles Wayne and Oakland counties has a popular, walkable downtown filled with small boutiques and nice restaurants.
However, the street closures, which began in 2020 during the pandemic and lasted for six months per year, had caused division among the residents.
The grassroots group “Let’s Open Northville” has been vocal about reopening the streets, with traffic issues caused by the closures being cited as a primary concern.
“During most of the week, and it got really busy during the weekends,” Steve Pichan, a 40-year Northville resident, said. “Restaurants benefited, but unfortunately, businesses suffered.”
Some business owners have stated that the closures have had a negative impact on their operations.
Others, such as Mishelle Lucier, who owns Table 5 on Main Street, loved it.
“It just changes, I think the dynamic, and what people are used to,” Lucier said. “I think that you’ll see less traffic down here now because there isn’t, you know, that same open space for people to just hang out in. I just don’t think it’ll give it the same feel.”
Residents viewed the closures as establishing a unique sense of community in the downtown area.
The judge’s ruling allows the city to maintain temporary street closures during special events, such as festivals and parades.
“We will decide as a council which direction we will go, but right now,” Turnbull said. “We will make sure that we adhere to the judge’s order, and that’s why it’s open here.”
