ANN ARBOR, MI — Ann Arbor’s Downtown Development Authority is updating its list of projects to tackle in the coming years and there may be some big changes coming.

In addition to a possible expansion of downtown the city is considering, that includes new bikeway projects, changes to the pedestrian environment and plaza spaces, street traffic reconfigurations and public transit enhancements.

Oliver Kiley, a DDA consultant with SmithGroup, presented a set of recommendations in those four areas during a public meeting at the downtown library on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

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A downtown circulation study that started last year is nearing completion and Kiley said the draft recommendations will be finalized in the next couple months and go to the city’s Transportation Commission. They ultimately are expected to be adopted as part of the DDA’s new 30-year development plan and incorporated into the city’s capital plan.

Here’s a quick overview of what’s proposed.

Pedestrian environment

Kiley talked about using public space and the pedestrian realm as an opportunity to increase social connections. Drawing more people to areas also promotes a sense of safety, helps reduce crime and has a positive impact on businesses, he said.

The list of recommendations includes enhancements to the Farmers Market and nearby Sculpture Plaza in Kerrytown and Liberty Plaza, as well as enhanced public spaces at the corner of the University of Michigan Diag at State Street and North University Avenue and at the intersection of South University Avenue and East University Avenue.

Other recommendations include continued seasonal closures of Main, Washington and Liberty streets for uses such as outdoor dining and more flexible street designs for Liberty Street, Maynard Street and Forest/Church.

Kiley cited the new curbless design on State Street as an example of a flexible design that’s working well. It allows for a more seamless transition from the sidewalks to the street when closed to cars for special events.

While the idea of permanently closing some blocks to cars to create new pedestrian malls has been discussed, the recommendations do not indicate any plans for that.

Bikeway projects

A new map shows recommended extensions of the downtown bikeway network, including along Catherine Street over to Michigan Medicine, Division Street up to Broadway Street and Plymouth Road, through the city’s 721 N. Main St. property over to Summit Street and along Miller Avenue.

It also recommends a long-discussed Washington Street “bike boulevard,” as well as State Street bike improvements and potential upgrades on Packard and Main streets.

There’s a lot of interest in improving those connections to the two-way protected bikeway loop downtown, rather than adding a lot of new connections, Kiley said, adding it’s about getting people to downtown. There were 27,000 bikeway trips counted just in June, so there’s a lot of cycling activity, he said.

Many people are not comfortable biking with just painted bike lanes, Kiley said, saying those are suitable for only about 15% of people, but with separated bike facilities 60% or more are willing to entertain the idea of biking.

Street network

The DDA reports seeing a significant reduction in speeding along First and Ashley streets since they were converted from one- to two-way traffic in recent years.

Such conversions also can boost economic growth by making areas more accessible and create a more comfortable pedestrian environment, according to the DDA, which proposes more conversions on Fifth Avenue, Division Street, Beakes Street and Ann Street.

Additional recommendations include all-way stops at Liberty/Ashley and Liberty/Thompson, as well as a reconfiguration of the area where Broadway Street meets other streets on the downtown side of the Broadway bridges.

Transit enhancements

There’s pressure for development and growth in the city, and public transit can help accommodate that, Kiley said, citing support for seeing how transit service can be made a more competitive and attractive choice for people instead of putting more cars on local roads.

“There’s a major equity consideration here,” he said, saying about half of people in poverty face some sort of transportation insecurity. “Just how can they get to work? They may not be able to own a car or own a vehicle.”

The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, also known as TheRide, has a long-range plan that identifies major corridors for bus rapid transit service, a faster kind of bus service that would go in and out of the downtown area, Kiley said.

“How buses get through downtown efficiently is really important to their transit operations and how attractive transit is for people,” he said, showing recommendations for transit-only lanes on some streets and giving buses traffic-signal priority or “queue jumps” in some locations, among other ideas.

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