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Business owners and residents urge council to preserve on‑street parking and question 9 Mile 'road diet' plans
Summary
At the Jan. 21 meeting, multiple business owners and residents urged Eastpointe officials to preserve curbside parking on 9 Mile Road, arguing reduced parking would hurt longstanding businesses and that proposed walkability improvements may not match the corridor’s car‑oriented uses.
Several Eastpointe business owners and residents used the Jan. 21 public‑comment periods to urge the city to preserve front‑of‑building parking on 9 Mile Road and to question whether proposed changes to make the corridor more walkable would benefit the area’s auto‑oriented businesses.
Cheryl Chikini, who said she and her husband have owned a building on the block between Raine and Cushing for almost 40 years, told council she had documented space for parallel parking in front of her building and asked the city to instruct AEW to alter planned work to retain parking.
"I'm here to plead with you to please reevaluate and and instruct AEW to modify the plans to include parking," Chikini said.
Steve, who identified himself as owner of East Detroit Bakery, said the bakery employs a 16‑person crew and that the business depends on roughly 25 parking spots at the front and side of the building. He told council that loss of front parking could force the business to relocate.
"If you guys take this parking away from us, we're gonna go backward…we might…have to move," Steve said. "My business has been owned by our family since 1970."
Resident Jennifer Nicholas addressed safety and mode‑shift questions for 9 Mile, listing drive‑through retailers and auto‑oriented services along the corridor and asking, "Which of these businesses are residents supposed to be starting to walk to or ride their bikes to?"
Council responses and next steps
Council members acknowledged the public comments and several council members and the city manager said engineering plans related to upcoming reconstruction phases would be reviewed with council. City Manager Kim Walton agreed to place the county engineering plans for the second phase of 9 Mile on a future agenda for council review.
Councilwoman Pashadlak acknowledged the business owners’ concerns and said the city seeks to weigh engineering recommendations alongside business impacts.
Why it matters: Many businesses along 9 Mile are car‑oriented (drive‑through restaurants, auto repair, gas stations), and owners argued that removing front‑of‑building parking or narrowing lanes could reduce customer convenience and harm long‑standing businesses. Council members said the city will ask for and review engineering and design materials before advancing changes.
Ending
Council asked staff to include engineering plans for the next 9 Mile reconstruction phase on an upcoming agenda so members can review parking implications and other design details before decisions advance.
