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Council adopts Vester Avenue one-way and angle-parking plan, authorizes up to $7,000 for rollout
Summary
The Ferndale City Council approved a reconfiguration of Vester Avenue to a one-way eastbound street with 30-degree angled parking, adding about 14 net public spaces, and authorized up to $7,000 for signs, striping and outreach to implement the plan.
Ferndale City Council on Oct. 13 voted to adopt a Vester Avenue parking study and authorized project expenditures not to exceed $7,000 to implement signage, striping and outreach for a revised traffic and parking configuration.
Under the approved plan, Vester Avenue will operate one-way eastbound toward Bermuda with a narrower travel lane and 30-degree pull-in public parking on the north curb. The design preserves two-way access for the public alley and maintains alley truck operations, while increasing on-street public parking to 27 spaces (a net gain of about 14 spaces compared with the current layout). Staff said one loading zone is proposed from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. to accommodate businesses and reduce the chance of delivery vehicles blocking the narrow drive lane.
Staff said the Traffic Improvement Association conducted counts showing 300 to 575 westbound vehicles per day and modest truck volumes; the one-way configuration is intended to calm speeds and limit truck traffic through nearby residential streets. Costs for striping are included in the fiscal year 2026 budget, and DPW will supply signage. The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) will do merchant outreach prior to implementation.
Council and staff discussed enforcement and an educational rollout: the police department plans a soft-education period of roughly two weeks to a month after striping and signage are installed; councilmembers suggested auxiliary police or targeted on-site guidance on busy weekends during the initial transition. Council also asked staff to evaluate at least one accessible (handicap) parking space; staff said curb-cuts and ramps would add cost and require coordination with adjacent property work.
Council approved the plan by roll-call vote: Johnson, Kelly, Mikulski, Polica and Leaksmay voted yes. Staff estimated the Vester-area construction that motivated the change could last 18 months or more; the council indicated the configuration could be retained permanently if the pilot is successful.
