Council denies church’s request to place permanent barriers in Deshaun Street right-of-way, urges planning review

At the Nov. 11 Utica City Council meeting, Jeff Pia, regional director for Journey Church & School, requested permission to install permanent and removable security barriers in the Deshaun Street right-of-way to protect students and parents during arrival and dismissal. The proposal included raised planter-bed bollards within a small triangular (pie-shaped) landscaped section adjacent to the sidewalk and removable bollards in the pavement for deliveries.

Council members and staff raised multiple concerns: whether the work would be placed on public property or a vacated street segment, compliance with the Michigan Constitution’s prohibition on gifting public property (meaning any conveyance must be fair-market-based), potential utility conflicts under the proposed permanent planter pads, Americans with Disabilities Act implications, the need for planning and building permits, and whether similar requests had been denied to private businesses previously.

The city attorney and planning staff advised the petitioner to obtain a professional easement or ground-lease appraisal, provide an engineered site plan, check for utilities under proposed permanent elements, and submit a formal proposal to planning for recommendation. On a motion made and seconded at the meeting, the council voted to deny the request as presented tonight and directed the petitioner to pursue a formal application through planning if they wish to move forward.

The petitioner said removable bollards on the pavement would remain, and that other bollards on church-owned property would proceed separately. City staff indicated that permanent features on public property likely require purchase of an easement or a ground lease at fair market value.