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Residents push back on 9 Mile road diet and possible roundabout as council schedules public forum
Summary
Multiple residents told the Oct. 7 Eastpointe City Council meeting they oppose reducing 9 Mile to three lanes and a proposed roundabout, raising emergency‑response and business‑impact concerns; a public forum on Oct. 15 will include three‑lane drawings and public comment.
Residents filled both public‑comment periods of the Oct. 7 Eastpointe City Council meeting to press elected officials over a proposed road‑diet on 9 Mile and the possibility of a roundabout.
Multiple speakers said a three‑lane configuration or a roundabout would slow emergency response and harm businesses that rely on drive‑through access. At the first public hearing, Mike Lemo told council, “We don't want that stupid 3 lane road,” and argued councilmembers were imposing their personal preferences on the downtown. Jennifer Nicholas, who attended city manager interviews, questioned how residents can give informed input if written comments must be received by Oct. 15 but presentation materials will be shown at the Oct. 15 forum. She also cited AEW cost estimates of about $5.38 million for the three‑lane design and $5.73 million for the five‑lane option and said those figures were roughly $1.2–$1.3 million higher than June 2024 estimates.
Interim administrator Elke Toome confirmed a public forum will be held Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at City Hall (a forum, not a council meeting) where engineers will present the three‑lane drawings; Toome said no roundabout drawing was available but that any comments received would be forwarded to NEPA with the project materials. Several commenters asked for input from Police Chief Haines, Fire Chief Clark and the fire marshal either at the forum or in writing, citing concerns about response times and first‑responder access.
Business impacts were a recurring theme at both public hearings. Jennifer Nicholas and other speakers reported that some managers of 9 Mile businesses say construction has already forced staffing reductions and shortened hours and that they fear long‑term loss of customers if through traffic is reduced. Other residents said a smaller street can reduce accident severity but emphasized response time trade‑offs and asked for clearer public information on design specifics, locations and costs.
The council reiterated that the Oct. 15 forum is intended to collect resident and business feedback and that the administration will accept emailed and written comments to forward with the council’s submission to NEPA. The forum will include engineers and is open to anyone who lives, works or owns a business in the area.
Next steps: the public forum is scheduled for Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at City Hall; the council will accept additional comments and forward them to NEPA as part of the project record.
