Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Roundabout Belsey Bristol topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Burton council drops participation in Belsey–Bristol roundabout after residents warn of harm to longtime market
Summary
After a large turnout of residents and business owners who warned a roundabout would hurt a 65-year neighborhood market, the Burton City Council voted to ask Genesee County and the TIP program to remove the Belsey–Bristol roundabout project from the county program.
Burton — The Burton City Council voted unanimously to notify Genesee County and the TIP program that the city requests removal from the planned roundabout project at the intersection of Belsey and Bristol, following a lengthy public comment session in which residents and the owner of a neighborhood market said the project would damage local business and community character.
Dozens of residents packed the council chamber and nearly every public commenter opposed the project, citing a lack of recent serious accidents at the intersection, potential property takings, truck-access challenges and damage to Nearing’s, a family-owned store in business for about 65 years. The council added the item to the meeting agenda after public request and then voted to cancel participation in the county-funded project.
Supporters of canceling the project pointed to traffic data and a 2023 Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) study referenced by speakers that, they said, did not support converting the intersection to a roundabout. "We're building a roundabout for a place that had 1 accident in 2023," said Katie Nearing, the market owner, urging the council not to put a long-term business at risk. Another commenter said a no vote would "save the taxpayer over $280,000," a figure cited during public remarks.
Council discussion referenced concerns about process and public notice: several council members and residents said the public hearing had not been held before prior votes related to the project and asked why some notices (postcards within a quarter-mile) did not reach all affected residents. Council members said administration staff had worked with Nearing’s to seek solutions but that the timing of public outreach left many residents feeling unheard.
On the action items that followed, the council approved several other items on the agenda (including engineering for a local trail and contract awards) before taking the motion on item 6. The motion to notify county authorities to cancel Burton’s participation in the Belsey–Bristol roundabout was moved and seconded and passed by roll call with the present council members voting in favor. The clerk announced the next regular council meeting for July 21, 2025.
The vote removes the city from the county-funded phase of the project; it does not by itself change county plans unless Genesee County agrees to withdraw the project from the TIP program. Council members said they would direct appropriate notifications as required under the project agreements.
Council members and administration also heard requests for clearer public engagement in advance of road projects and officers said they would review public-notice procedures ahead of future infrastructure decisions. The council adjourned after completing the agenda.
