Residents rally to protect Nearing’s Market at Burton hearing on Bristol/Belsey roundabout

Burton — Hundreds of residents packed a Burton City Council public hearing to oppose a proposed single‑lane roundabout at the intersection of Bristol and Belsey Road, citing potential harm to a long‑running local business and questioning the traffic and crash data used to justify the project.

Paul O'Meara of Roe Professional Services reviewed the project history and design on behalf of the city, saying a 2019 Genesee County Metropolitan Planning Commission safety study singled out the intersection and that the five‑year study period recorded 21 crashes including five injuries. He told the council the project scored well for a federal carbon‑reduction grant and that funds were awarded to cover about 80% of construction costs for the 2026 season; Roe was contracted to produce the design and the scheme would require temporary grading easements and small right‑of‑way acquisitions at all four corners.

But the majority of public commenters objected to the plan. Katie Nearing, owner of Nearing’s Market at 3517 South Belsey Road, told the council she and customers have observed fewer crashes since the city installed flashing stop‑sign lights and that she had not been offered a viable access plan that would preserve her business’s delivery and parking functions. ‘‘Why are we spending taxpayers' money on a project that is unnecessary? Why put a 65‑year‑old business at risk?’’ Nearing said.

Several speakers cited updated local crash records and the Rose/ROW study’s reliance on older data. Wissant Slanger said more recent 2019–2023 data — including crashes after flashing lights were installed in 2023 — showed zero fatalities and zero incapacitating injuries and argued that MDOT safety funding criteria typically require two or more fatal or incapacitating crashes to prioritize a site. Multiple residents urged the council to re‑run traffic projections using the city’s recent population declines and to collect new traffic counts before proceeding.

Residents and former delivery drivers repeatedly raised practical concerns about truck access. Rob Condon, a driver with four decades’ experience, said 53‑foot tractor‑trailers could not safely make deliveries under the proposed geometry, and several former employees and long‑time patrons of Nearing’s described how the store depends on frequent deliveries and quick customer turnover.

Speakers proposed alternatives including rumble strips, photo speed signs, additional enforcement, lowering speed limits at nearby approaches, or placing a roundabout at locations with higher demonstrated crash severity (for example, intersections on Vassar Road). Others stressed the economic and social role Nearing’s plays as a multi‑generation community business that hires local youth and sells locally produced goods.

Council members and staff did not take action at the hearing; the mayor opened the meeting for public comment and reiterated the city attorney’s guidance that no vote could be held that night. Multiple attendees were told earlier votes related to the project were tentative: O'Meara said the city previously approved funding acceptance (a 2021 council vote described in the design presentation) and later confirmed inclusion in the statewide transportation improvement program. Several residents and a former councilor reminded the council those approvals can be revisited and funds can be reallocated at the county level if Burton declines to proceed.

The meeting closed after more than two hours of public testimony. The mayor thanked residents for orderly conduct and said the council would continue to consider the project at upcoming meetings. No formal vote or decision was made at the hearing.