Property owner urges township not to close Oakland Avenue intersection, cites access and property-value concerns

Bruce Jeffrey, a Springfield property owner who gave his address to the committee, used the public-comment portion of the meeting to oppose any plan to remove the traffic signal or access at the Oakland Avenue intersection.

"I own four buildings in town," Jeffrey said, and told the committee that removing the intersection would reduce secondary access to his properties, force service vehicles to circulate through residential lots and could depress property values and tenant retention. He described operational impacts on garbage collection (drivers currently back into a corral) and said the proposed change would alter traffic circulation in ways that would inconvenience tenants and owners.

Officials responding during the exchange said a short traffic-count study found lower usage of Oakland Avenue: the transcript records a study summary stating that, over seven days, 1,000 cars used Oakland while, in a four-day sample, 1,600 cars used Waverly. The speaker offering those counts was not identified by name in the transcript. Committee members reiterated that no final decision had been made and said the public would be consulted in further meetings before any change is implemented.

Jeffrey also told the committee he has invested in multiple downtown properties and urged the committee to consider commercial impacts alongside safety and circulation goals. The committee asked that the topic be brought to a future meeting for wider public input.