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Livonia council to reconsider Fox Drive access condition after debate over car-wash, traffic signal
Summary
Developers asked Livonia City Council to modify a land-use condition requiring access to Fox Drive so a Six Mile Road traffic signal can be installed; nearby employers and Schoolcraft College backed the signal as a safety measure but council members and residents pressed for clearer traffic studies and protections if access is never secured.
Brandon Briscoe, attorney for Mannequin Smith Group, asked the Livonia City Council to amend Resolution 402-25 so the developer would not be blocked from moving forward if it cannot secure an access easement from the Fox Drive property owner. Briscoe said the condition requiring Fox Drive access is stalling a traffic-signal project at Six Mile and Fox Drive that both Masco Corporation and Schoolcraft College say is necessary for safety.
Why it matters: Council members repeatedly framed the issue as a choice between delaying a safety-critical signal and forcing a developer to carry uncertain easement risk for a single narrow strip of land. Jeff Walker of Masco told the council the proposed signal is “critical” and said left-turn violations at the intersection create safety hazards for workers and students. John Wright of Schoolcraft College said the signal package is ready for Wayne County review and estimated a cost of about $1.2 million, and cited eight angle crashes between 2017 and 2021 that the signal could have prevented.
Council members pressed for technical documentation and tighter language. Councilmember McDonald asked for the traffic study to be included with the regular agenda packet; staff said the petitioner submitted a trip-generation memo and would provide it. Jack Gala, the petitioner’s engineer, said the trip memo analyzed the change in use (restaurant to car wash) and concluded that removing Fox Drive access would not materially increase traffic impacts on Six Mile because the car-wash functions primarily as a right-in/right-out site.
Several council members sought compromise language that would require the developer to make “reasonable efforts” to secure the Fox Drive access while allowing the Six Mile approach and signal work to proceed. Opponents — including residents who spoke during audience communication — raised concerns about signal sequencing and potential conflicts if access remains single-point, and some called for either a written easement agreement or pursuing acquisition options if the owner does not respond.
What the council did: Rather than decide tonight, the council placed competing motions on the June 1 regular meeting agenda — one approving the amended language as presented and another to deny — so full documentation and any revised substitute language can be considered with a final vote.
Next steps: The item is scheduled for a final decision at the June 1 council meeting. The council requested the petitioner’s traffic documents be included in the regular-agenda packet so members and the public can examine the trip-generation analysis and signal design before the vote.
