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Residents urge alley paving, object to LPR privacy risks and ask DDA to preserve pocket parks
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the May 20 Royal Oak DDA meeting urged action on a flooded alley behind 408 South Washington, raised privacy and accessibility concerns about proposed license-plate-recognition parking systems, and asked the board to preserve green buffers and avoid additional concrete slabs and benches in neighborhood pocket parks.
Five members of the public used the meeting's comment period to press the board on access and quality-of-life items in the downtown core.
Frank Hart, speaking for 408 South Washington, asked for help paving a dirt alley behind his building that floods after storms; he contrasted the alley's modest needs with an adjacent public-right-of-way reconstruction that he said will cost about $4.246 million. Hart said the alley impedes customer access and asked the DDA for assistance to facilitate business success.
Janice Wagman urged caution before adopting new parking gate or license-plate-recognition (LPR) systems. "Before implementing any LPR technology, I would like to see that you consider this," she said, raising two lines of concern: first, that app- or QR-based systems can exclude seniors who do not use smartphone apps, and second, that LPR can create unwanted vehicle tracking if data-sharing and retention policies are not clearly limited and secured. She asked the DDA to include coin- or card-payment options and to specify data-retention and access rules in any procurement.
Other commenters pushed the board to keep the West Street pocket park and Fifth Street park primarily green, oppose adding broad concrete slabs and additional benches (which residents fear will encourage people to bed down during the day), and request refreshed plantings rather than added hardscape.
Why it matters: these remarks illustrate the trade-offs the DDA faces between modernizing downtown parking operations and preserving accessibility, privacy and neighborhood character. Several board members and staff referenced these themes later in the meeting while discussing lane/parking operations, gate system procurement, and interim park planning.
Actions and follow-up: staff said payment options and user accessibility will be considered in any gate-system procurement and that they will highlight privacy, retention and cybersecurity issues in future procurement materials; no formal DDA policy change occurred at this meeting.
