Kelly Road could be set for an overhaul

Those who attended the March 21 Kelly Road community engagement event at Christian Trinity Church were not shy about sharing their ideas for a revamped thoroughfare.

Using the post-it notes and colored push pins provided, residents and business owners from Eastpointe, Harper Woods and Detroit voiced their opinions about what improvements need to be made to Kelly Road between Seven and 10 Mile roads.

Roundabouts at some of the intersections — particularly at Toepfer Road — was a popular suggestion as was eliminating the median to reduce the need for turnarounds. Enclosed bus stops, parking areas that allow better access to businesses, wider sidewalks, a facade improvement plan for businesses and more street lights were some of the other ideas.

“We want to make sure we are engaging with the public from the beginning of this project,” said McKenna assistant planner Brigitte Wolf. “We want to get the design right.”

The cities of Eastpointe, Harper Woods and Detroit are collaborating on the project through the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments Complete

Streets initiative and plan to seek grant funding to bring it to fruition. They’ve created a steering committee to help plan the project. The project is currently in its initial planning stages.

Renderings of how a reimagined Kelly Road might look were on display at Thursday’s event and showed varied configurations for residential, business and mixed use areas of the roadway.

“We want to support existing businesses and also draw new businesses,” said Wolf.

Harper Woods resident George Cotton said he would be very open to making changes on Kelly Road that would make it safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. Cotton said he is an avid cyclist and enjoys walking and would appreciate being able to engage in both of those activities on Kelly Road.

“I like what I heard here tonight,” Cotton said.

Initial feedback from an online survey from the steering committee indicates that many people currently see Kelly Road as outdated, worn, and needing an upgrade. The top three things survey results indicated people would like to see added to the corridor were landscaping, pedestrian friendly infrastructure such as seating and wider sidewalks, and a facade improvement program for businesses.

Spaces for public events was also a popular request as was the addition of sculptures and murals.

As of March 21, 75 people had responded to the survey. The online survey can be accessed at surveymonkey.com/r/H6WSWVH.