A citizen-led task force that's spent the last year studying ways to improve Ann Arbor's North Main corridor will make its final recommendations to the City Council in July.
Before that happens, the task force is seeking additional input from the community, said David Santacroce, chairman of the North Main-Huron River Corridor Vision Task Force.
The public will have an opportunity to weigh in at a community meeting next Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Ann Arbor Community Center, 625 N. Main St.
The North Main corridor study area.
City of Ann Arbor
The second of two scheduled community meetings will take place June 12 — again from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Ann Arbor Community Center.
The task force is working to finalize a set of recommendations that will go to the City Council by July 31. A new website dedicated to the project can be found at RenewNorthMain.org.
Draft plans presented by the task force's subcommittees back in March showed potential solutions for improving safety and accessibility for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists traveling along North Main Street, potentially including a new roundabout and crosswalks.
Other solutions — including pedestrian bridges and a tunnel under the railroad tracks north of Depot Street — have been considered to improve access to riverfront destinations, including the MichCon site where the task force has laid out a vision for a new riverfront city park.
The task force also has been working on the city's plan for transforming city-owned property at 721 N. Main into a future greenway park.
Santacroce said many of the tentative solutions are aimed at addressing the lack of pedestrian access to amenities along the corridor. He's hoping for a large turnout at next Wednesday's meeting.
"This is the community meeting where we engage the public more broadly and say here are the issues we see," he said. "What we want to know is — are we missing anything? And what are people's ideas about potential solutions?"
After the task force submits its written report at the end of July, Santacroce said he expects the issue to be on the council's agenda as early as August.
The city's newly released Non-Motorized Transportation Plan update also includes some suggestions for a stretch of North Main Street that lacks accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists.
One idea the city has discussed is reducing North Main from four to three lanes with added bike lanes and a center lane that could be reversible for incoming traffic in the morning and outbound traffic in the afternoon. The state has said it's willing to consider the idea.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.