Ann Arbor City Planning Department
January 25, 2005

Single Road Access

My name is Denise Heberle.  I live at 2580 Craig Road, two blocks from the proposed site.  I have been involved in looking at the District's plan and I want to talk about just one of the flaws I see. 

Throughout the process of revealing this plan to the community, the District has held fast to one absolute certainty – the only access to the site will be from Maple Road.  Other speakers have pointed to the nightmare that will result from directing all traffic attendant to a 1600-student institution along a single road.  Why won't the District consider access from the north or east side?

In its letter to neighbors of the new high school dated October 14, 2005, the District says, "vehicular access to the site from the north or east is not under consideration, with the exception of emergency vehicles."  In answer to the question, "[c]an a major vehicle access from Newport be created?" the District flatly responds, "[t]his is not under consideration."

I have three school-aged kids – they attended Wines and now are at Forsythe and Pioneer.  I really know the route along Newport Road to and from Wines and Forsythe. Newport Road is designated "urban/suburban" and, according to the City’s Transportation Engineer Les Sipkowski, it meets the criteria for the traffic in and out of a school.  That's good, since that's certainly how it is being used.  It could also provide access to the new school and be much more convenient for students coming from that part of town. There could be an entrance here. [refer to site map]. Traffic would be routed through the subdivision at the northeast corner of the site where the roads are wider than Newport Road, there are sidewalks, and the setbacks are visibly as deep or deeper than those along Newport. There is even a stub from the subdivision at the northeast corner of the site that was placed there in accordance with the long-standing plan to use the site for a new school.  What happened?  We can't seem to get an answer – maybe you can. 

Before you recommend that the City annex this mess, please look at the foolishness of having single road access to it.