NORTHVILLE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Wayne County judge's ruling has brought an end to permanent on-street dining in downtown Northville, following a lengthy legal battle between the city and a nonprofit group called "Let's Open Northville."
The group argued that on-street dining eliminated much-needed parking spaces, and the judge agreed with their position. All permanent tables and chairs used for street dining had to be removed by October 4.
I spoke with residents, business owners and city leaders about the decision during the city's annual "Skeletons are Alive" Halloween party on Main Street.
"We're definitely bummed about that decision," said Holly Allen, a Northville resident.
While Main Street was blocked off on Saturday for the Halloween festivities.
"We're definitely disappointed but we'll still be down here, we'll still be supporting the community as much as we can," said Katherine Frampton, another Northville resident.
Restaurant owners like Paul Gabriel from Browndog Barlor expressed concern about the financial impact.
"By taking away our street dining we lost five seats or five tables I should say and so it's a big impact," Gabriel said.
In 2020, parts of Main and Center streets in Northville were closed to traffic to allow restaurants more outdoor seating space during the pandemic.
Two years ago, the nonprofit group "Let's Open Northville" filed a lawsuit against the city.
After a long court battle, the group prevailed, and a judge ordered the removal of dining tables from the streets.
Some residents supported the court's decision, citing traffic concerns in their neighborhoods.
"We love when the streets are closed on Friday nights or for festivals but for 24 hours, 7 days a week, it's not good for the neighborhood," said Cindy and John Wilkes, who live near downtown Northville.
The couple explained that when streets are closed, traffic gets diverted through their residential area.
"The cars go up and down there, they're mad, they're frustrated, they blow through the stop signs, they speed because they can't get through town," the Wilkes said.
They hope reopening the streets will reduce traffic in their neighborhood.
Kate Knight, executive director of the Northville Downtown Development Authority, said the city remains focused on supporting downtown businesses.
"These businesses are very resilient and as you can see there's a pretty decent case for activating the street and welcoming people with our great bollard system," Knight said.
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