How did the Main Street closure affect lawn parking near Michigan Stadium on Saturday?
University of Michigan football fans tailgate on a lawn on Keech Avenue just west of the Big House before Saturday's game. Most lawns appeared full or nearly full, though some property owners complained they lost business with Main Street closed.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Since 1927, his family has operated a makeshift game-day parking lot on three vacant residential lots directly across from Michigan Stadium on Berkley Avenue.
Tom and Lisa Raab stand on the vacant residential property near the Big House that Raab's family has operated as a parking lot on game days since 1927, the year Michigan Stadium was built.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
"I've been doing this since I was old enough to reach my hand in a car — it's a great tradition."
A half-hour after Saturday's game started, Raab was satisfied that about 50 of the 65 spots were filled, which was all he was expecting for the matchup against Central Michigan University.
"As far as what we wanted to do today, it was all achieved," he said. "We thought the road closure would affect us heavily, but for the most part it hasn't affected us at all."
Ann Arbor property owners who allow football fans to park vehicles on their lawns in the neighborhood just west of the stadium had mixed reactions to the road closure on Saturday.
Saturday's game started at 3:30 p.m. The northbound lanes of Main Street between Stadium and Pauline closed at 12:30 p.m., while the southbound lanes closed at 2:30 p.m.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Considering he collects about $30 to $40 per space, Dennis Kittel said the fact that he still had a number of spaces empty after Saturday's game started meant he lost real money.
Kittel, who allows parking on his lawn on Potter Avenue, said normally his property is one of the first places to park when motorists turn off Main Street.
But with traffic detoured on Saturday, motorists had to wind through the neighborhood and past a barricade to reach his block, and then he was at the end of the street.
"I don't like it," he said. "There's very little traffic coming this way and people keep turning around, don't know where to go. It might take a while for people to figure out how to get here."
Saturday's game started at 3:30 p.m. The northbound lanes of Main Street between Stadium and Pauline closed at 12:30 p.m., while the southbound lanes closed at 2:30 p.m.
The enhanced security measures were recommended by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to create a vehicle-free zone around the stadium.
Police Chief John Seto, right, hands his business card to Dennis Kittel, who allows parking on his lawn on Potter Avenue and was concerned about the closure of Main Street.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
The partial blockades — a block west of Main Street — were put up because Main Street was closed ahead, but local traffic was still allowed around them.
Police Chief John Seto said signs should have been posted to alert drivers that local traffic was still allowed and that lawn parking was still open. He said that should be in place for the next game.
Jack Schultz, who was still trying to direct cars to fill empty spots on his lawn on Potter Avenue after Saturday's game started, said he witnessed people stop at the blockade on his street, sit there for 15 to 20 seconds, and then keep driving. He said he lost business because of that.
"It's killing me," he said. "People don't know to come through because they've got the road blocked. I've got a lot of holes — I'm probably 10 short, and I should not be short any."
With barricades in place to stop through traffic on some streets west of Michigan Stadium, residents took to tossing a football around in the street, while fans walked to the game down the middle of the street.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
"It's nice having the street closed because there's a little more safety for the people walking around," she said. "So it seems like it has worked out great."
Shelley Sibbold also said she didn't notice any impact. Her lawn at the corner of Belmar and Keech was packed with cars on Saturday.
"I think people were just a little surprised that Main Street was closed, and then luckily they've been able to find their way around," she said. "I think people kind of work around it."
Seto walked the neighborhood on foot before and during Saturday's game and spoke with several residents about their experiences.
"We have six additional officers who are just dedicated to this neighborhood to address any of the traffic-flow issues or parking issues," he noted.
No major traffic backups were observed before or during Saturday's game, city officials and residents who spoke with AnnArbor.com said.
Main Street reopened to traffic at the conclusion of the game.
A community meeting with the Ann Arbor Police Department is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 24 at Pioneer High School to discuss any potential modifications to the road closures.
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.
Comments
pbehjatnia
Wed, Sep 4, 2013 : 3 a.m.
Um, who cares?
mpharmd98
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 8:42 p.m.
I live in a neighborhood just less than a mile from the Stadium where street parking is almost always available and only a couple people have ever been successfully able to park cars in their yards. The streets were full 2-3 hours before kickoff. I think the detour showed people they could find free parking not much further than the yard lots.
David
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 7:35 p.m.
Wait, so, the world didn't end?
Brad
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 9:58 p.m.
No car bombs by the stadium, either. Just like since 1927.
Philip Santini
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 6:14 p.m.
We were not inconvenienced by the closure of Main Street but I can certainly sympathize with those who were. I did think that the 'soft-closure' barricades (like at Potter and Belmar) were unnecessary and a nuisance as they, at times, created a level of gridlock with cars unable to flow smoothly in both directions. And I like the way the city left the barricades on the extensions, so that a homeowner would be responsible for moving these should he/she need to mow .
PeteM
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 3:01 p.m.
I'm glad to see these folks are still able to make a few bucks, but I'm astounded that anyone would walk to park that close (folks with disabilities excluded). If you park 5-6 blocks further out into the west side or up by the law school or a number of other places your walk is just 1/2 mile or so, and you can get out of campus in a much more reasonable amount of time.
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:30 p.m.
Here's an example of the barricades along Belmar that were mentioned in the story as a concern to some property owners who manage lawn parking: http://www.annarbor.com/lawn_parking_083113_RJS_006.jpg
steveh27
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:02 p.m.
Traffic was almost zero in the first bloack off Main. Those farther away had the traffic coming from the other direction. I was down $135, bummer. There is no reason to do this closure for fear of a carbomb. Why would they close northbound 3 hours early then southbound only 1 hour.? If southbound is not a danger leave it open. Why close northbound 3 hours early? No one is in the stadium then. I see they opened Main halfway through the 4th qtr as fans were leaving early. How does that protect? A carbomber would quickly figure out to do their crime as soon as the street opened. I wonder if the fact UM has the parking lease at the high school which seemed to have trouble filling up last year when they raised their price to $50 was part of the reason to try to shutdown the local parking? I sure wish the city had questioned why UM did not say that the stadium expansion approval would cause Main Street to close.
andreaz
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 3:50 p.m.
The only city council members who voted in favor of putting up barricades inside the neighborhoods were those who don't live in wards that could have been affected by such an action. Four council members did show a little backbone.
Brad
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:25 p.m.
The only thing that caused Main to close is city council getting rolled by the U (again).
greenstriper
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 1:59 p.m.
So, do the people who sell parking on their lawn have to get a permit to do that? I have a neighbor who got quite upset because someone attending a meeting at his house was issued a $35.00 ticket for parking on his lawn next to his driveway.
buildergirl
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:07 p.m.
5:166. - Use of off-street parking facilities.permanent link to this piece of content (1) No person shall park a motor vehicle in the front open space, except on the driveway, in a structure or within an approved parking space or lot. (a) This subsection shall not be applicable on those days when University of Michigan football games or scrimmages are played in The University of Michigan stadium. (b) The City Council may, by resolution, designate special event dates on which this prohibition does not apply in order to allow temporary parking of motor vehicles in the front open space. The special event date(s) shall be included in the resolution, as well as the special event boundaries, conditions and standards that will apply, if any, to preserve public safety and the attractive appearance of the city. Failure to comply with the conditions set forth in the resolution shall be a violation of this ordinance section.
djacks24
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 1:56 p.m.
Just be happy the mighty U doesn't "want" your property.
johnnya2
Thu, Sep 5, 2013 : 6:14 p.m.
@ Brad, And with the money they would give me for it, I would HAPPILY move. If it were not for the U, tell me what would the Pfizer complex have become? Probably Willow Run west
Brad
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 11:17 p.m.
@johnny - if they wanted it you'd already be living elsewhere.
johnnya2
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 6:12 p.m.
I wish the U wanted my property. They pay a premium for properties that they want. The ONLY reason Blimpy Burger property was sold was because it was an offer the OWNER of the property (not Blimpy Burger) took the cash. Why does she get no blame in the closing of this dump, oops I mean landmark
Brad
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 4:22 p.m.
Know what they're dying to have? That little triangular-shaped piece of land in front of Crisler that's owned by Ann Arbor Golf & Outing.
cinnabar7071
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 4:05 p.m.
Or the property of your favorite burger joint.
Seasoned Cit
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 1:50 p.m.
No need for IRS to track, NSA has all the info that's needed and the new Obamacare IRS agents will make good use of the info.
Homeland Conspiracy
Wed, Sep 4, 2013 : 2:27 a.m.
Seasoned Tea
EyeHeartA2
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 1:37 p.m.
I loved the cops driving up and down main street like a bunch a Shriners on their Harleys prior to kick off. All they were missing was the red fez.
deadpidgeon
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 1:10 p.m.
Another instance of A2.com acting as a mouthpiece for the police and the University. By posting an article about how the closure of a public street affected lawn parking it diverts attention from the real issue...the HUGE traffic mess that this ill-conceived plan has caused. Just repeat the BS that the cops feed you and change the subject.
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:12 p.m.
Where did you see a huge traffic mess? I was out observing traffic on Seventh Street and in the neighborhood west of the stadium and everything was flowing fine. Because people arrived over the course of several hours, from morning into afternoon, traffic was light and there weren't any of the backups that some people predicted.
Greg
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 12:59 p.m.
Family tradition my tired rear end. Golden cow that they think has to go on forever is more the case.
Brad
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:24 p.m.
The tradition of a cash business.
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:17 p.m.
Actually, he told me they've had a lot of people interested in buying the property over the years and they determined years ago that they'd make more money putting up houses or apartments, "but this is kind of a tradition thing," he said.
BlueNeighbor
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 12:18 p.m.
I live in the area but was working all day and didn't get a chance to see them. Can anyone tell me what sort of barricades were at the intersections of Main and Snyder/Berkley/Potter/Keech? I'm curious if they were simple plastic barricades or it they were sturdy enough to stop a vehicle, like the one pictured in the article (blocking Main, near Keech). Thanks.
Kyle Mattson
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:44 p.m.
Sorry Barb- Ryan's link got cut off. Try this: http://bit.ly/15pxx70
Barb
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:43 p.m.
That link goes to a 404.
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:29 p.m.
Here's a photo I snapped at Keech/Main http://www.annarbor.com/Main_Street_closure_083113_RJS_004.jpg
CPLtownie
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 11:29 a.m.
I assume the U of M is reimbursing the city for the 6 additional AAPD officers that were stationed.
Brad
Wed, Sep 4, 2013 : 12:22 a.m.
Nope, no "additional" people on the traffic lights. Just the normal number.
SonnyDog09
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 4:14 p.m.
Will the UofM pitch in and fund the increased pension costs that these overtime hours will cost us?
Brad
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:01 p.m.
Haven't they always paid for the guys working the traffic lights? That's nothing new.
Ryan J. Stanton
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 11:38 a.m.
Yes, plus the additional city workers who were out controlling traffic lights.
Eduard Copely
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 11:22 a.m.
People can get used to just about anything. This new situation does seem safer for fans.
tom swift jr.
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 10:41 a.m.
I assume the IRS is taking down names.
corneiliousmcdougenschnieferburgensteinjr3rdesq
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 10:22 p.m.
dont say that too loud tom.
Brad
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:16 p.m.
I think the comment was questioning the extent to which those selling lawn parking are actually "taxpayers".
steveh27
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 1:54 p.m.
WTH does your comment have to do with this article? You show no concern for the impact on the local taxpayers./
Dipstick
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 1:10 p.m.
I think that their home insurance company might be more interested. I'm just guessing but I don't think running a parking lot in your yard would be covered.