WHEREAS, the DaimlerChrysler Corporation is considering the DaimlerChrysler Trenton Engine Plant on Van Horn Road as a possible site to undertake a major project; and,

WHEREAS, the Trenton City Council has requested that Wayne County vacate and abandon Van Horn Road from Lathrop Road to the Conrail rail line crossing of Van Horn Road, west of West Jefferson Avenue, in the City of Trenton; and,

WHEREAS, even though the Grosse Ile Township Board of Trustees, while in general terms encourages and supports the expansion project of the DaimlerChrysler Trenton Plant, they find that the proposal to vacate Van Horn Road will have a significant and immediate detrimental effect on the general health and welfare of the residents of Grosse Ile; and,

WHEREAS, no measures to mitigate negative impacts of the proposal have been presented to the Township of Grosse Ile and/or taken as yet; and,

WHEREAS, according to the Michigan Compiled Law, MCL224.18(5) permits the county to receives a petition for absolute abandonment and discontinuance of a road or a portion of a road when it contains the signature of all owners of record and occupants of land abutting the road or portion of road being requested to be vacated; and,

WHEREAS, there is no evidence indicating that the provisions of MCL224.18(5) have been met; and,

WHEREAS, Section 7.6 of the City of Trenton Code of Ordinances states that before final adoption of a resolution to vacate any street, the Trenton City Council shall hold a public hearing and shall publish notice of such hearing at least one week prior; and,

WHEREAS, there is no evidence indicating that a public hearing was conducted or proposed to be held, or that such a notice was published; and,

WHEREAS, on August 21, 2006 the Grosse Ile Township Supervisor formally requested in writing that Wayne County conduct a Public Hearing on this matter so that Grosse Ile residents can present their position in relation to the potential vacation of Van Horn Road; and,

WHEREAS, Grosse Ile Township has very unique transportation issues due to its location on a series of islands in the Detroit River, with Van Horn Road serving as the principal access route to and from the Grosse Ile Parkway Bridge, for the bridge services a majority of Grosse Ile traffic; and,

WHEREAS, the vacation of any portion of Van Horn Road will most assuredly adversely impact the residents and businesses of Grosse Ile, as well as those in the cities of Gibraltar and Trenton, who utilize this route; and,

WHEREAS, on August 21, 2006 the Grosse Ile Township Airport Commerce Park Commission passed a resolution stressing the importance of soliciting public input through the public hearing process; and,

WHEREAS, the Grosse Ile Township Board has the following concerns regarding the proposed vacation request:

§ The vacation of Van Horn Road Will divert large traffic volumes to other roadways that are less suited to accommodate traffic: There are a number of rail lines that run north and south through this area between Fort Street and Jefferson Avenue. East-west crossings of the rail lines are limited and spaced a half mile to a mile apart, which limits east-west connectivity in this area. Van Horn Road currently accommodates the largest volume of east-west traffic between Fort Street and Jefferson Avenue. Vacating a portion of Van Horn Road will divert the high volumes of traffic to the other east-west routes of Vreeland Road and West Road.

§ In the event Van Horn Road is vacated Vreeland Road would become one of the main routes around the closed section of Van Horn Road. Vreeland Road is a multiple rail crossing (3x), two-lane, open ditch road that does not have nearly the traffic volumes or capacity that Van Horn Road currently has. This route is also utilized by a number of large trucks for access to/from the landfill site. Vreeland Road has experienced high levels of automobile/train collisions, which most recently resulted in two fatalities in March and August 2006.

§ West Road passes through downtown Trenton and intersects with Jefferson Avenue, which then takes a circuitous route through the city to access the Grosse Ile Parkway. The downtown street conditions with low posted speeds, on-street parking, pedestrian crosswalks and close spacing of intersecting streets make this route unsuitable for increased use as a high-volume route. Traffic calming has been a major initiative of the city as evidenced by the streetscape improvements and traffic island construction and a significant increase in traffic volume will have an adverse impact on the downtown. Clearly, the proposed vacation is in conflict with these past actions.

§ In addition, the diversion of traffic to other east-west routes will cause an increase in traffic volumes on north-south roadways including Allen Road, Fort Street and Jefferson Avenue.

§ The vacation of Van Horn Road will limit emergency access options and by eliminating Van Horn Road as the main route to and from Grosse Ile, emergency access will be limited. Emergency access to and from the island is already extremely limited, and emergency evacuation routes from the island to the mainland would be further reduced. This will cause a significant delay or backup for emergency services and residents trying to leave the island in an emergency or catastrophic situation, such as evacuation.

§ The vacation of Van Horn Road is inconsistent with the existing transportation network for the closing a portion of Van Horn will disrupt the grid pattern street network that is currently in place. The vacation of Van Horn Road would create a two-mile gap in east west connections between Fort Street and Jefferson Avenue. Such an action would be contrary to common transportation planning guidelines that promote an inter-connected network of streets and seek to eliminate dead end or disjointed roadways.

§ There will most definitely be an impact to utility infrastructure if Van Horn Road is vacated for the Township water supply from DWSD is located within the Van Horn Road right-of-way. The costs associated with the relocation of utilities such as water, gas, electric, telephone, and sewer would be significant.

§ The closure of Van Horn Road will require improvements to other roads and cause secondary impacts to other corridors: The diversion of traffic from Van Horn Road to West Road and Vreeland Road will require improvements, which would include an Interstate 75 Interchange at Vreeland Road to these other corridors such as widening, and intersection improvements. These improvements along with the increased traffic volumes will result in adverse impact on the environment and community character along these other corridors. Additionally, with current limitations in public transportation funds, the needed roadway improvements to these other corridors will need to be diverted from other roadway projects.

THEREFORE, IT SHALL BE RESOLVED, that the Grosse Ile Township Board of Trustees formally opposes any form of vacation of Van Horn Road and shall take any and all action necessary to protect the rights and best interests of all residents of Grosse Ile.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Grosse Ile Township Board of Trustees, as a result of the significant impacts related to this project, request Wayne County and the Michigan Department of Transportation to immediately conduct a traffic study prior to any consideration of the City of Trenton request. Such a study would identify additional and specific impact to Grosse Ile as well as to identify immediate mitigation measures to the problems caused by the partial closing of Van Horn Road.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution shall be forwarded to Congressman Dingell, Congressman Conyers, Wayne County Executive Ficano, Wayne County Commissioner Palamara, Senator Patterson, Representative Law, Wayne County Public Services Director Jackson, Brownstown Township Supervisor Wright, Mayor Brown of Trenton and Mayor Beaubien of Gibraltar.

Adopted by the Township Board on ___________________________.

Yeas:

Nays:

____________________ _________________
Kurt M. Kobiljak Ute O'Connor
Township Supervisor Township Clerk