Lansing’s NorthWest Initiative is working with the City of Lansing to turn Saginaw Street, a one-way, four-lane street on Lansing's Westside, into a more community-friendly two-way street.
“It’s not friendly to business and it’s not friendly to pedestrians,” says Jessica Yorko with the NorthWest Initiative.
One-way streets, especially large one-way streets with high speed limits (the speed limit on Saginaw is 40 miles per hour) discourage pedestrians and residents from walking through the area. As a result, area businesses have a hard time retaining foot traffic, Yorko says.
The NorthWest Initiative has been trying to trim down Saginaw’s one-way reach for some time. The City of Lansing recently got on board with the plan, agreeing to host community meetings about the plan. The proposed Saginaw “road diet” could be included in the City’s new master plan.
“The goal is to make it more conducive to business development and neighborhood life,” Yorko says.
Many people view the Saginaw/Oakland corridor on Lansing’s Westside as a gateway to Downtown Lansing.
Source: Jessica Yorko, NorthWest Initiative
Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.
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