Absentee Ballot Stats, Dollar Tree, & More | Dexter Community Update 09-29-20

| 3 min | by Doug Marrin |

Dexter City Manager Courtney Nicholls and Community Development Manager Michelle Aniol submitted recent updates in their reports to the City Council at its Sept. 28, 2020, meeting.

Dollar Tree in Dexter Crossings: The city’s staff has issued a preliminary zoning compliance approval. The next step for Dollar Tree is obtaining a building permit from the County.

Millennium Place Condos: The city’s staff is consulting with the city attorney in regards to the specifics of how the city’s general code pertains to the fire code.

UIS (Utilities Instrumentation Service, Inc.) in Bishop Circle Industrial Park held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new addition Sept. 17.

Hilltop View Apartments: Avalon Housing continues to finalize its detailed engineering plans and anticipates receiving construction loan funds soon. Once it has closed on the construction loan,

Avalon will apply for a preliminary zoning compliance permit.

Encore Theatre: The musical theater is waiting for the building permit to be issued by Washtenaw County.

k-Space in Bishop Circle Industrial Park is nearing completion of its new facility. Landscaping has been placed and the City Staff anticipates final zoning compliance inspection in the near future.

Short Term Rentals: Further clarification from the Planning Commission will be asked at its Oct. 5 meeting. City Council is expected to consider the recommendation at its Oct. 12 meeting.

As you know, the Planning Commission has recommended approval of

Erratic Ales: Owner Brian Schroeder has submitted temporary special use/event zoning compliance applications for 1) an expansion of its outdoor dining area to include 3 on-site parking spaces and 2) a food truck.

Speed Complaint: The City received a complaint regarding speeding on Central Street from a resident of Central Street. His comments were shared at Council.

• “Can we put up several of the ‘Stop for pedestrian in crosswalk’ signs on Main and Central (in the middle and on the side bike lane lines) to calm traffic?
• “Could we narrow traffic lanes on Central and Main and put in bollards to protect the bike lanes?”
• “Is there some way to globally improve pedestrian/bicycle safety in town?”

The Council discussed the concerns deciding any changes would have to wait until after the winter months when the topic will be looked at again.

City Assumption of Dexter-Ann Arbor Rd: The Washtenaw County Road Commission and the city have begun discussions on the city possibly taking over ownership of Dexter-Ann Arbor Rd. from the city limits to Dan Hoey Rd. (0.18 mile) and Main St./Island Lake Rd. from the viaduct to Dexter-Pinckney Rd. (0.36 mile). The City would receive annual road funding of approx. $2,770 for the Dexter-Ann Arbor portion and $5,540 for the Main Street/Island Lake portion.

Auction Results: The final auction result for the DPW truck was $52,500, which was $12,500 over the trade-in price. The final auction result for the lights was $500.

Sidewalk Project: The sidewalk replacement project is substantially complete. The contractor is currently working on restoration including sprinkler system repairs.

DTE Land Swap: The removal of the equipment at the downtown substation has been completed. The last piece of due diligence the City needs to complete before taking ownership of the DTE property is a final environmental review and creation of a BaselineEnvironmental Assessment.

Grand/Hudson Reconstruction: The contractor has completed the majority of the restoration and is working on the punch list.

Pedestrian Safety Project: City staff has been working with M-1 Studio on the production of a video that explains proper crossing techniques. ACH Student Rep Maggie Needham has offered to be a part of the video and get some fellow drama students to help. Filming is scheduled for September 29th. The City will also be recruiting for additional crossing guards in an upcoming newsletter. Payment is $12.50 to work in the morning and $12.50 to work in the afternoon.

Third Street Project: GI plans have been submitted. To accomplish the stormwater work the City will need to request a small easement from the owner of the former train station.

November Election: Absentee ballots were mailed to 1,865 (54%) of the City’s 3,456 registered voters on September 21, 2020. Ballots can be returned via mail, dropped off at the City Office, or placed into one of our two 24 drop boxes located at 8123 Main and 8140 Main.