Northville's Social District has returned for the season, partially closing off two downtown streets to drivers and opening the space for pedestrians.

The closure, which began as a pandemic measure, has evolved into a seasonal tradition that divides the community.

Watch Christiana Ford's report below: Northville's social district returns for the season as businesses and residents remain divided

Retractable bollards now block portions of Center and Main streets in downtown Northville and will remain in place until Nov. 1.

As spring arrives, downtown Northville is transforming its streets into pedestrian spaces.

"This is a pergola. It's going to be part of our bar that we are doing outside in the summer time," said Phil Zacharias, co-owner of Center Street Grill.

For Zacharias, the social district's street closures coincide with their busiest season.

"People in the summer time, they want to do whatever they can to be outside. So for us, this is like a game changer," Zacharias said.

The six-month closure was initially created to keep downtown Northville vibrant during the pandemic but has evolved into an annual seasonal closure the community has grown to expect.

"Being able to listen to live music, walk around with drinks, you just always run into people that you know. It's awesome," Northville resident Craig Conrad said.

"I enjoy it. It can be an inconvenience when you want to go to Plymouth or something, but it's only for a short time, so it's not bad," said Jenny Mortenson, Northville resident.

But not everyone supports the street closures.

Prudence Kauffman, owner of Dear Prudence and Blackbird, says the lack of traffic is diminishing sales.

"When we signed our leases, we pay rates based on 36,000 cars a week passing by our doors and when the streets are closed, we have zero," Kauffman said. "When you take volume down by that amount, it really does hurt your bottom line."

Watch our extended interview with Prudence Kauffman below: Extended interview: 'People kind of forget that we're here.' Prudence Kauffman talks more about street closures

Kauffman is considering relocating to another city because of the impact.

"I mean, we don't get a discount from our landlord. We're paying the same high rent," she said.

Frustrations over the closure and questions about its legality sparked a lawsuit against the city in 2023 by group Let's Open Northville.

While the city won't comment on ongoing legal matters, Mayor Brian Turnbull says he's listening to concerns.

"The opportunity is traffic. We're looking at that. We're trying to be flexible. We put bollards in last year so maybe sometime, we'll open up one street or we'll go on weekends," Turnbull said.

Hear more from Turnbull in the video below: Full interview: Northville mayor talks about activities in city as social district reopens

He says the bollards allows them to be more flexible.

"We're looking at what it is, monitoring what the businesses want, what our citizens and the whole community. It's pretty important. If you don't have a strong downtown business sector, you won't have a strong community. So we're looking at all the data. We do a lot of surveys. We're doing that right now," Turnbull said.

Kauffman is hoping for compromise.

"We're looking forward to just some resolution because I feel like it's just been really unhealthy for the town as a whole to have so many people on one side or the other, and it's just caused a lot of animosity. So I think I'll just be glad to have some kind of a decision," she said.

Frank Gonda, who lives at the intersection, has seen how heated the topic has become in the community.

"The way things are right now, problems are being made problems when they aren't really. It's just a simple matter of perspective. If you're looking at it a certain way and you're not open to anything else, that's going to be a problem for ya," Gonda said.

A trial on the future of the bollards is set for June.

This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

One in four Americans are planning to stay home rather than travel this summer, according to a new survey by Bank Rate. Of the more than 2,000 U.S. adults surveyed, 65% said they do not plan to travel in the coming months.

Travel experts say economic uncertainty is causing some potential travelers to delay making vacation plans, even as airfare costs have dropped since February 2020 and are down from last year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"Because of tariffs in the economy, people are kind of sitting on the sidelines a little bit and keeping an eye on things because they want to know what they can afford and what they can budget for," said David Fishman, president of the Cadillac Travel Group in Royal Oak.

Fishman noted that while he doesn't believe the actual reduction in travel isn't as steep as the survey suggests, there has been a noticeable decline in bookings.

"The key right now is consumer anxiety," Fishman said. "The pricing is going up more in the daily things than necessarily travel rates right now so you're not seeing that yet in the travel rates so ironically the thing you should be buying now is travel and not eggs."

This hesitation from travelers is creating opportunities for deals, according to Fishman.

"The vendors are gonna want to get them back out to the airlines, the cruise lines, the hoteliers. They want to get them out, so there's going to be deals that are going to coming up. There has been a reduction even on some of the flights with the airlines," Fishman said.

Some travelers remain undeterred by economic concerns.

Randi Sade (jean jacket) has trips planned to Georgia and Texas for summer vacations with her children, while Paris Nettles (black jacket), a real estate professional, says business gains have justified her travel decisions.

"You want to get out travel, see the world and if you wait you might miss your mark. That's what I say," Nettles said.

Others acknowledge the financial considerations but are determined to travel anyway.

"It's definitely something you have to think about. I have to think about do I have enough money to do this what is the future going to hold things like that," said Colleen, who is planning to travel this summer.

For families still hoping to vacation this summer, Fishman offers several practical tips:

Be flexible with dates and destinations Consider locations that are less popular during summer months Book now rather than waiting Consider road trips to destinations like Chicago, Cedar Point, or various halls of fame

Fishman also recommends working with a travel agent to navigate the current landscape.

"There's two places in life you need an advocate, hospitals and travel because there's constant changes, constant cancellations, weather, you know, any number of different things can affect you," Fishman said.

This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Mod Market in Northville is hosting its fifth annual autism acceptance art show at Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea in Novi.

GALLERY: Artwork in Mod Markets 5th Annual Autism Acceptance Art Show

The opening is Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and the show will run through May 13.

"Im super excited about the show because, as you see the pieces, they're all very different, different mediums, different subject matter, and the artist is very passionate about the piece that they presented. And then alongside each of the works is a full-page bio, because we think telling the story of the artist is as important as the piece of art itself," said Amy Bonser, MOD Market Director.

Twelve artists with autism will have their work featured.

Malcolm Wang is one of the empowered artists.

Thats white peonies at the Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor between trail markers one and two out of the eight markers, said Wang describing the photo he captured and displayed for the show. It was June in summer.

He's been practicing photography for more than 7 years, entering contests and receiving many accolades inspired by his love of the outdoors and hiking.

I like pressing buttons and cameras involve pressing buttons, said Wang.

Nick Bair is an artist who also enjoys creating art, capturing nature.

"Just like doing something, creating imaginations and creating something realistic, and especially make something cartoon," said Blair.

Both also work at the Mod Market, an inclusive artisan shop and job training program operated by the Living and Learning Enrichment Center.

Bair has gained a following, has worked for the Detroit Zoo, and created sidewalk art in 2024.

The event is held in recognition of Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month and aims to shine a light on creativity, inclusion, and opportunity for individuals with different abilities.

"Our objective, of course, is always to build awareness, acceptance, and advocacy for the population of individuals who need a little extra support, and having a month to dedicate for people with autism gives us really a channeled opportunity to share our mission more widely," said Bonser. It's really awesome to see how they support one another, and to witness people appreciating their art and being amazed at their creation is just so rewarding.

All pieces will be available for purchase, with 50% of proceeds going directly to the artists and the remainder supporting Mod Market. They would love continued community support for their mission.

Bonser says empowering artists has helped build confidence and experience.

It's very difficult to know what you want to do for a living if you've never had the chance to try something, and it's very difficult to have the opportunity if you need to learn things differently. And so we're able to provide that first experience, that first opportunity to learn, make mistakes, see what I'm good at, see what I'm what I enjoy doing most, and then it's a good jumping off point for our trainees to find what they really want to do and be an asset to their future employer," said Bonser,