One little drive can make quite an impact. Red Drive at the Grand Traverse Commons – an old state hospital lane that’s unpaved for a large stretch, currently closed from flooding – is a key connector in the larger Commons transportation network. It provides parking and access for the Historic Barns, Garfield Township’s Commons Natural Area, The Greenspire School, and Northwest Education Services. It was also built in wetlands and never meant to handle today’s traffic. Now Garfield Township and other stakeholders are trying to address the future of Red Drive.

Township trustees discussed the corridor at their most recent meeting. Red Drive recently flooded after what appears to be a culvert – though trustees said it could also be an old water main – broke. Red Drive is closed indefinitely on its unpaved stretch until the township can identify and address the cause of the flooding. The closure has “created a huge problem traffic-wise” with Greenspire drop-offs, with parents having to use the Northwest Ed parking lot to turn around, Township Manager Chris Barsheff said.

Both Northwest Ed and Greenspire are working on a solution. “We have had preliminary discussions with the township and area partners related to this stretch of roadway, and we are grateful to be a part of that conversation,” says Northwest Ed Director of Communications Ryan Jarvi. The two school groups are brainstorming to “provide a safe path for their parents to exit after dropping off and picking up their students,” Jarvi adds.

Board Vice President Joe McCarthy says Greenspire “appreciates Garfield Township’s consideration of the flooding and erosion problem along Red Drive. Our sincere hope is for a solution which allows for a safe traffic pattern for our students, parents, and staff. The current traffic pattern creates unnecessary extra traffic at the entrance to the school.”

Garfield Township was wrestling with what to do about Red Drive even before the flooding. The township plans to break ground soon on a new Commons Natural Area trail loop, which will likely increase pressure on the park’s Red Drive access. Complicating matters is that Red Drive was never constructed to full street standards, with wetlands and unstable soil causing deterioration. Red Drive is also largely on township property. While cities maintain their own streets, townships in Michigan do not; those are under the control of road commissions. The Grand Traverse County Road Commission is not willing to assume ownership of Red Drive in its current state, said Township Supervisor Joe McManus.

Maintenance of Red Drive has thus fallen by default to the Recreational Authority due to the organization’s need to maintain public access to the Barns, says Executive Director Matt Cowall. “Our easiest off-site parking is to come north on Red Drive and use the (Northwest Ed) facility for parking, which they’re fine with during off hours,” says Cowall, with patrons then shuttled up to the Barns. “That’s what we’ve done for the last 10 years. To my knowledge, no one but the Rec Authority has put any work into it.”

However, Red Drive’s continued deterioration – and increased traffic at the Commons – means a long-term solution is needed, all parties agree. One option is to rebuild Red Drive, bringing it to a street level that can handle sustained traffic. Both Cowall and township officials share reservations about that option given the prominent wetlands. “It’d take a lot of work to make it a proper street,” says Cowall. “I don’t even know what it would cost.”

A rebuild also raises several questions. Who would pay for it? And who would maintain it? Partners agree the project is likely to be expensive. Cowall says the Rec Authority would be leery about taking on even more responsibility for a rebuilt corridor it doesn’t own. Meanwhile, Garfield Township – the actual property owner – doesn’t “do roads,” Trustee Molly Agostinelli reminded attendees at a recent township meeting.

Another option is closing Red Drive to vehicles, leaving it open to only non-motorized traffic. Cowall sees that as a viable option if the Barns could continue to use golf carts or other light vehicles to shuttle people to the site. A new street also been proposed over the years, often referred to as Purple Drive. That street would connect Red Drive over to Silver Drive and the Buffalo Ridge Trail, providing another access route. However, similar questions have arisen, including who would fund and maintain it.

Raymond Minervini Jr. of The Minervini Group says closing Red Drive to vehicles would “harm the vehicular circulation network at the Commons. It should be a shared road, though a very secondary road.” One possibility could be for the partners to explore if the brownfield plan that covers the Commons could help fund an improvement project, Minervini says.

He acknowledges the complexity of the corridor due to multiple owners and jurisdictions at the Commons. That wasn’t an issue when the entire property was operated by the state, Minervini says, but has become more of a challenge as the township and city try to navigate shared streets and water systems. Streets at the Commons also tie into a larger traffic system that feeds into Munson Medical Center, so designing that circulation “in a way that’s sensitive to that context and also the historic character of the site is important,” Minervini says.

One silver lining is that all parties express interest in working to find a solution for Red Drive. “The status quo is not adequate,” says Minervini. “We’ve got to figure it out.” McCarthy and Jarvi say they look forward to continued dialogue to address safety concerns, while Township Trustee Denise Schmuckal noted Red Drive is largely the township’s liability and thus “something we really need to think about.” For Cowall, who recently navigated the thorny township-city overlap during a Barns expansion, the challenges at the Commons due to its historic nature are also what make it special.

“If you look at (the history), every time people have overcome those challenges and helped make it such a cool place to visit,” he says. “As the Commons grows up, this is one of those pinch points we have to collectively decide how to deal with."