When the Village was developed by Judson Bradway starting in the 1920s, dirt or gravel roads were the rule. Old photos show curbs and gutters along the road edges. The roads have undergone a number of changes and upgrades over time.
From the beginning of Bloomfield Village, the property owners in the Village bore the cost of all road improvements.
History of Bloomfield Village Roads
Timeline:
1924 – The first plat of Bloomfield Village is laid out, and deed restrictions for each lot approved.
1928 – The first special assessment districts were formed to fund the cost of gravel roads with curbs and gutters. There were 11 SADs, one for each street: Glengarry from Maple to Glengarry Circle, Clifton/N. Clifton, Overhill from Morningview to Bradway, Chewton/Chewton Cross, Drury Lane, Williamsbury north of Cranbrook Cross, Pine, Tilbury and Tilbury Place, Waddington, Yarmouth, and Tottenham. Total cost of the project - $60,000, paid over 5 years.
1951 – Village residents approved (with 65% support) a special assessment district (SAD) to fund improvement of 19 roads – preparation of a gravel base and covering it with a double bituminous treatment, repair and replacement of curbs and gutters. In later documents, this process was referred to as “sealcoating” of the roads. Roads improved: Bradway Blvd., Tilbury Place, Yarmouth from Bradway to Cranbrook, Tottenham, Covington, Dorstone, Glengarry, Glengarry Circle, Amberly, Williamsbury, Hamilton, Cranbrook Cross, Chewton, Chewton Cross, Clifton, Clifton North, Morningview, Overhill, Drury Lane, Ardmoor, Hupp Cross, most of Burning Bush, Wooddale and Wooddale Court, Half Moon, Roland, Tuckahoe and Oak between Cranbrook and Covington. Total cost of the project - $41,000. Interestingly, Village residents approved the initial estimate of $48,000 for the project, but final bids came in lower. The assessment was paid by the impacted residents over 4 years.
1953 – The Road Commission begins to charge a fee to contractors for each cut or “tap” into the roads, presumably for driveways or connecting new homes to water/sewers. Funds accumulated from this fee were used for road repairs.
1954/55 – The sealcoating on the roads was complete, and discussion turned to the curbs, which were the responsibility of the Road Commission to maintain. Some of the curbs required repair, others had sunk somewhat, creating drainage problems. The Road Commission claimed that its funding was not sufficient to address all these issues. Throughout the 1950’s, many letters were sent to the Road Commission and Bloomfield Township, listing specific locations where “chuck holes” had developed and requesting them to be fixed. Judson Bradway took a significant interest in the state of the Village roads (as a good developer would!) and ensured that the Village maintenance man had a stash of tar to fix small holes in the roads.
1959/1960 – A committee of Villagers proposed a five-year plan to address Village roads. Although this plan had some support, it was not sufficient for the Board to pursue further. A revised two-year plan was then developed, and petitions circulated to Village residents to form a special assessment district.
Fall 1960 – Village residents approved the SAD to fund paving of 35 Village roads, with 2 inches of “bituminous aggregate laid over a minimum of 8 inches of compacted gravel.” Roads to be paved included Covington (but not Cranbrook) and everything to the east, Bradway, Clifton, Drury, Overhill, Cranbrook Cross, Williamsbury, Glengarry, Glengarry Circle, Amberly, Chewton, Chewton Cross, Clifton, Morningview, Roland, Burning Bush, Hupp Cross, Ardmoor (Village portion only), Sunnydale, Wooddale, Wooddale Court, Half Moon and Tuckahoe. Total cost of the project was $443,000, payable in 2 installments. The assessment per lot for the project was approximately $4 per “assessable foot”, presumably, frontage foot.
The paving project appears to have been completed over a two-year period in 1961 and 1962.
1973-74 – Selected roads in the eastern part of the Village were resurfaced – Glenhurst, Westwood, Waddington, part of Pine, parts of Tottenham and Dorstone, Tilbury, Tilbury Place and Yarmouth. It is unclear how this was paid for.
1975-76 – Selected roads in the south part of the Village were resurfaced. Roads included Morningview, Cranbrook Cross, Chewton Cross, all of Glengarry and Glengarry Circle, part of Williamsbury, Hamilton, Chewton, Clifton, and Overhill and Hupp Cross south of Bradway.
1983 through 1985– A special committee was formed to look into repairs to Village roads, sewers and gutters, and report to the Village Trustees. After an initial indication of interest by Village residents, the Board requested the Road Commission to undertake a more formal assessment. From the December 1985 Village bulletin:
“Resultant studies concluded that most of the road surfaces could provide another 7-10 years of service life. However, it was noted that in many places street surfaces are not even with curb levels causing water ponding to occur where seepage under the road surface could result in further road deterioration. Total rough cost estimates in each case were approximately $5,000,000 including road reconstruction, new curbs and gutters, and sewer replacement. …. [T]he committee also found that the statutory procedures leading up to the start of construction can take up to two years.
Through a special mailing list last spring, the Board further solicited the opinions of residents as to possible courses of action. We received 184 replies, with 95 indicating a wish to initiate an improvement program and expressing concern for property values if left to further deteriorate.
Since that time, we have received clarification of the assessment process. It is not a requirement that the entire Village be done at one time. However, there is a cost savings if it were to be done in that manner. Inasmuch as there was not a clear majority in favor of that approach and since statutory procedures mandate approval by at least 51% of the total frontage of each and every street, it seems more reasonable to approach the reconstruction of roads on a street-by-street basis.” (Emphasis in original)
The $5 million estimated cost of the project in 1985, divided among residents at the time, amounted to an assessment of approximately $5,200 per lot. The Trustees decided not to move forward with a Village-wide roads effort, instead opting to assist any streets or areas wishing to institute a road rebuilding project.
1996 – Bloomfield Township solicited a bid from their engineering firm, Hubbell, Roth & Clark (HRC), to evaluate the condition and remaining service life of Village roads, and estimate the cost of pavement and curb replacement. Cost of the study - $7,500. The evaluation was deferred until a sewer project could be completed.
1999 – Portions of Bradway, Glengarry, Glengarry Circle East and Amberly are rebuilt in connection with the Robert A. Reid Storm Drain Project. Village residents did not contribute to the cost of this project (except through their normal property taxes).
April 2000 – Letter from Bloomfield Township supervisor to the Village Board President indicates that Township engineers estimate the cost of new curbs and streets in the Village to be $11,000 to $13,000 per homeowner.
May 2001, the Village Board passed a resolution to authorize establishing a Road Committee, to assess the condition of the Village roads, and, if repaving is needed, to present a plan and cost estimates for it. The Committee:
Undertook legal research on State statutes pertaining to funding for subdivision road repaving, and the process require to form special assessment districts.
Obtained an assessment from HRC of options to address deteriorating roads. HRC concluded that a repaving (rebuilding) of the roads through most of the Village was necessary, although an overlay would be sufficient for more recently built roads (Indian Mounds and Sandringham area).
Obtained updated cost estimates for reconstruction in most of the Village -- $15,000-$17,000 per household; for an overlay on more recently built roads, the cost was estimated at $8,000 to $10,000 per household in those areas.
Delivered its report to the Village Board in December 2003.
After extensive discussion of the Road Committee’s report, the Board decided to conduct a survey of Village residents regarding their views of the condition of the roads and willingness to approve a special assessment to pay for a re-paving project.
April 2004 – The Village Board retained Mitchell Research & Communications to conduct a telephone survey to gather resident opinions on current road issues. The stated objective of the survey – to assess the level of support within the Village for road improvement projects. From the Executive Summary:
Despite the concern about road conditions, when respondents were asked whether they would support or oppose a special assessment that would make homeowners financially responsible for their own road frontage, the concern for roads became overshadowed by opposition.
Of those whose roads were targeted for a complete rebuild and were given the cost range of $15,000 to $18,000, 82% opposed the assessment (68% strongly opposed it).
Of those whose roads have been targeted for resurfacing and were given the cost range of $10,000 to $12,000, 70% stated that they would oppose the assessment (60% strongly opposed it). Opposition was consistent across all demographics tested, which included age, length of time the respondent has lived in the Village, and gender.
Opposition is fueled by two primary reasons – the cost of the project, and the method of payment required. The latter factor included a number of concerns expressed by residents – the assessment is on the homeowner, not the property; residents should not be required to foot the bill for the improvement; and how the cost would be allocated among residents.
2007 – Cranbrook Road is replaced at a cost of approximately $1.3 million, with funding from the County, the Township and the Road Commission. Cranbrook is a primary road in the County’s view, and thus is eligible for replacement with this type of funding.
2008 – Village Board requested feedback from residents regarding interest in pursuing a project to address the roads.
Email responses showed opposition significantly outweighed those in favor of a possible SAD to fund road improvements, given the cost ($18-20k) per house and current economic conditions.
Preliminary cost estimates to rebuild Village roads were updated by HRC, the Township’s consulting engineer. HRC assessed that, given the extensive deterioration of Village roads, a complete removal and replacement of the pavement, with new concrete curbs/gutters, is necessary. Cranbrook is excluded from the estimate. Estimated cost -- $18 million.
2011 to 2014 – Another Roads Committee of residents was formed to investigate options for addressing deteriorating Village roads and determining if there is sufficient support to fix them.
The Roads Committee evaluated financing alternatives – through Bloomfield Township or through the Road Commission. Both options required formation of an SAD through which Village residents would agree to an assessment that would fund the road project. Township financing was selected as it provided longer repayment period and more favorable terms for petition approval (approval by a majority of frontage in the whole SAD, vs the RCOC requirement for 51% of each street).
Cost of the project was estimated by HRC at $18,000,000 to be divided evenly among the households in the SAD. Financing through the Township would carry an interest rate in the 4.5%-6% range, depending on the bond rate when the project was approved.
With the information gathered and the sense that there was sufficient support within the Village, in May 2013, the Roads Committee began a petition drive to gather the required signatures in support of the SAD. A significant communication effort was made to provide residents with the information they would need to make an informed decision, including mailings, emails, bulletin articles and town hall meetings. Volunteers walked door-to-door to gather signatures, and signing dates at the Village Hall were arranged.
If the petition had been successful, the actual rebuilding of the roads would have taken place over a two summer construction periods, beginning in 2015.
In late 2013, the petition process concluded; the petition effort was close –under 20 lots short of necessary support, out of a total 992 lots. The effort had failed.
After the SAD effort failed, an “After Action” Committee evaluated the petition drive effort and lessons learned. One key concern cited by residents was the fact that, while the special assessment would be paid over 15 years, if a house was sold, the unpaid balance would need to be paid off by the selling homeowner. In other words, the special assessment liability “attached” to the homeowner, and did not stay with the property. An effort to amend the relevant statute was underway at the time, and the proposed amendments would have been retroactive to existing SADs; however, residents expressed concern that if the amendment did not pass, existing law would have required payoff of the assessment upon sale. Another concern cited by some residents was the fact that the petition drive was based on an HRC estimate, which would need to be further refined and may prove to be too low.
October 2013 – Replacement of underground water mains throughout the Village begins. The replacement involved digging access pits to existing water mains, and running new pipes through the existing mains. This multi-year project was timed to ensure that it could be completed before any road reconstruction began if the SAD petition effort at that time had been successful.
2014 – With the feedback from the “After Action” report, a new Roads Committee is formed. The Committee begins its work on addressing Village roads, which, despite much effort over the years, were still not fixed and continue to deteriorate. The Committee monitors the progress of legislation amending Public Act 188, to change the way the remaining liability for a road SAD would be handled when a house is sold.
Early 2015 -- Public Act 188, which governs SADs formed to fund roads project in townships is amended to change how the unpaid portion of a special assessment is treated if a house is sold. With the amendment, the unbilled special assessment liability transfers to the new homeowner. In other words, the special assessment “attaches” to the property, not the homeowner.
2017 – Water main replacements on Covington Road require the road to be removed and reconstructed, with new curbs, gutters and a smooth asphalt surface. The project is funded through Oakland County.
2018 to today – With Village roads continuing to deteriorate, the New Roads Committee established in 2014, continued its work.
The New Roads Committee investigated funding sources for a roads project and the means to obtain an estimated cost with more detail than had been available in previous attempts. The Committee decided to pursue the project through the Oakland County Road Commission (RCOC).
The RCOC process required the Committee to obtain “Expression of Interest” forms from 51% of the homeowners on each street in the Village (with the exception of Cranbrook and Covington, which had already been rebuilt).
In August 2018, the Committee delivered the required signed Expression of Interest forms to RCOC, thereby requesting a plan and cost estimate for dealing with the deteriorating Village roads.
