"It's very fast along the Southfield Road section of it, and Beverly Road is a primary collector for the city, but it's significantly slower at the same time," Planning and Economic Development Director Susie Stec told C&G Newspapers in February. "So how do we kind of blend those two roads into an intersection that works for everybody?"
That question now has four possible answers on paper. The Village of Beverly Hills plans to present its final Intersection Study Report to Village Council in November. It will post the report on the Planning Projects page and in the Council agenda packet. Oakland County's Access to Transit Program funded the study, and Hubbell, Roth & Clark is the consultant.
Most people will read the report as a choice between a traffic signal and a roundabout. It also decides something larger. This corner is the north end of the stretch of Southfield Road the village is trying to turn back into a downtown. Whatever Council picks will shape how people arrive at that district, on foot or by car.
A District Being Rebuilt From Its North End
The village's Downtown Development Authority district runs along the west side of Southfield Road between Beverly and 13 Mile roads. In 2025 the village joined Main Street Oakland County and the National Main Street Center. It also secured technical-assistance funding for three tasks: re-establishing the DDA, adjusting its boundaries along Southfield Road, and updating its Development and Tax Increment Financing Plan. The DDA's original plan dates to 1985 and included streetscaping.
The Planning and Zoning Department is also running a two-year Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance Rewrite, which has its own engagement site for mini-surveys and draft documents. So the corridor's zoning, its development authority and its main intersection are all being reworked at the same time.
C&G described the Beverly Road corner as important to residents and visitors. It has a SMART bus stop, connects to the surrounding neighborhoods and sits close to the DDA district. The village's stated goal for the study is to make the intersection more accessible to pedestrians and other non-motorized users.
Four Drawings From the July 14 Open House
The village held an open house on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, to collect feedback on four redesign concepts, and it accepted written comments through July 31. Earlier coverage expected three concepts, but four reached the boards. The informational boards from that evening list the pros and cons of each concept in the consultant's own words.
| Concept | Riverside Drive | Bus stop | Easements | Headline trade-off on the boards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reconfigured signal with cul-de-sac at Riverside | Closed at Southfield with a cul-de-sac | Stays where it is | None required | "Moderate safety benefits," but "limited impact on reducing the potential severity of crashes" |
| Reconfigured signal | Stays connected | Stays where it is | None required | Same moderate benefits; left-turn queues from Beverly Road possible |
| Roundabout with cul-de-sac at Riverside | Closed at Southfield with a cul-de-sac | Relocated | May be needed | "Significant safety benefits," but longer pedestrian routes across Southfield |
| Five-leg roundabout | Becomes the fifth leg | Relocated | May be needed | Significant safety benefits, but a larger footprint |
Both signal concepts narrow the lanes from 12 feet to 11 feet. The boards say this encourages lower speeds and shortens crossings for pedestrians and cyclists. Both signal concepts also add dedicated left-turn lanes on Beverly Road and signalized crossings for non-motorized traffic. The boards are frank about the limits. Narrower lanes "may not change driver behavior." Signalized intersections still bring "higher speeds." The signal equipment "continues to require signal equipment, power, and long-term maintenance."
The two roundabouts reverse that balance. The boards say they reduce crashes resulting in serious injury or death, calm traffic, cut idle time and shorten each crossing distance. They also warn of a possible rise in rear-end, sideswipe and property-damage-only crashes, and of longer overall pedestrian routes across Southfield Road. Shorter individual crossings that add up to a longer route matter more at this corner than most. The intended destination for walkers is the DDA district to the south.
What 719 Respondents Put on the Record
The village's survey ran on its website from January 30 through March 6, 2026, and drew 719 responses to 14 questions. The boards group the comments into four themes:
- Signal and operations. Difficulty with left turns in all directions, along with requests for protected arrows and adjusted timing.
- Speed. Red-light running, speeding on Southfield Road and requests for a 30 to 35 mph limit.
- Walking and biking. Better crosswalks, longer crossing times, flashing pedestrian signals and bike accommodations.
- Geometry. Many respondents called the layout confusing and overly complex, and singled out Riverside Drive.
On the central question, 60.2% favored adding a roundabout or traffic circle, and 39.8% opposed one. Opponents cited pedestrian and child safety, unfamiliarity with roundabouts and bad experiences with roundabouts elsewhere. Medians or boulevards on Southfield Road drew 15.7%.
The opponents' main objection was pedestrian safety, and the boards list longer pedestrian routes as a con of both roundabout designs. Both camps in the survey are making a case for walkers. In July they could see the engineering version of that disagreement in the same room. Nearly half of respondents, 48.5%, said they wanted to attend a future public meeting on the improvements.
Riverside Drive Is the Variable Inside Every Option
Respondents named Riverside Drive as the source of the confusion, and the concepts split evenly on what to do with it. Two close it at Southfield with a cul-de-sac. One leaves it connected to a signal. One gives it a dedicated leg in a five-way roundabout.
The boards credit both cul-de-sac versions with eliminating the conflict points tied to Riverside Drive. Both also list the same cost: "increased travel time for Riverside residents closest to Southfield Road." The five-leg roundabout is the only concept that keeps Riverside connected and still claims the roundabout's safety benefits. In exchange, the roundabout needs more room, the bus stop has to move and the village may need easements.
The bus stop matters to everyone, not only Riverside households. Both signal concepts leave the existing SMART stop where it is. Both roundabouts move it. Transit access is the purpose of the program funding this study, so the stop's location carries weight beyond the riders who use it.
The Blocks South of the Light
South of Beverly Road, the corridor the redesign would feed is changing at street level, one storefront at a time. My Big Fat Shawarma opened its Beverly Hills location at 31243 Southfield Road in August 2026 and held a grand-opening party on Sept. 12. It joins the chain's locations in Detroit, West Bloomfield Township and Warren. Founder and CEO Marcos Kiminaia called the opening a "major milestone," according to Hour Detroit.
Next door, at 31201 Southfield Road, Supino Pizzeria was announced in 2025 for the plaza anchored by Market Fresh. A December 2025 preview projected the opening for early 2026. No published opening date has followed. For now, Supino is an announced tenant, not an open one.
Beverly Hills Grill has been the corridor's constant since it opened on March 16, 1988, on Southfield Road just north of West 13 Mile. Brady's Tavern, a neighborhood bar on Southfield Road for more than 30 years, served its last full day on Dec. 23 as 2025 approached, then reopened briefly on Christmas Eve.
This is the stretch a revived DDA would be responsible for. The Beverly Road intersection is where people on foot from the neighborhoods to the north would cross into it.
From November to 2028
These are the published next steps:
- November 2026: Staff presents the final Intersection Study Report to Village Council and publishes it online and in the agenda packet.
- Recommendation: Using community feedback on the concepts, officials choose a main recommendation to take to Village Council.
- Funding: Staff expects to apply for additional funding for the next steps. As of February, the village had no anticipated budget because the scope was still undefined.
- 2028: Once Council settles on a design concept, the village plans to begin implementation with the Road Commission.
The village has posted only the month for the November presentation, not a meeting date. Its civic portal will list the agenda once one is set.
A redesigned Southfield and Beverly corner will change what it is like to live along Riverside Drive, near the bus stop or within walking distance of the Southfield Road blocks. When you are thinking through what that means for your own home, from approach and access to how a future buyer might see the intersection, Nicolas Petrucci Properties can give you a builder's read of your property and a clear view of its value. Request a Complimentary Home Valuation.
