Belle Tire store proposed near Tim Hortons on Ellsworth Road
Belle Tire wants to clear the parking lot east of the Tim Hortons coffee shop to construct an auto service building.
Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com
Belle Tire operates more than 80 stores in southeast Michigan and Ohio.
Courtesy photo
The 0.84-acre site is adjacent to the new Tim Hortons drive-thru coffee shop at 3965 S. State St., on property owned by Ann Arbor’s First Martin Corporation. The former Enzo’s Sports Bar was demolished in September 2012 to make way for Tim Hortons, leaving room for an additional development next to the coffee shop.
City records show the 0.84-acre property has a 2013 assessed value of $121,100. Belle Tire is under contract to purchase the property from First Martin, Belle Tire's Chief Operating Officer James Tyson wrote via email.
Plans show the existing parking lot east of Tim Hortons would be cleared to make room for Belle Tire. Plans call for 47 parking spaces.
Enright said the Tim Hortons and Belle Tire would share an access way off Ellsworth. If approved, he said construction could begin in spring 2014.
Tim Hortons opened earlier this year at 3965 S. State St.
Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com
There will be a public hearing for the plans at the Ann Arbor Planning Commission meeting on Aug. 20.
The first Belle Tire store opened in Detroit in 1922, according to the company’s website. The chain now operates more than 80 stores in southeast Michigan and Ohio, including locations on Jackson Road, Carpenter Road and Washtenaw Avenue.
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
Lake Trout
Fri, Jun 28, 2013 : 3:46 p.m.
Well, all the vehicles that wear out their tires going round and round will have a place to go! What a disaster this area is already and only going to get worse with time. Anyone with me for lawn chairs and popcorn once the "traffic circle" gets completed and our first football saturday. Great entertainment watching the confusion/collisions/fist fights and maham is sure to ensue.
Boo Radley
Fri, Jun 28, 2013 : 12:07 p.m.
Belle Tire is a great business, and gives excellent customer service. This is perfect ... customers can sit in T-Ho's with coffee and pastries while waiting for their car to be done.
An Arborigine
Fri, Jun 28, 2013 : 12:34 a.m.
Should be plenty of opportunity for new tires once that cluster-about opens!
JRW
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 10:18 p.m.
It's getting congested at that intersection (Ellsworth and State). Nothing wrong with Belle Tire, but maybe further east on Ellsworth to avoid adding to the congestion at that intersection.
Craig Lounsbury
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 9:25 p.m.
I'm sure this could get fast tracked if they promised to only sell bus tires.
Dave
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 8:32 p.m.
Good luck, Belle Tire. Costco's tire department is doing quite well, and they have better prices. They should have opened a Jersey Mike's here.
Rick Stevens
Fri, Jun 28, 2013 : 1:40 p.m.
Costco's price comparison board will certainly feature the differences between Belle Tire and Costco - should be interesting !
Ann English
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 9:13 p.m.
There's a Discount Tire on the west side of Carpenter Road, not too far south of the Carpenter Road Belle Tire; it opened after the Belle Tire to the north did. I wonder if Belle Tire knows about Castco's tire department and think they can compete against any other tire company, or at least compete better if one's nearby.
Buckybeaver
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 8:32 p.m.
As a person who works in this area I can say that I don't think the planning is being done with any forethought what so ever. Ellsworth needs to be 4-5 lanes from Platt to Lorr. I also expect this roundabout to be a disaster. Traffic will now back up at Airport on both ends where there are traffic lights.
Ann English
Sat, Jun 29, 2013 : 11:56 p.m.
JRW, I think you mean the Nixon Road-Huron Parkway roundabout being to small for large semis. Two lanes are apparently not wide enough for the semi you saw, but since it's near Logan Elementary and Clague Middle School, I would expect it to be large enough for a school bus. Certainly the one in front of Skyline High School is. So large semi trucks cannot maneuver some roundabouts that school buses can. Maybe that was something that the planners of the US-23---Lee Road roundabouts took into consideration, what with the MALL on the northeast side. Plenty of trucks destined for that mall.
JRW
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 10:22 p.m.
Yup. The roundabout will create major backups. There is a ton of traffic at State and Ellsworth due to many large semis moving off of I-94 at State and driving south on State. Couple those mega trucks with heavy auto and truck traffic, and it's a recipe for major congestion. The roundabouts around the area are being pushed by one individual at the Road Commission. Not good. The roundabouts are far too small in diameter to accommodate large semi trucks. Earlier today, I saw a huge semi try to get around the roundabout at Huron Parkway and Traver Blvd, and it couldn't make it. It had to stop, back up and stop and back up several times. Then, it made a right turn instead of going around.
Buckybeaver
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 8:31 p.m.
How exactly does a pedestrian cross a intersection where there is a roundabout. I know, how about crosswalks with big signs and flashing yellow lights
Silly Sally
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 9:43 p.m.
With your feet! If you are an UM student, then put on earpods, put your nose in a book or at least look away, and then step in front of moving cars and hope for the best. I think that they teach this at student orientation.
Ann English
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 9:20 p.m.
Ever turn or go through the Nixon-Huron Parkway roundabout? Some roundabouts have sidewalks built on them for pedestrians. It would help pedestrians if a sidewalk were built into this new roundabout. Roundabouts with sidewalks shouldn't be limited to school areas.
Lizzy Alfs
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 8:16 p.m.
FYI, the following statement is from Belle Tire's Director of Property Management, Logistics and Distribution, Wayne Shotwell: "Our current Ann Arbor area Belle Tire store locations continue to be successful and we greatly enjoy being a part of the greater Ann Arbor community. An additional location in Ann Arbor would bring approximately 16 to 20 jobs to the area as well as the value and service our customers have come to expect from us."
Ann English
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 7:52 p.m.
I was thinking that Belle Tire customers might be interested in buying snacks from the Speedway station while their cars are worked on. But putting a Belle Tire on the north side of Ellsworth would mean more pedestrian traffic if business does pick up at the Speedway station. Points for buying gas can be used for free coffee and snacks at Speedway. What will the city eventually do to Ellsworth there, put in pedestrian islands? Hope those Tim Horton customer motorists turning left onto eastbound Ellsworth aren't among drivers who approach Zippy's Auto Wash from the west. That would require quick turning in two directions in a small area, on an often crowded road.
John
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 7:19 p.m.
Traffic on Ellsworth at State is already horrendous enough...especially when a slew of cars are trying to make a left turn onto Ellsworth from Tim Hornton's at 5 pm on a weekday. The Belle Tire on Carpenter is only a few miles from State/Ellsworth?
Ann English
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 9:28 p.m.
Buckybeaver, I know it's easy to do U-turns at roundabouts during hours when traffic is light, such as 6:30 am at the Skyline High School roundabout. Hope the motorists on State Street do in fact yield to Tim Horton's customers making U-turns so they can go east; motorists yield to me making left turns on other roundabouts. YIELD had better be painted around this new roundabout at all four entrance points.
Buckybeaver
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 8:21 p.m.
How exactly does a pedestrian cross a intersection where there is a roundabout. I know, how about crosswalks with big signs and flashing yellow lights
Buckybeaver
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 8:19 p.m.
As a person who works in this area I can say that I don't think the planning is being done with any forethought what so ever. Ellsworth needs to be 4-5 lanes from Platt to Lorr. I also expect this roundabout to be a disaster. Traffic will now back up at Airport on both ends where there are traffic lights.
Buckybeaver
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 8:15 p.m.
When the round about is in, all traffic will have to exit right and go round the round to head east.
CobraII
Thu, Jun 27, 2013 : 7:17 p.m.
Is council going to make them put a sidewalk around the building so people can go for a walk while their car is worked on?