(a) Alternative to Street Name Change. Without changing the official street name, streets may be designated to commemorate persons, events or organizations not meeting the criteria or conditions for a street name change.
(b) Procedure. To request the commemorative designation of a street or portion of a street, three or more of the following conditions must be fulfilled prior to consideration by the City Commission to commemoratively designate a street or portion of a street:
(1) The proposed commemorative name or designation shall either be informative in nature or of historical significance, including a former street name determined to be of historical significance, or a memorial to an individual or family having national, state or local significance for notable community service.
(2) The proposed name shall not be similar or duplicative of a current street name in the Battle Creek metropolitan area.
(3) A commemorative designation is to be limited to that portion of the street or portion of the community where the designation is significant.
(c) Review of Commemorative Designation Requests. A request for the commemorative designation of a City street shall be directed to the Planning and Community Development Department. The Department shall refer the request to the following City Departments for review and comment:
(1) Fire Department;
(2) Police Department;
(3) Traffic Engineering Manager;
(4) Geographic Information Systems Department;
(5) Battle Creek Historic District Commission.
(d) Report. The Planning and Community Development Department shall prepare a report for the City Manager, applying the required conditions for commemorative street designation contained in this section. The Manager shall forward the report to the City Commission for consideration and public hearing. All property owners of record directly abutting the street or portion of the street as well as affected neighborhood partnership associations shall be notified of the public hearing by regular mail.
(e) Consideration of Request. City Commission shall approve or deny a request to commemorate a City street or portion of a City street following a public hearing within thirty days of the public hearing. Upon approval of a commemorative designation of a public street, the City shall add the honorary commemorative name to any City street sign name along the section of the street so designated. The street name designs and placement must conform to the Battle Creek Traffic Engineering Operations Manual. The commemorative name shall be clearly subordinate to the primary name in size and style of lettering. A logo may also be included to highlight the designation. The cost of producing, installing, maintaining and replacing commemorative names shall be paid for by the requesting party prior to any City work being commenced to change signs.
(f) Heritage Streets. The following streets are recognized and commemoratively designated as Heritage Streets as being in existence when Battle Creek was incorporated as a City and remain in existence under their original name at the time of adoption of this ordinance: Bartlett, Battle Creek, Bennett, Brook, Calhoun, Caroline, Cass, Champion, Cherry, Clay, Cliff, College, Division, Fountain, Frelinghuysen, Fremont, Goguac, Green, Jackson, Jay, Kendall, Main, Manchester, Mary, McCamly, Mott, North Avenue, Penn, Poplar, Prospect, Race, Rittenhouse, South Avenue, Spring, State, Tompkins, Van Buren, Washington, Wendell, West, Willis, Wood, Yuba. These streets or any portion of them are not eligible for renaming.
(Ord. 2-01. Passed 2-20-01.)