Downtown construction has businesses frustrated and seeking relief
CBC
Restaurant owner Christian Mena is fed up with all of the construction downtown. Since opening his restaurant Sabor in 2008, the construction has been non-stop, he said.
"In that time frame, the only year we haven't had construction near us has been in the first year," said Mena inside his restaurant along 103rd Street across from the old Bay building.
Earlier this summer, he said he closed his patio because it wasn't being used and the construction was too close. Mena said the pandemic has been tough, and adding the challenge of operating with LRT and road construction means he has closed down the restaurant during the daytime.
The once-bustling downtown with over 60,000 workers is a fraction of what it used to be. Mena said there's very little pedestrian traffic downtown anymore. And because of all the road closures and detours, people don't even bother coming down to navigate it, he said.
"There was one point where you couldn't really drive near the restaurant, you had to park a block away and then walk because everything was blocked off," he said.
"I don't know the ins and outs of planning," Mena said. "I would certainly like to see some better planning go into effect."
It's just one of many complaints the Downtown Business Association in Edmonton hears every week. The association has helped businesses pivot, survive, and re-invent themselves during the pandemic and construction seasons.