Several businesses told Daily Hive that City of Vancouver street repairs in Gastown, which will benefit the neighbourhood in the long run, are negatively impacting business in the short term.
“It was a big hit because of the construction,” Victor Bryan, the chef, general manager and spokesperson for Six Acres, told Daily Hive.
Businesses like his and the Gastown Business Improvement Society (GBIS) are looking for more from the City.
Six Acres is an English-style pub in the heart of Gastown. Since construction began, Bryan says business has dropped 30-40%. While weekends have remained somewhat consistent, the pub has also seen a drop in foot traffic during the weekdays.
We’ve seen many restaurant closures over the past few months. We spoke to the owner of Finch’s, which was recently forced to close its West Pender location, calling it “death by scaffold.”
We asked Bryan if he feels concerned about similar consequences at his business.
“Very concerned,” he responded.
Maple Tree Square repairs began on March 1 and are expected to be completed next month. No one is denying the need for the repairs.
He pointed out that while street work started off smooth and efficient, it has slowed down since, and he’s worried that things might not wrap up by the mid-June deadline. Currently, bricklayers are at work, but he claims there are only two of them, and the work is being done in sections.
“Something that would help us right now and speed this up is having a couple of crews.”
Another concern is noise. Six Acres has a patio, but Bryan suggests that people quickly pick a different one further down the block to escape the street work noise.
It’s not all bad. He does give the City of Vancouver props for waiving some fees and eliminating some of the red tape restaurants have to deal with. However, he’s still dealing with issues like street cleanliness and his patrons occasionally being engaged by people with mental health and substance issues, something he feels the City could be doing more about.
Some of his hopes are more signage in the area or signage directing people from the Vancouver Convention Centre area to head to businesses like his in Gastown, especially during a busy cruise ship season.
Can you guess what they are taking a photo of?
Hint: It’s been pictured on a Nickleback album.
Photo Credit: @CW16Photo pic.twitter.com/4TRyZmIouV
— mygastown (@gastown) May 11, 2024
More signage is a hope that the GBIS has echoed.
Wally Wargolet, the executive director of the GBIS, says businesses are losing around $500,000 per week due to the street closures. He calls it an open estimate based on what he’s been hearing from businesses in the area.
Looking back, Gastown was hit particularly hard during the pandemic.
“I think last year was probably that first real clear year out of the pandemic, and we saw really good signs,” Wargolet told Daily Hive.
He added that street traffic helps with the “public perception of safety,” Now, with the street closures, it sounds like a step back for the neighbourhood.
“My business is down 25%,” Kim Briscoe, owner of Kimprints, told Daily Hive.
Briscoe understands that the street repairs need to be done; she wishes the street closures could be executed differently, especially for a business like hers, where people need vehicles to pick up their large picture frames.
She has been operating Kimprints for over 40 years and is her family’s sole provider. She doesn’t fear she’ll have to close.
“It’s the consideration of closing the street permanently, even for a summer.”
Wargolet told Daily Hive that two months before the street work began, he sent the City a list of recommendations to help with the process, but not all the solutions were there on March 1.
We put those concerns to the City of Vancouver.
“In response to recent conversations with the GBIS, we have installed additional Businesses Are Open signs (33 in total) throughout the neighbourhood and have activated CMS boards along Hastings and Cordova to help direct the public to available parking. Additional signage will be added in the coming weeks to ensure drivers can more easily locate parkades,” the City told Daily Hive.
Street sanitation was another concern of the GBIS, and in response, the City said daily and nightly cleaning services would increase in Gastown.
“The City appreciates everyone’s patience as we complete the Maple Tree Square repairs and look towards the transformation of Water Street into a vibrant space for walking, local businesses, culture, community-building, biking and rolling.”