The City of Vancouver says a collapsed construction crane on West 41st Avenue is soon to be removed and that the road will reopen by Labour Day, but some local businesses say the emergency has already taken a heavy toll.
On Aug. 6, a fire in a six-storey wood-frame building under construction led to the collapse of a nearby crane across the major roadway. During the collapse, the crane took down power lines and trolley wires, and also caused a gas line to rupture and catch fire.
Since then, a section of West 41st Avenue has been fenced off as crews dismantle the crane, limiting access to businesses on the block.
Faidra Berda, a managing partner at Dragon & Phoenix Designer Consignments, tells CityNews the timeline is bittersweet.
“We’re obviously happy that it is going to be opened. But it still doesn’t change the fact that this was mishandled terribly by the city,” said Berda.
She says the City of Vancouver hasn’t communicated with her business at any point.
“It’s been a little bit frustrating. So we’ve just been guessing what to do next in terms of staffing promotions,” said Berda. “And we just have our fingers crossed that there isn’t going to be any more issues or closures that we’re unaware of.”
Berda says she’s most frustrated with the lack of signage on Dunbar Street indicating that businesses along 41st Avenue are still open during the dismantling of the crane.
“There was initially some signs that said that businesses were open, but those seem to have disappeared or they’re knocked over. It’s been a half-hearted attempt to let people know that this area is open,” she said.
She says the business’ contact information is “easy to find” but the city has seemingly made no attempt to get in touch.
“I think it shows a real lack of respect. We’ve been in business for 42 years now, and I think we’ve given quite a lot to this city in terms of hiring. We give to numerous charities. We’re a community-based small business that people have been coming here forever — for the communication, for the conversation, for the clothing — and it would be nice if the city actually respected what we have done over the past 42 years,” said Berda.
Last week, another business owner told CityNews their phone lines and internet connection had been disrupted, adding sales and foot traffic have suffered in the days since the fire.
“[I’ve been] affected 100 per cent in my business, there’s no customers coming in,” said Ajuna Reddy, the owner of a dry-cleaning service.
“And how are we going to pay for the rent? How are we going to pay for the tax, and all the electric bills, and everything?”
When asked, the City of Vancouver told CityNews that it’s taking the situation “seriously” and working to restore the area “as swiftly as possible.”
“To support local businesses, following the fire, the City worked as quickly as possible to reduce the footprint of the fenced off area while ensuring safety, allowing nearby businesses to resume operations. We’ve communicated to the public that these businesses remain open through social media and updates on our website. We understand the challenges faced by local businesses during this time,” the city said in a statement.
Berda says she often feels as though small businesses are “collateral damage” for city activity, adding that her problems began before the apartment building caught fire. When construction began on the building, she says Dragon & Phoenix lost parking space and faced other issues.
Whether about local development or emergencies, Berda shares that she only hopes for more communication from city officials.
“I would love to hear from the mayor what he thinks about this whole situation,” said Berda.
“I see him on the news all the time for other projects and things that he finds important. I’d love to see him come down here and talk with the businesses and let us know what the plan is to get this going and to get the businesses back up and running.”
—With files from Monika Gul and Michael Williams.