Achi news desk-
Marda Loop business owners are expressing concern about revenue losses after the City of Calgary announced that construction in the area is expected to continue several months longer than expected.
Originally, the revamping of 33rd and 34th avenue SW was supposed to be finished by the end of this year.
Now, it is expected to continue until the summer of 2025.
“I think businesses are kind of trying to wrap their heads around it,” said Bob van Wegen, president of the Marda Loop BIA.
“I think the biggest thing is communication. … Businesses were told that construction will be done in Marda Loop by the end of this year, yet here we are, acknowledging that it will be another six months.”
The project area runs from Crowchild Trail Southwest to 19th Street at 33rd Avenue and from Crowchild Trail to 18th Street at 34th Avenue.
According to the city, the 33rd Avenue portion of the project is expected to be substantially completed by late summer 2024.
Sections of 33rd and 34th avenues just east of 22nd Street will only be open to one-way traffic until August.
No parking will be available on 22nd Street between 33rd and 34th avenues until April 23, and the sidewalks will be closed alternately in the area as well.
‘Bucket drop’ grants: business owners
The news of the extended construction is not sitting well with many business owners and operators, who have now been offered a $5,000 grant by the city to offset some of their losses.
The lump sum was approved by the council for businesses within one city block of construction in Marda Loop and Bridgeland and will be paid sometime in the second quarter of this year.
It accounts for 146 businesses in Marda Loop and 82 businesses in Bridgeland, meaning a potential municipal subsidy of more than $1.1 million through the Main Streets Capital Program.
“That won’t even include losses from last month’s revenue. Not even close,” said Lachlin Muir, general manager of Distilled Bar and Social House.
“It’s helpful to know that the city wants to come in and try to mitigate some of that and lend a hand, but we’re not just looking for grants. We’d also like to look at the progress of construction and have a little more communication.”
Muir says his business has been forced to lay off workers and many of his customers are often missing appointments due to a lack of available parking spaces and additional traffic congestion.
“You can’t just lose month after month after month. That’s not a viable option for anything,” he said.
“We still have huge amounts of payroll to pay, our rent, which is exorbitant. … We have timely payments, so if I were to give you a timeline, I mean, maybe that we’ll have a year left in us if this is true, the kind of task we have to go through.”
Boogie’s Burgers on 33rd Avenue has seen a 20 percent drop in revenue over the first months of 2024.
General manager Brent De Decker says foot traffic in the area has dropped significantly.
“Some more support would be nice with how high our property taxes are here,” he said.
“Having such low numbers, no foot traffic and no parking, getting help in that area would be a big thing for the business. Let businesses know and let us know what you’re doing with a clearer, more concise plan helps to do that. a lot.”
City working to alleviate concerns
Graham Gerylo, community business relations infrastructure services manager with the City of Calgary says his team has been working to interact with businesses and provide regular updates to help keep them up to date on construction status.
He says there are also tactics in place to help support businesses.
“One good example was on 33rd Avenue, where we added parking signs that we’ve been putting up in Marda Loop to show where parking is available during construction,” Gerylo said.
“Because now, we get two-way streets converted to one-way streets. The signs are not well directed for Calgarians and so we saw this issue this year. The minute the signs were put up , cars were parking and customers were finding access to their businesses.”
Gerylo says one of the main reasons the construction will extend to 2025 is to help reduce some of the impacts of future construction on businesses.
“That gateway on 33rd Avenue … will be completed by the end of this summer,” he said.
“And then we as a city will work with the business improvement district to start making sure that the majority of Marda Loop is reopened to businesses and encourage Calgarians to come support the businesses and check out the new streetscape.”
The city says its Main Streets project aims to attract visitors and prioritize pedestrian experiences.
It will include wider sidewalks, new street lights, benches and bike paths installed along 33rd and 34th avenues.
Curb extensions or “bump-outs” at intersections also aim to make crossing distances shorter and safer for pedestrians.
