To: Michael Hancock, Mayor and Susan Shepherd, District 1 councilperson
Tennyson Street Merchants compensation fund
We, the business owners and employees of Tennyson Street businesses and restaurants, are experiencing a severe loss of income due to Tennyson St. construction. There has been a delay in construction due to city sewer and water lines being installed too close to the surface which had to be redone, thereby ripping up recently replaced road material. This has further delayed the completion of this project and road closures are almost daily, leading potential customers to leave the area thinking it is off-limits. Also heard are several complaints re: lack of parking or no knowledge or signage of where to park. Walking several blocks to visit a business has been a challenge for some people, especially those who are elderly, handicapped, or w/babies and/or small children.
We feel that compensation should be allocated to us to offset the signifcant loss of income which is leading many of us to contemplate whether or not to keep our businesses open.
Why is this important?
Since construction has begun on Tennyson St. for street improvements, businesses have been severely affected from a loss of 30 to 60%+ in profits. Some businesses have already been shuttered and several new businesses are in jeopardy. Existing businesses are seeing a large decrease in customer visits and many complaints heard are that it's difficult to find parking, there are street closures almost daily, and that they're not sure if businesses are open during this construction period.