NOV. 9, 2012
Merchants on 101 say revenues falling during construction work By Bianca Kaplanek
SOLANA BEACH — The long-planned renovation project currently under way along a 1-mile str etch of Coast Highway 101 came with assurances the improvements would increase business along the corridor. But that promise is doing little to assuage the current fears of some merchants who say revenues are down so much they’ve been forced to lay off employees or cut their hours. “There are a lot of smallbusiness people who are hurting,” said Chris Tatum, who’s owned Do-it-Yourself Dog Wash on Plaza Street for 15 years. “I’m not sure how much longer some of us can hold on. I don’t think (city officials) understand the impacts.” Charles Pinady, the manager at Yummy Yogurt, is essentially the only employee at his shop . “Business has gone down dramatically,” he said. “I had to cut my staff (of two) to see if we could ride it out.We need the city to step it up.” Jackhammer noise made summer camps at Art a la Carte difficult because the studio is outside, manager Lisa Creagan said. “The construction has definitely kept some people from planning birthday parties, which is a big part of our business,” she said. “We haven’t had to let anyone go but we’re doing a lot of explaining to our customers. It’s definitely been slower.” Pizza Port is still making a “decent profit,” according to manager Torie Bell, but “we’re not seeing the trend of increased sales every month like we have been for the last few years.”
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THE COAST NEWS
owner with a driveway that would be moved. Despite those eff orts, some owners have criticized the city for a lack of information before the project started and as it is progressing. Creagan, whose business has only been on the 101 since 2010, said she recalls receiving a vague letter explaining when the project would be completed. Bell said her predecessor at Pizza Port knew about the improvements but city officials weren’t “as clear as they should have been.” Workers install new trees in the median as part of the Coast Highway A twice-monthly newsletter 101 improvement project. Some merchants say the priorities should be re-evaluated. “We need parking, not trees,” said Chris Tatum, who owns Do-it-Yourself Dog Wash. Photo by Bianca Kaplanek
The situation has gotten so bad for some in the four months since the pr oject began that Tatum and a few other business and property owners started a petition. “I just w anted to see some action,” said Tatum, who was also thr eatening legal action against the city but acknowledges the project will likely be finished bef ore a lawsuit is settled. Council members have been talking about improving the corridor since the 1990s and, in the past three years, held several public meetings and workshops. Groundbreaking took place in front of Do-it-Yourself Dog Wash on June 27, and the Highway 101 Mer chants Association held a kic k-off party this summer at J ava Depot to advertise the project. City Manager David Ott said every business along the roadway received an informational flier and he walked the highway and per sonally talked to e very property
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DONNA FANELLI I would love to help you
Donna can be reached at the Olivenhain office
760.944.1112 www. sdseacoast.com