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The owner of a new business on Regina’s 11th Avenue is hoping to find a silver lining in the latest construction shutdown.
On Monday, the busy road closed down between Scarth and Cornwall streets, with the sidewalk remaining open on the south side only. Underground utility work and sidewalk reconstruction is planned to move ahead in phases as the construction proceeds west towards Albert Street.
Read more:
- Fourth year of 11th Avenue construction kicks off Monday in Regina
- Regina mayor hopes for speedier work as another construction season looms
- 11th Ave. business owner in Regina looks toward future with optimism
Dempols Laro’s restaurant, Steak and Burgers, has only been operating for three months, and she’s hoping the construction will actually bring in business rather than driving it away.
“One of our target markets is the construction workers, so for us, maybe – and hoping and praying – this would be a positive impact for us,” Laro said in an interview.
She added that she hopes the phase of construction that affects her location directly will be done by the end of May, in time for better weather and increased foot traffic.
Previous years of the 11th Avenue project have seen business owners raise concerns about a decline in pedestrian traffic. (Geoff Smith/980 CJME)
“So maybe we’re going to survive and (get) better and better on that day,” she said.
The city has said pedestrian and business access will remain open during the work, but previous years of the 11th Avenue project have seen prolonged construction closures and significant detours for pedestrians, raising concerns for adjacent businesses.
But Laro said she specifically chose the location for her restaurant with an eye on foot traffic, including downtown office workers.
While Laro can’t compare this year’s construction with last year, Kelly Cairns, co-owner of The Cure, said last week that communication between the city and business owners has improved.
“They’ve been very responsive and they’ve held a couple meeting opportunities for us to go and ask questions and discuss, so they’ve been very good that way. I hope it continues that way,” she said.
Cairns said the project is exciting, and she hopes it ultimately results in more people visiting Regina’s downtown.
“I have always said that that’s sort of the biggest problem with this street in particular is we don’t really have any young people living around us,” she said. “So there’s certain times of the day where it’s kind of a ghost town.”
