SLO County city is giving money to businesses hit by roadwork. Will it help?
As construction on Grover Beach’s central corridor continues to run past its planned completion date, the city is offering grants to businesses affected by the road work — but is it enough?
Last summer, the Grover Beach City Council approved the final design plans for the city’s $4.2 million West Grand Avenue Streetscape Fourth-Eighth Street Project.
Originally slated to be completed sometime after December, the project — which implements landscaped center medians, decorative crosswalks with enhanced safety features, sidewalk and curb improvements, painted Class II bike lanes and pavement rehabilitation and other improvements — now appears to be set to wrap up this summer.
As the road closures and construction work have dragged on, the loss of parking and easy pedestrian access have cost some businesses dearly, with The Rib Line’s West Grand Avenue location and El Taco De Mexico both closing permanently due to lost business.
In response to business’ financial difficulties, the Grover Beach City Council voted unanimously in January to create a grant program to support businesses affected by construction on West Grand Avenue with grants of up to $2,000.
Now, with checks distributed as of Monday, business owners said they appreciate the aid, even if it can’t recoup all of their losses.
Kevin Teague, co-owner of The Pottery and recipient of a $2,000 grant from the relief program, said he’s had the misfortune of dealing with protracted street construction at his business’ Atascadero and Grover Beach locations this year, and is glad Grover Beach is doing something to help.
“It’s meaningful, it helps, and we’re trying to take the long-term view of the construction — the city is trying to elevate the city, which will help all residents and small businesses,” Teague said. “It’s just kind of short term pain for long term gain.”
City approves grants for 34 businesses
According to the staff report for the most recent Grover Beach City Council meeting, a total of 34 businesses received relief grants through the program, with a total of $60,000 of General Fund dollars spent on the program.
Working with the South County Chambers of Commerce, the city opened an application window Feb. 14 through March 7, with a total of 56 applications received in three weeks, according to the staff report.
According to the staff report, the committee that selected the grant recipients decided who would receive the funding by prioritizing public-facing businesses with a walk-up customer base first.
Businesses that lost driveway access or faced parking limitations were able to receive $2,000 grants, while businesses generally impacted by a reduction in customer traffic were able to apply for $1,500 grants, according to the staff report.
Teague said while losses for businesses on West Grand Avenue have obviously exceeded $2,000, the exact figure of how much the construction has cost each business is “immeasurable.”
“From my perspective, it’s not supposed to be a perfect reciprocity,” Teague said. “It’s supposed to be a gesture that is beneficial to us and is a meaningful amount given by the city, and I think it was, from my point of view, good — I think they achieved that goal.”
He said he would have appreciated more consistent communication from the city about the nature of the construction delays, and hopes the city can be clearer on its end date going forward.
Pono Pacific Kitchen co-owner Ashlee Alewine said while her business has been lucky to avoid some of the more serious impacts from lost foot traffic due to its reliance on reservations, the grant is the right gesture from the city.
Alewine said she was excited that the street renovations will boost business on West Grand Avenue once complete.
“Since we’ve been there in the last three years, there is some foot traffic, but I’m really excited to see more foot traffic once the dust is ‘settled,’ literally and figuratively,” Alewine said. “I think it’s going to actually create some key paths for foot traffic.”
Empower Yoga owner Robyn Brinkerhoff said she was similarly excited for aesthetic improvements to reach West Grand Avenue, even with the disruption in business.
Like Pono, Empower’s business model relies on repeat customers and set times for yoga classes, meaning the impact was overall lessened for Brinkerhoff’s business, she said.
“I think at the end of the day, it’s going to benefit my business in the long run, so I am fully in support as a business owner of the construction that’s going on,” Brinkerhoff said.
