Skywalk construction raises barriers for street-level business

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This article was published 22/04/2022 (1461 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

His downtown Winnipeg bagel shop opened during a global pandemic and endured further disruptions from a lengthy protest/occupation nearby and “terrible” recent weather.

Now, Phil Klein fears construction barriers could pose yet another serious threat to his bottom line.

The owner of Bagelsmith at 185 Carlton St., which opened in October 2020, said City of Winnipeg repairs to the skywalk over Carlton have led a construction company to block off two lanes of the road leading to his storefront, leaving few places for trucks to deliver supplies and customers to park.

“One of the (construction) laydown sites takes up the vast majority of the street,” said Klein, referring to the staging area used to store equipment and materials. “It’s 140 feet approximately. It covers the frontage of almost the entirety of my building. It comes up right to my door.”

The reduced access poses a threat to his business since most of his customers drive to the store, Klein said.

“I don’t know what is going to happen just yet. Seventy-five per cent of my traffic is people from (outside of downtown). If I lose that because of these issues, I might have to shut my doors temporarily. If I don’t have people coming to the shop, I can’t leave the doors open.”

After the construction barricades were set up Wednesday, multiple customers told him they wouldn’t continue coming to the store if they can’t park nearby, Klein said.

He received about three months’ notice the construction project would take place, but his attempts to ensure it didn’t greatly reduce access to his business have not been answered so far, Klein said.

“We were an afterthought and that’s what’s frustrating to me, over and above what’s going to be transpiring on our block for potentially the next six months.”

A city councillor plans to push for changes to reduce construction woes for businesses in the future.

Coun. Sherri Rollins said she will ask the city to study financial compensation options for businesses that lose revenue when construction projects reduce street and/or sidewalk access for customers.

“What Phil and others are enduring with ongoing construction… really presents a continued challenge to the downtown and businesses across the city,” said Rollins, noting a major construction project also hurt the bottom lines of businesses on Pembina Highway last summer.

Some other cities already offer construction compensation to businesses for that reason — though more work is needed to determine exactly how that could work in Winnipeg, she said.

In a new motion at the April 29 city centre community committee meeting, Rollins plans to request that change, along with a few others.

The motion also calls to reinstate one-hour free parking and temporary loading zones in the downtown until the end of 2022 (measures offered earlier in the pandemic). It also calls for options to invest a portion of downtown parking revenues into the core area.

“Right across the ward and across the city, I’m concerned for businesses that have really been resilient during the pandemic,” said Rollins.

Financial compensation would be welcome, Klein said.

“Obviously, I would be thrilled if there was something to offset the losses. I don’t know that it’s just or right that small-business owners need to take the brunt of (construction projects),” he said.

The skywalk construction is a maintenance project, which is required to keep the walkway over Carlton Street safe for pedestrians, a city spokesman said.

The contractor considered multiple options for on-site storage, Kalen Qually said in an email.

“The street was most conducive (for that purpose) because the areas beneath and adjacent to each walkway have to be blocked due to overhead work on the walkway,” he said.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga