MESA, AZ — Months-long road construction along Val Vista Drive has left business owners in the Mesa neighborhood near Southern Avenue frustrated and desperate for relief.
The city’s Val Vista Drive Improvement project, underway since last August, aims to widen the road, add storm drains, and install new bike lanes between U.S. 60 and Enid Avenue. But for small businesses lining the corridor, the ongoing work has become a daily hardship.
“It's a mess,” said Deanna France, co-owner of Arizona Batting Club, where the noise from bulldozers is a constant reminder of declining foot traffic.
France said April sales dropped by more than $30,000.
“I don’t understand why they tore up the road the way they have,” France said. “Why not do it in pieces, where it’s not as restrictive for small businesses?”
Across the street, Niro’s House restaurant owner Omar Karkoutli echoed her concerns.
“They’re saying the project will end in June,” Karkoutli said, but the deadline seems hard to believe for merchants who have seen profits slip as much as 20 percent.
“They’re trying to improve it, but with zero consideration of the small businesses around here,” Karkoutli said. “You’ll improve the street for me, but meanwhile, a lot of employees here are going to have trouble putting food on the table.”
While the city spokesperson told ABC15 that business owners were informed of the project beforehand, questions about direct support have gone unanswered. The only option, merchants say, is a city loan program.
Tamara Salerno, owner of Divine Hair Design, has lost about 10 percent of her business since the construction began.
“The city of Mesa encourages small businesses and they want us to succeed,” Salerno said. “But when things like this come, they don’t have small businesses in mind.”
France and Karkoutli worry they may need to temporarily close to save on overhead and tax costs, but reopening means starting from scratch: re-establishing their clientele, many of whom are already headed elsewhere.
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