Rough Road for Downtown Vancouver Eateries
Construction in downtown Vancouver has created challenges for both businesses and patrons. Several restaurants and bars have been hit hard during the process. Streets have been closed in front of businesses, and sidewalks are sometimes blocked. One owner said there was even a day when plastic covered the entire front of the building, including the door. Traffic has markedly decreased as patrons choose to go where there are fewer obstacles. Over the past few months, we’ve had to walk several blocks, navigating barricades, piles of rubble, and caution tape just to reach bars and restaurants.
So why all the road work? It’s a project called Main Street Promise. According to the City of Vancouver’s website (https://www.cityofvancouver.us/government/department/public-works/main-street-promise/), the goal is to make “Main Street safer, more accessible and connected for businesses, residents and visitors.” The words safe and safety are mentioned several times on the site. Has Main Street really been unsafe?
Stated benefits include:
- Curbless streets to increase access and help slow traffic
- Extended, ADA-compliant sidewalks
- Tactile sidewalk treatments and audible crossings for visually impaired community members
- Pedestrian-scale lighting to illuminate sidewalks
- Enhanced intersections and crosswalks
- More bicycle parking
- New traffic bumps to reduce vehicle speed
- Parallel parking to improve visibility for drivers and pedestrians
Phases of construction:
Phase 1: Reconstruct sewer and water utilities (January through summer 2025)
Phase 2: Street surface and sidewalks (spring 2025 through spring 2027)
There’s a video simulation of the concept (see below). The design shows a narrower street, widened sidewalks, added speed bumps, and the elimination of diagonal parking in favor of parallel. The city claims there are currently 127 parking spaces and that only four will be lost with parallel parking. I’m not sure how that math adds up—I’d need to see it mapped out. Regardless, it appears the agenda is to discourage cars while promoting bicycles and walking. I’m not convinced how this “anti-car” policy will make the street more accessible.
One section between 15th and Mill Plain has already been completed. The city hosted a block party Thursday (Aug 28th) to celebrate, but not everyone is cheering. I spoke with one long-time business owner on that block who said the process has taken such a toll that they’re closing at the end of the year.
We spoke with a few restaurateurs about their experiences:
Angela Deans (Brickhouse, Coral Club, and Full Heart): “While we believe that this project is going to be great for business on Main Street, the construction has impacted us immensely at both locations. The opening momentum with Full Heart was fantastic, but growth has stalled with the surrounding road closures. It’s been very sad and stressful to see. The uncertainty of the completion timeline on the Full Heart/Kiggins block is very discouraging. We look forward to getting through this and putting the construction behind us.”
Michael Perozzo (Little Vice): “Well, it’s certainly presented a struggle so far. Traffic disruption, parking spaces taken away… all while at the same time the City of Vancouver has taken away free parking on weekends. I think most business owners are optimistic that the new design of the Main Street corridor will be good for business in the end. The difficult part is that we’re only a few months into what is said to be a three-year process. I’m genuinely fearful that many local businesses on Main Street won’t make it until then. We’ve already seen a number close, while newcomers struggle to gain traction. The VDA has offered some limited marketing support via social media, but I think a greater effort will be required if we want to keep local businesses thriving downtown and avoid becoming the out-of-town chain store and chain eatery vibe the waterfront already has. I’m looking forward to a more walkable downtown with the ability to put on street fairs, block parties, and specialty markets. I’m just fearful that, without more community support, it won’t be the current businesses and families downtown who reap the rewards of this project.”
Tanner Genck (Ondus): “The greatest immediate impact will always be on the team, followed by the long-term hardship on the restaurant. When we went through something similar (though nowhere near as bad as what downtown is suffering), we scrambled to find anything to help stimulate hours for the team. Sure, we open a business to make money, but as leaders we share a responsibility to the people we ultimately report to: our guests and our employees. The kind of stress endured during construction is tough.”
At this point, many restaurants and bars aren’t feeling the promise of “ensuring economic prosperity.” If they’re going to survive this process, they’ll need foodies to be intentional about supporting them. It’s worth the extra effort to help keep our favorites alive while they endure this long season of disruption.
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