AVONDALE ESTATES, Ga. — A multi-million project is underway in Avondale Estates to widen sidewalks, renovate street crossings and make other enhancements to draw more people to the downtown area.
But in the meantime, a maze of traffic barrels, road obstructions and backups are hindering customers from shops and restaurants.
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“Over the last few months our sales have been dropping and dropping and eventually people avoid the area, " said restaurant owner Josh McDowell.
Dowell told Channel 2′s Tom Regan he opened Taylor’d Bar-B-Q on East College Avenue during the COVID-19 pandemic. He rode through the pandemic and posted his best month ever in May. But ever since the construction project began, customers have been fading away.
His sales are off by over 20%. He decided he had no other option but to close.
“They’re not going to drive that extra ten minutes of traffic, stop lights where they are backed up. It’s hard to get in and out of traffic here. It’s an inconvenience and as tight as the market is, you have to fight for business. And it’s hard to come here. People aren’t going to come,” said McDowell.
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He’s not alone.
Down the street, an iconic bar and restaurant, My Parents’ Basement, says business is off by 20%. And a restaurant institution, Skips Chicago Dog says their sales are off by five to 10%.
The mayor of Avondale Estates says the city is trying to work closely with businesses impacted by the road renovations.
“We have tried our best to maintain access to those businesses during construction. We are doing promotions to help those businesses with our Downtown Development Authority to encourage people to shop at those businesses,” said Avondale Estates Mayor Jonathan Elmore.
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Elmore says the $10 million streetscape project is funded by the federal and Georgia Department of Transportation funds. He says it will take 18 months. He says although it will be a challenge for businesses and people who live and work in the area, it will be worth it in the end.
“The whole point is to create a main street that is safe, that is more esthetically pleasing, where people feel safe walking down, driving down and biking down. We just want to have a main street we are proud of, and serves our businesses better and is safer,” said Elmore.
Though his restaurant is closed, McDowell says he wishes the best for other businesses in the area, and encourages people to patronize them during the renovation project.
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