The construction on 10th Street in the District of Houston is part of their Downtown Revitalization Plan, bringing new street lights, tables, benches and waste receptacles to the downtown core.
While the revitalization plan will also consist of improving pedestrian accessibility, enhancing motorist and pedestrian safety and improving drainage along Highway 16, it is currently hindering at least one local businesses on 10th Street.
Elaine Hamblin, owner of the Moose Hut, says that business has been slow at her ice scream shoppe that serves up handcrafted deserts.
“We can’t really do much about it. We just have to wait until it’s done,” she said, adding she fears it will take longer than initially planned.
“There’s no cars allowed on the street right now, so it’s all just foot traffic. Most of our costumers have to come in from the back alleyway.”
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Michael Dewar, the Chief Administrative Officer for the District of Houston, says that the work on 10th Street not only aligns with their Downtown Revitalization Plan, but will also replace the end of life infrastructure water and sewer below the ground.
Dewar says that significant efforts have been made to minimize these impacts to local businesses, but businesses are still being impacted while the work progresses.
“Efforts have been made to ensure there is adequate parking in to accommodate visitors and access to all businesses throughout the work. Businesses in various locations have also experienced temporary water shut offs while infrastructure is being replaced. Efforts were made to warn businesses ahead of these temporary service outages,” Dewar said.
The 10th Street redevelopment is 90 per cent grant-funded and is deemed as necessary to fix the underground infrastructure, and construction has been happening since May. The town has made parking available on the southside of 10th Street next to Arend’s Specialty Company.