Uptown business owners say a planned Lyndale Avenue rebuild could threaten their shops as Minneapolis leaders weigh whether to move ahead.
Business owners along Lyndale Avenue raised concerns Thursday about the city’s $24 million reconstruction project. They said a long construction timeline and limited parking could make it hard to stay open.
“I don’t necessarily see how I can keep the doors open for a three-year construction period; just look at what happened on Hennepin Avenue,” Liz Moser said.
Moser, owner of Bob’s Java Hut, said she has been in business for 33 years. Other business owners along Lyndale Avenue told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS they have similar concerns.
“We won’t survive quite frankly, we need the very little parking we do have, we need it you know,” Johnathan Johnson said.
At Thursday’s Minneapolis City Council committee meeting, members discussed the project as the city tries to keep the plan on track. A newsletter sent late Thursday afternoon from City Council Member Soren Stevenson said pausing the project would put millions in federal funding at risk.
Stevenson, the committee chair, said the project is needed to improve bike and pedestrian safety and address aging infrastructure. He also said construction would be difficult for businesses regardless of the final plan.
“I’d say that folks should be concerned about construction, ” Stevenson said. “Construction is really hard, no matter what the plan looks like; construction is really hard on businesses.”
The Minneapolis City Council is expected to take up the Lyndale Avenue plan for approval on Thursday.
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