Growing pains: Prince George cafe shuttered due to construction aimed at revitalizing downtown

The very construction meant to revitalize downtown Prince George, B.C., has forced the closure of one of the area's existing businesses.

The owner ofOhhChocolat, a local cafe that servesdifferent chocolate products, coffee, baked goods and sandwiches, says she will be shuttering her storefront until construction is finished.

Construction related toa major 151-unit condominium development has blockedthe intersectionof6thAvenue and George Street.It's part of a major redevelopment to revitalize the city's downtown core.

But the ambitiousrevitalization efforts have had side-effects.

Caroline Longhurstsays sales at her cafe have dropped 40 per cent since construction began in March.

"As a business owner, the numbers tell the tale," Longhurst said.

"People don't want to come downtown right now because of the construction, because of the lack of parking, because of the lack of lighting ... They see the signs and they don't want to get stuck anywhere."

Prolonged construction

Longhurst said she was aware the closures would begin in the spring but did not expect them to continue into the fall.

Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall saidthe closures are related to work on pipes and infrastructure under the road that needs to be updated in advance of the new condo.

[My customers]have a hard time navigating just to get to the businesses ... They just don't come down.- ToniSchell,owner of Serengeti Northern BC

He said the cityexpected the update tofinish earlier.

"Once they [got] into the ground, [crews identified] a number of lines that are running there beyond what we had expected, so that work has taken time. And we have pipes under there that are 60 and 70 years old," Hall said.

"Every time they dig they find something different and that's what's really turned this project into something bigger than we'd anticipated."

Large area affected

It's not just OhhChocolatthat has seen its business affected by the prolongedconstruction. The owners of a nearby Keg restaurant have been involved in meetings with the city about how this development is affecting their operations.

Toni Schell, the owner of Serengeti Northern BC, an international foodand grocery store in the same area, says construction all over the downtown core has hurt business.

"We have currently a 48 per cent drop in business," Schell said. "[My customers]have a hard time navigating just to get to the businesses They just don't come down."

Hall saysfinancial compensation for the businesses being hurt by construction isn't a feasible option for the city but it can help in other ways.

"As a municipality we're not in a position to financially [help] businesses," Hall said. "What we can do is help out with improved signage, lighting and identifying that these businesses are still open."

Condo still an important project

Hall also emphasized how important the condo development is for the city, saying it is gratifying to see new housing go up in downtown Prince George.

Colleen Van Mook, executive director of the Downtown Prince George Business Improvement Association, said she is glad to see the condo development as well, but said there is a need for balance.

"Certain things that are unavoidable when you are pulling up roads and dealing with old infrastructure," Van Mooksaid.

"It's very important for us to learn from this and work together [any way] we can to minimize the impact of businesses downtown and help them thrive during construction and come out the other end still able to provide great businesses in our downtown."

With files from Daybreak North