NORTHEAST TALLAHASSEE, FL — Small businesses in Tallahassee's Market District are hoping for relief as the city moves to expedite road construction on Maclay Commerce and Maclay Boulevard.
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The road closures, which began in the fall, have hit some businesses hard.
Sam Osborne owns three restaurants in the area – Tropical Smoothie Café, Rock N’ Roll Sushi and Island Wing Company.
He said he has been losing customers since the road closure started in September.
"If you're down double digits, that's one out of four customers that aren't coming through my doors,” Osborne said. “We had to start cutting back on employees, and we're now under 100 employees. We had to cut back about 20%.”
Osborne and other business owners brought their concerns to City of Tallahassee Commission during a meeting on Feb. 18.
"Of course, we sat down with our leadership team and thought creatively on how we could expedite the construction, and I'm pleased with the new direction," Dailey said.
Under the new plan, a proposed roundabout at the intersection would be completed in 6 weeks, reopening the detour from Maclay Commerce Drive to Financial Plaza Drive.
That construction started Monday.
But Maclay Boulevard will be opened this summer.
Amid construction, Dailey also said the city would add more signs in the area.
"There's always a little growing pain as we're developing the park, and as we're developing the new transportation system," Dailey said.
Osborne says the city's response is a start, but he is uncertain how long it will take for the area to fully recover.
"It's not like the moment that they open those roads the sales will come back instantly. We're going to have to spend as small business owners a lot of money to get customers to know that we're back open again," Osborne said.
The City of Tallahassee has created a new detour map showing how to access businesses in the Market District.
Mayor Dailey said the city will continue to work with businesses in the area as construction continues.
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