Businesses surveyed about Project Downtown

A survey found downtown businesses are not equipped to financially withstand Project Downtown’s construction timeline.

Save Downtown Pullman, a group of concerned citizens, surveyed downtown businesses to gauge impacts expected from the city’s plan to revitalize Main Street. Its goal was to find ways to assist businesses during the six and a half month construction phase slated for this summer.

Project Downtown is a city-led effort to rebuild the town’s streets, public spaces and infrastructure. The project encompasses all of Main Street, from Grand Avenue to Spring Street. It includes fully upgraded utilities, freshly paved sidewalks and streets, an updated downtown layout and more.

The $9 million project is fully funded through President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act. Construction is anticipated to begin April 1 and finish Oct. 15 this year.

City officials will be opening bids for the project next week. The council is expecting to finalize a contract by early next month.

The group sent out the anonymous survey to 78 downtown businesses and received 30 responses. It found most will be negatively affected by construction, and many are unsatisfied with the city’s approach to the project.

Out of the 30 businesses that returned the survey, about 60% of respondents reported they have less than three months revenue reserved this year to help deal with financial downfalls. Around 87% believe their business will be negatively affected by the project. And, almost 78% stated they received unsatisfactory responses from the city, or no response at all, to their concerns about the project.

Additionally, about 87% worry their business will be negatively impacted by disturbances that come along with work. Disruptions like limited customer access, traffic rerouting, parking availability, noise, dust and debris were all mentioned.

The group is urging city officials to reconsider the project’s timeline, assist businesses with finding alternative sources of income during construction and recommend deploying alternative technology to mitigate disruptions.

It recommends breaking construction into two three-month periods, one in summer 2024 and the other in summer 2025. The adjustment would allow businesses to stay open and profit from activities at the end and beginning of Washington State University academic years.

Rather than relying on Pullman residents to support downtown businesses during construction, or businesses taking out loans, it demands the city to actively look for alternative sources of revenue like grants to keep businesses afloat.

Lastly, it offers trenchless piping as a solution to minimize disturbances during construction. The technique uses restorative and less invasive practices than traditional trench-excavation to repair piping.

After reviewing its findings, the group believes current plans for the project are not in the best interest of the downtown businesses. Moving forward, the group stated the city must be transparent, clear, accurate and timely in all communications with the community.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.