LINCOLN SQUARE — Retailers within the coronary heart of Lincoln Sq. have skilled a drop in gross sales through the neighborhood’s construction-mandated experiment in car-free dwelling, in accordance with a brand new survey by an space chamber.
The 4700 block of North Lincoln Avenue has been briefly closed to site visitors since final week as a part of development to improve the Western Avenue Brown Line station, a close-by public plaza and a parking zone. The car-free zone was initially slated to finish final week, however the closure is now stretching into Could.
Whereas some neighbors love the car-free zone, retailers instructed Block Membership they’re anxious in regards to the disruption hurting their backside line.
“Gross sales are considerably down. We aren’t seeing the foot site visitors that we normally would,” mentioned Scott Friedland, proprietor of Timeless Toys, 4749 N. Lincoln Ave.
The Lincoln Sq. Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce requested enterprise homeowners for gross sales information from April 14-27 to match how companies alongside the 4700 block of North Lincoln Avenue fared with and with out common car entry, mentioned Government Director Rudy Flores.
There are about 45 companies within the 4700 block of North Lincoln Avenue, and 24 of them — a mixture of retail, hospitality and private service — participated within the chamber’s survey, Flores mentioned.
Two companies reported a lower in gross sales of 51-75 %, 9 reported a lower of 26-50 % and two reported a lower of 11-25 %, Flores mentioned.
Three appointment-based companies reported they didn’t see a change week to week.
And 6 noticed a rise in enterprise: Three noticed a gross sales will increase of 1-10 %, three noticed a rise of 26-50 % and two companies reported a rise of 51-75 %, Flores mentioned.
The companies that noticed drops in gross sales are predominantly retailers, whereas sit-down eating places with “an alcohol part,” similar to a bar, noticed will increase, he mentioned.
“That was actually fascinating, to see the disparity between the will increase and reduces,” Flores mentioned.
The companies that noticed a downturn in gross sales stay involved about how lengthy the car-free zone will proceed and fear about purchasers making appointments someplace with simpler automotive entry, Flores mentioned.
Timeless Toys, Merz Apothecary and different companies on the block keep afloat by way of a mixture of native, on-line and “vacation spot” consumers who drive in from the suburbs and out of state, enterprise homeowners mentioned.
“We do have a tripod of income,” mentioned Suzy Takacs, who owns E-book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln Ave. “If you happen to lower one the legs off, the stool ideas.”
Some prospects use vehicles as a result of they’re older or have disabilities, in order that they favor parking near their vacation spot — which they will’t due through the disruption, enterprise homeowners beforehand mentioned.
The homeowners of Merz Apothecary mentioned their store has been impacted by the development.
“Whereas we’ve loved seeing households benefiting from the momentary open area, the fact is that these avenue closures—mixed with ongoing financial uncertainty—have created actual challenges for small, independently-owned companies all through Lincoln Sq.,” the homeowners wrote on Fb.
The chamber will proceed to evaluate information for nonetheless lengthy the car-free interval lasts, Flores mentioned.
“There may be an openness to wanting into if this might occur on a weekend, sometimes in summer time months or heat months. Companies are speaking about that,” Flores mentioned. “However we’ve to take a look at all of the totally different puzzle items, have conversations and do research.”
Automotive-free advocates are profiting from the momentary change by abandoning benches and chalk for folks to make use of as they benefit from the pedestrian-only zone.
“Getting this sort of alternative, and I do know it’s very tough for the companies, however having the ability to experiment and see what would occur? We’d by no means be capable to get this on objective,” mentioned Rony Islam, a board member of the Coronary heart of Lincoln Sq. Neighbors Affiliation.
Islam and a few of his pals spent the weekend constructing wood benches to go away on the block for folks to make use of for so long as the hall stays car-free.
The neighborhood group can also be asking individuals who go to the 4700 block of North Lincoln Avenue to fill out a survey to higher perceive how folks use the realm throughout its momentary closure, Islam mentioned.
The survey had obtained 950 responses by Tuesday. Of the respondents, 83 % have gone to the block through strolling, public transit or biking; 68 % strongly assist a larger function of pedestrianization on the block; and 82 % assume pedestrian-only entry ought to be expanded past the present avenue competition schedule, Islam mentioned.
The survey is on-line and can stay open whereas the realm is car-free, Islam mentioned.
“The survey was designed to discover if there may be pent-up demand for the sort of versatile, pedestrian-first sort of area within the metropolis that this momentary closure has resulted in, and these preliminary outcomes are very promising,” Islam mentioned. “We consider the native companies and broader group may benefit from tapping into the demand that we’re seeing.”
The neighborhood group’s survey is one half of a bigger dialog with companies, neighbors, metropolis officers and different stakeholders on how possible a car-free zone may very well be, Islam mentioned.
“I feel it’s identical to one piece of this holistic method, attempting to know how this closure is impacting folks. But additionally, what the way forward for our neighborhood may appear to be,” Islam mentioned.
The stretch of Lincoln Avenue between Lawrence and Leland avenues was car-centric till the institution of a “street food plan” within the late ’70s, in accordance with the American Planning Affiliation. The design change allowed for extra avenue parking and a pedestrian-friendly structure and led to the addition of Giddings Plaza, which obtained a $400,000 refurbishment final yr.
Earlier main revisions to the industrial hall adopted years of planning to verify the advantages outweighed the prices, Flores mentioned.
For instance, the continued development took years of group enter and research that resulted within the 2019 Lincoln Sq. Grasp Plan, which recognized areas in want of infrastructure and aesthetics enhancements, Flores mentioned.
Crews are renovating the pedestrian plaza subsequent to the Western Avenue Brown Line station — simply steps away from the car-free zone — due to that grasp plan. Development is underway so as to add upgrades to the prevailing Ainslie Arts Plaza, 4836 N. Lincoln Ave., together with a brand new efficiency stage, seating and different facilities, Flores mentioned.
“I’m not saying it’s not doable [to make a change]. Nevertheless it does take time to really work by way of all of those various things,” Flores mentioned.
Flores mentioned the momentary car-free zone has revealed challenges that embrace some companies not having the ability to get their regular pallet deliveries, a rise in sidewalk and avenue cleanup because of the improve in pedestrians and problem accessing the road for metropolis rubbish crews, he mentioned.
Meals supply drivers are additionally double-parking on Lawrence Avenue to run into the neighborhood and decide up meals from eating places on the strip.
“The quantity of litter. Not simply common rubbish, however like Divvy bikes and scooters simply thrown throughout the road and left sitting there. Large chunks of assorted objects sitting on the street. Who’s paid to wash that up? That’s not a service that exists at the moment,” Flores mentioned.
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