Several developers have begun work on revitalizing Hillsborough Street in order to bring more business into the area. Although the construction of the new apartments and hotels is expected to increase business and growth in the long run, it presents temporary challenges to the local business owners.
In order to complete these construction projects, there have been road closures on Hillsborough Street which are harmful to some of the businesses in the area.
Tilo Dawadi, a manager at the Kabab and Curry on Hillsborough Street, said the road closures hurt the restaurant and created a dip in business for the days that the street was shut down to vehicle traffic.
“We’re a destination restaurant; most of our customers come by car,” Dawadi said. “We were getting calls all afternoon from people trying to figure out how to get here, and most just gave up.”
Dawadi said he was frustrated that the road was closed because he hadn’t been warned that it would be inaccessible.
“We weren’t told about any of this — we saw all the orange traffic signs go up that Friday, but that was the first we heard of it,” Dawadi said.
However, not all businesses were affected as badly, and many hope that the construction will be a positive change for the area in the long run.
“I think this could really be a good thing for businesses around here, and I’m glad they’re making changes,” said Tyler Mills, part-owner and manager at McDaid’s Irish Pub. “Summer is slow for us anyway, so a dip in business doesn’t really affect us.”
Mills said he was informed of the road closures two weeks in advance and that he has had a positive experience with the renovations.
“They’re clean and quick with their work,” Mills said. “They communicate well with us about their schedule, and it hasn’t had too bad of an impact on us.”
The project has divided more than just business owners on the issue.
The Raleigh Planning Commission approved a controversial zoning case in late April of a seven-story, 24-unit student apartment complex with ground-floor retail across from D.H. Hill Library.
The objections raised about the approval were concerned with the way the structure’s developers plan to handle the guidelines with the maximum amount of floors and maximum height of buildings, according to Raleigh Public Records.
Current residents in the area would like to see the number of floors be dropped to five.
