BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Business owners in downtown Bakersfield say they are facing declining foot traffic as construction continues on city streets.
Store fronts particularly on 19th Street are sounding the alarm as they report a dip in business as major constriction has closed the street for weeks.
Marc Deleon, owner of Mad Dog Tattoo on 19th Street, said business has declined by an estimated 80% for the tattoo shop and other businesses on the block since the roadwork between L Street and O Street began.
In a letter also written on behalf of the neighboring businesses including M.A. Griffin and Sons, the Mint Bar and Burger Hut, Deleon said the construction has occupied most of the parking on the block.
“Many people assume our businesses are closed because of the construction and many are unwilling or unable to walk several blocks,” Deleon wrote earlier this week. “As a person with a disability, I also depend on parking close to my business.”
Because of the loss of business, he said the Mint Bar has reduced its open hours to 3:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
Deleon said the City of Bakersfield-owned parking lot across has been converted to a “construction staging area” during the repairs.
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Deleon said he has voluntarily maintained the parking lot by paying for resurfacing treatments, repainting the stalls and replacing parking blocks because “it benefited the surrounding businesses,” including the tattoo shop that has been housed on 19th street since 1994 for the last 35 years.
He added that if it had remained open for public parking, “many of these problems could have been avoided.”
“We respectfully ask the city and project management team to restore public parking or relocate the staging area sop out customers can safely access out business during construction,” Deleon wrote. “We appreciate your consideration and home a practical solution can be reached before further damage is done to businesses that have served downtown Bakersfield for decades.”
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