Dundas Street hours after opening (Dec. 9th, 2019)
On Dec. 9th, 2019, London’s first ever flex street welcomed traffic and pedestrians to return after two years of heavy construction.
The vision for Dundas Place was to create a central space for community events and gatherings, ultimately leading to a more connected city.
But during its lengthy construction season, the $16-million project caused disruptions for downtown businesses, especially those stuck in the middle of the construction zones.
LISTEN: The impact of Dundas Place’s long construction season on nearby businesses
A look at possible uses for Dundas Place (Photo: City of London)
Street opens, sales boom?
Ever since Dundas Place opened up, Attic Books has seen heavier traffic in pedestrians as well as book-shoppers, according to manager Cassandra MacVicar.
“December boomed, whether that was because the street was open, or whether it was the Christmas season,” MacVicar said.
“We don’t know, but we’d like to think it was because the street was finished, and it looks fantastic!”
The manager says regular customers kept the book shop occupied during the construction period, but there was still a decline in sales.
“March was very muddy and wet, and not great to travel through, so we did notice a low…. We [also] noticed a low in September when we had that same weather that was kind of gross.”
Bikini Paradise is just a few doors down from Attic Books.
Owner Carley Gallaway says she’s noticed an increase in sales over the past month, but says December and January are typically busier since they are vacation months.
She says the business was seriously strained during the two-year construction period.
“Business went down around 50%… we knew it would [be] affected, but [not by] as much as it actually did until we looked at the numbers.”
She says the store was lucky enough to not have to worry about shutting down thanks to financial support from other locations.
A timeline of Dundas Place (Photo: City of London)
No sales, no problem. But no security?
For Alan Liu, the owner of Wok N’ Chopsticks, the flow of customers has remained the same in the past few weeks, but that’s not a priority for him.
He says safety is his top priority.
Liu believes Dundas Place was too focused on visual aesthetics, and forgot about helping downtown businesses improve.
He says issues such as homelessness and theft are ongoing despite a prettier street outside.
“The [business] next door got broken into three times… I [have] found drugs everywhere at the front of my store…. and a [nearby business] got broken into three months ago,” Liu recounted.
“There should be more police presence on Dundas Place to protect not just the people, but also the businesses.”
Dundas Place during construction (July 23, 2019)
In response to Liu’s concerns, Jim Yanchula, the City’s Manager of Downtown Projects promised that issues surrounding security are not neglected.
“There has been talk on trying to revive a business watch program, where neighbours can look out for each other, but we have to get the street completely built first,” Yanchula said.
The official launch for Dundas Place is set for spring or summer 2020.
In the meantime, Yanchula suggests businesses owners on Dundas Place to brainstorm ideas on how to “spill” their business outside once the weather warms up.
“We expect to see private businesses introduce their sidewalk patios if they’re a restaurant or a food establishment. If they have merchandise they want to display, they can put them [out there] too,” said Yanchula.
“The [goal] is to bring business inside-out whenever possible to animate the space.”
