Jim Mayer picks up in the Oregonian (“Downtown’s maze gets tricker”) where the Tribune left off, talking about disruption to businesses from Transit Mall and related construction.
Meanwhile, the Business Journal is reporting on an eminant domain fight (subscription required unfortunately) over the properties on the southern end of the mall where TriMet is putting the LRT turn-around.
Of course in ten years it will be a forgotten memory, but right now it’s ‘ouch’. It’s worth remembering that with each LRT project, TriMet has gotten better at helping businesses along the alignment cope with construction.
One response to “More Transit Mall Broken Eggs”
The Mall contractor, Stacy & Widbeck, built Streetcar as well as Interstate MAX. On both of those projects they did an outstanding job of accommodating businesses and residents. Not sure about Streetcar, but Interstate lost only a few businesses due to construction, and many more have come onto the Avenue due to the MAX line.
Next time you are riding a bus up or down the Mall, count vacant businesses…the biggest blank wall is M&F which closed up their doors on 5th & 6th Avenue to welcome the Mall in the 70’s…a self inflicted wound. Will the new Macy’s have an open door to MAX riders?