Restaurant owners in downtown Roswell say closing part of Canton Street on weekends during the summer would bring a significant decline to their revenue.
During a Wednesday press conference, more than 20 owners of businesses in the area said they have not had an opportunity to weigh-in on the proposed closure being spearheaded by Mayor Kurt Wilson.
A $20 million downtown parking deck that’s to be funded by a bond referendum approved in 2022 should be the city’s priority, they said. The parking deck is expected to be built within two years.
Wilson wants to create a pedestrian environment in the restaurant district and temporarily close Canton to vehicular traffic from Highway 9/Magnolia Street to East Alley, starting Memorial Day weekend.
Jenna Aronowitz, owner of 1929 Tavern, said Canton Street restaurants are recovering from economic decline caused by the pandemic and dealing with increased payroll and food costs.
“We cannot afford to go backwards,” she said.
Aronowitz said that restaurant revenues are impacted every time Canton Street is closed off for special events. She said a road closure that took place last Sunday for Bike Roswell’s annual street event resulted in a 41% decline in revenue at her restaurant compared to the previous four Sundays.
Wilson released a Facebook video Tuesday night about his desire to create a pedestrian district similar to the Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain by closing a section of Canton. He mentioned positive support from Aronowitz in the video and said she suggested the weekend closure of Canton Street instead of closing it off full-time.
The restaurant owner said the mayor, who was out of town and did not attend the media event, misrepresented what she said.
“We specifically said: ‘Why don’t you sit down with business owners (and residents) to further discuss after the parking deck (is built). Then ... we can come up with a game plan for weekends,’” Aronowitz said. “Until the deck is built we can’t move forward with anything.”
The proposed road closure would take place on the south end of Canton Street. Judie Raiford, who owns the Raiford Gallery which is located in that area of the street, said her revenues drop nearly 100% during road closures for events such as the monthly Alive in Roswell.
Raiford said nearly all Canton Street business are opposed to closing a portion of the road on weekends.
Residents such as Jim Dooley say they worry that closing the road would bring the disruption of special events on a regular basis.
Neighbors at Dooley’s nearby subdivision of 70 homes hire police to guard entrances to its street and turn trespassers away when the road is closed, he said. Dooley said hiring police every weekend would not be affordable.
Another resident, Susan Tyser, said the elderly and people with disabilities will be inconvenienced by a partial road closure due to a lack accessibility from the roadway.
Councilwoman Sarah Beeson was the only elected official to attend the press conference. Afterwards, Beeson said she has received numerous emails and texts from residents concerned about the possible road closure. The councilwoman added that she has informed her colleagues that she wants the matter on the council’s May 23 committee meeting agenda.
If road closure moves forward at that meeting, it would be placed on the agenda of a future regular City Council meeting, she said, where the public could comment before the officials vote.
Thursday, the city emailed businesses and residents in the Canton Street area to inform them that Wilson will hold a meeting at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall to discuss the summer weekend closure of Canton Street. The email from Jeffrey Leatherman, the director of Recreation, Parks Historic and Cultural Affairs, did not provide further details on the type of meeting that will be held.
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