Project Puts Merchants on Uneasy Street : Customers Curtailed During Construction

Ben Bahadori said he has lost $20,000 since San Clemente launched its plan in January to boost his and other businesses along Avenida Del Mar, the city’s main shopping street, by reconstructing the street and sidewalk.

Bahadori, owner of Gambino’s Italian restaurant, said his customers “used to have a 45-minute wait every night.” Now, he said, “business has dropped 65%.”

Bahadori’s plight is similar to that of many Avenida Del Mar merchants who have survived the first half of the project but are anxiously awaiting completion of the $1.4-million renovation in June. Most are more optimistic than Bahadori, who says reconstruction will not benefit his business in the long run.

“We’re hanging in there,” said Ron Tiberi, manager of Sam’s Shoe Store. “It’s tough, but it’s going to be worth it.”

The construction has made access to the two-block strip considerably more difficult, and parking is now limited to lots behind the shops on the avenue. Merchants say the foot traffic on which many of their businesses heavily depend is now non-existent. At least one shop closed until the work is completed.

Some shop owners criticized the city for the length of time it is taking to complete the project. “Why take six or seven months when it could be done in three months?” asked John Reynolds, owner of a men’s clothing shop. “Why not just close off the whole street (to complete the project in three months)? It’s no good to us now.”

Tiberi agreed that storefronts are meaningless now. “We could board up the windows and nobody would notice.”

The city began the work at the request of the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Businessmen’s Assn., said City Manager Jim Hendrickson. The groups were concerned by an increasing number of bankruptcies among Del Mar merchants because of declining pedestrian traffic.

No Money for Phase 2

The first phase of construction, scheduled to end June 30, includes street repairs and sidewalk improvements. The proposed second phase would include trees, benches and new street lights, but the city has not secured the money for that proposal, Hendrickson said.

Merchants also complained that construction workers often are nowhere to be found on sunny days. While Hendrickson acknowledged that workers have been absent without good reason on a few occasions, he insisted that the contractor has kept up with the schedule by working weekends and that anxious merchants have become “sidewalk supervisors.”

Hendrickson added that the contractor will be fined $2,000 for each day the project runs over deadline.

Meanwhile, merchants say, they continue to lose business. Gift shop owner Niki Andrew said, “I’ve had many days with no sales, or even worse, days when no one walks into the store.”

However, Tiberi said, “The people of San Clemente have been a lot more loyal to local businesses than we thought they would be, and we want to thank them for that.”

Times staff writer Bob Schwartz contributed to this story.