HUNTINGTON BEACH : Summer Break OKd for Redevelopment
To help downtown merchants avoid another dismal summer retail season, the City Council has scheduled Main Street improvements so construction will not take place in summer.
The renovations--including improving pavements, sidewalks, lighting and landscaping on Main Street between Walnut Avenue and Olive Street--will be ongoing from May 4 to June 12, then work will be suspended postponed until Sept. 8. All equipment will be removed from the area during the summer break.
Downtown merchants have reported that business has been down by an average of 40% for the past three years. Merchants have blamed pier reconstruction, poor weather, the 1990 oil spill near the beach, the recession and ongoing redevelopment.
The downtown shopping district for years has been in a noisy state of disrepair, and merchants are hoping for a respite this summer to help businesses rebound.
City officials had hoped to begin the improvements next month, but merchants asked for a delay until May so construction will not interfere with Spring Break, during the week of April 13-17.
“The merchants have really suffered, and this phased approach is the plan they prepared, so we should support it,” Councilwoman Linda Moulton-Patterson said.
Council members unanimously approved the staggered schedule.
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