Some business owners support downtown redesign

Anika Rodriguez, a shop owner who sits on the Downtown Chico Business Association board of directors, is one of several business owners who have spoken out in support of Alternative 1 — one of three downtown re-design options.

“I like Alternative 1 because I love the idea of wider sidewalks,” Rodriguez told ChicoSol. “I think that just having outdoor commerce and liveliness is really important.”

Sheng Vang, owner of a downtown plant nursery, supports Alternative 1. So does Nicole Hill, who spoke on behalf of Stoble Coffee and Workplace at the April 7 City Council meeting, urging the panel to approve Alternative 1.

Rodriguez said she knows of at least four business owners who support the plan, and in a recent social media post, refuted a “narrative” that those supporting Alternative 1 are a small minority. 

Alternative 1 is the recommended redesign option that was favored by most survey participants. It would place protected one-way bikeways on Main Street and Broadway and widen sidewalks. Downtown would lose one parking space, and one lane would be removed from what are now three on Main and Broadway.

Some downtown business owners oppose Alternative 1 because of the inconvenience or loss of income that could be caused by construction work. They also worry about how truck loading and emergency servicing will be conducted without the third lane. Some also have complained that they didn’t get proper notification of project discussions and were not fully involved in the process.

So when an April 16 meeting was held at the request of Mayor Kasey Reynolds so that downtown business owners could provide more input, many came to the Council chamber dressed in black. They nearly filled the seats to express opposition to the plan.

The two-hour meeting was hosted by Director of Public Works-Engineering Brendan Ottoboni and was marked by a sense of division and dissatisfaction, with interruptions, applause and boos. When a speaker opposing the redesign project finished, those seated erupted into applause; when an Alternative 1 or project supporter finished speaking, applause came from the people standing around the edges of the room.

Rodriguez acknowledged the concern that construction will cause business interruptions. But she said that if the plan is approved, there will still be plenty of time for business owners to prepare.

Vang has been a business owner downtown for the past four years and occasionally rides a bike to work, but said she doesn’t feel safe biking downtown.

“If we’re thinking about how we get foot traffic into downtown Chico, the three lanes aren’t helping,” Vang told ChicoSol in a recent interview. “We need to try something different. If we make it safer for bicyclists and pedestrians, then people who come downtown will slow down and look around to see what shops are around them.”

Vang said she is also concerned about construction-related interruptions that might impact her business. “I’m hoping that there is some sort of solution to help support small businesses when our portion of the street is being redone,” she said.

Vang went to her first City Council meeting April 7 when Alternative 1 was discussed and some 28 people in the audience spoke during the public comment period. But Vang hesitated to speak publicly.

“As an immigrant, sometimes we tend to follow the majority and keep silent about our own thoughts and needs,” she said. “But sometimes we need to rock the boat and speak up.”

Nicole Hill from Stoble Coffee and Workplace spoke at the podium.

“This is the clear alternative to provide exactly what downtown Chico is so desperately needing,” Hill said. “While car travel is currently the most popular way to travel downtown, it is certainly not the only way. This alternative still allows for cars to travel to and through downtown, while making it more accessible for both pedestrians to travel and walk through downtown.”

Rodriguez said business owners who support the re-design offered in Alternative 1 may be hesitant to speak.

“I think a lot of them are not letting their voices be heard,” Rodriguez said, alluding to social media conversations she has viewed. “I think that people are afraid that if they have a difference of opinion, some of the loud voices in the room will just attack them.”

Rodriguez has received a message from a business owner expressing this concern.

Councilmember Katie Hawley made a similar point at the April 7 Council meeting. Hawley said she believes it’s “completely inappropriate” to presume what all downtown business owners think.

“I think there’s a lot of nuance to opinions, and just because there are some people who have a really strong lobbying tactic, that doesn’t mean their voice should matter any more than the downtown business owners, residents and representatives as a whole,” Hawley said.

Hawley, who supports Alternative 1, points out that construction has to happen no matter what re-design option is adopted.

“Because of the state of our underground system like the storm water system and sewer system,” Hawley said, “there are a lot of substantial repairs that desperately need to happen. The effect of not making those repairs at all would be, like, sewage in the streets.”

Hawley added that she has full confidence in the consultants and City staff to find a way to mitigate impacts. “I know that a lot of the construction is going to be happening at night, and full closures of roads are going to be rare,” Hawley told ChicoSol.

“I just fear that pushing the decision back to gather more input from downtown business stakeholders specifically is going to skew what we’re presented with at the next meeting,” Hawley said after the April 16 meeting. “But I’m hopeful.”

Several councilmembers, including Mayor Reynolds, were seen in the audience. 

The City Council will reconsider the project at the upcoming April 21 Council meeting, which begains at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber at 421 Main St.

Yucheng Tang cover city government for ChicoSol.