by Kandiss Edwards
July 31, 2025
After three years of development on Cascade Street, native enterprise house owners are fed up with detours that divert and discourage patronage.
Enterprise house owners on Cascade Street are talking out concerning the years-long development undertaking impeding their companies.
Enterprise house owners say the delays and poor planning are hindering buyer entry and are taking part in a significant half in declining income. On July 29, involved residents and enterprise house owners met to debate the disturbance.
Trinket Lewis, proprietor of MoreLyfe Juice Co., stated her gross sales dropped from almost 950 clients a month in 2023 to simply 380 now. Trinket blames detours close to I‑285 for blocking what was strong lunch visitors.
“We’re averaging a few 72% drop every day,” she informed Atlanta Information First.
J.R. Crickets proprietor Trent Floyd says that after a million-dollar funding in his restaurant, patronage is at a standstill. Floyd hoped for a rise in clients because the neighborhoods on Cascade Street are flourishing.
“That momentum got here to a screeching halt… It’s vital for the hall’s vitality,” Floyd informed the Atlanta Voice.
Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet was vocal in her assist of the native enterprise group.
“These aren’t minor inconveniences—they’re vital points with actual financial penalties on your livelihoods and our group’s cultural and industrial cloth,” Collier Overstreet wrote in an open letter.”
She continued, “I’ve advocated for Make investments Atlanta to discover the availability of emergency grant funding—not loans—to assist Cascade enterprise house owners throughout this time,” she famous. “Speedy monetary reduction can present an important bridge to make sure your companies survive the momentary disruption and continues to thrive as soon as development is full.”
Regardless of a $21 million funding plan permitted in August 2021, the undertaking has change into an emblem of poor planning. Sidewalks have been constructed too extensive, and road lanes too slim, failing to accommodate fireplace vans and forcing redesigns that added months of delay—the preliminary design known as for street resurfacing, visitors sign upgrades, and prolonged sidewalks.
Make investments Atlanta has dispersed zero grants so far regardless of guarantees, Collier Overstreet confirmed. In consequence, many enterprise house owners now surprise if Cascade Heights will survive. The roadwork has no foreseeable finish date. At the moment, enterprise house owners and residents alike will face disruptions. Moreover, they cope with uncertainty about the way forward for the native financial system.
Swing by Cascade Street now, and as an alternative of foot visitors, you’ll see dusty sidewalks and rows of “Closed” indicators.
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