Concerns for Broadway businesses as subway construction drags

With the new year upon us, some business owners along Vancouver’s busy Broadway corridor aren’t sure they’ll survive the construction of the multi-billion-dollar subway system.

Work on the Broadway Subway got underway in 2020, but the project has been delayed several times and is now slated to open in 2027.

There are now worries some businesses won’t be open by the time the train is operational.

Cathy Ellsmere co-owns Odin Books near Main Street, and she says that the road and sidewalk closures, in addition to the lack of parking options, have meant her walk-in business has been decimated, with sales down by at least 50 per cent.

“They have removed the sidewalk, so you can only get in through this ramp they’ve built that’s like a maze. And then you can’t go all the way to the corner, so they’ve pretty much put the store behind a barricade. Congestion has been problematic and then, of course, the visibility is problematic,” she told 1130 NewsRadio.

With sales struggling, Ellsmere says they’re relying on their website to pull in profits.

“Once you make the effort [to come in], it’s unlikely you want to go through that again. And it’s been this steady decline where people didn’t really think about it at first and now it’s like, ‘Oh, we have to go to Odin. Oh, it’s that extra obstacle of what’s happening around the site that makes it less appealing for folks.”

She adds the nearby closures have also affected deliveries for online orders and she’s worried about the future.

“I have no expectation that they will complete [the project] on time,” Ellsmere stated.

Neil Wyles, executive director of the Mount Pleasant Business Improvement Association, admits he’s worried about further delays.

“The extra two years added on were never part of the plan,” he said

The vacancy rate between Main and Cambie streets is hovering around 50 per cent, he says, with more businesses on the cusp of closing.

“One of the businesses further along the line has said that their loss of sales has been in the millions. We’re hearing anywhere between 30 to 60 per cent drop in sales, depending on what your business is.”

The BIA has been approving grants worth $5,000 but Wyles stresses that money only goes so far.

“We’ve been lobbying both the city and the provincial government to do something to help these businesses. The Ministry of Transportation is firmly entrenched in its, ‘We do not compensate for any short-term business interruptions.’ They get to define what short-term is. In this case, short-term is seven years. The province is the overriding authority on this. The city doesn’t have a ton that they can do.”

He’s demanding the province approve tax breaks for businesses, if they won’t be compensated, but isn’t hopeful that’ll ever happen.

“You’re not compensating them, you’re just not taking it from them. These businesses are certainly not enjoying the same sort of atmosphere that many of the other businesses in the city are. It’s a struggle to get to them. It’s a struggle for them to open their doors every day.”

Wyles is frustrated.

“I can’t even imagine how these folks do this every day. Just to go in and grind it out. You can only leverage your home so many times before you reach the end of your line.”

He thinks more businesses will close before the subway is operational.

“I’m hearing whispers that a few more people are about to go. They were hoping to make it across the Christmas season … but they might just pack up and leave.”

Wyles says often with big construction projects like this, people are told to avoid the area or are programmed not to visit. He hopes that mindset changes.

One of the touted benefits of the subway is it will increase density, which will in turn help boost the bottom line of businesses. Wyles doesn’t buy it.

“I’m not sure. I look at where the Canada Line is. That strip kind of looks the same pre-Canada Line. I don’t think we can be selling these folks that it’s going to be a giant pot of gold at the end of this rainbow,” he said.

“They’re going to be great transit hubs, but I don’t think that’s going to translate into this giant surge of businesses for these folks who’ve had to gut it out for seven years. You know, will there be a big payoff? And history has shown me that maybe there isn’t.”

In a statement to 1130 NewsRadio, the Ministry of Transportation says it understands the construction is “challenging for businesses.”

“The pedestrian bridges built in station blocks maintain sidewalk connectivity and allow people to cross Broadway along the entire corridor. This approach means far less above-ground disruption for businesses than the “cut-and-cover” method used on the Canada Line.”

The province says it’s been in touch with owners to “understand their concerns and work together on potential solutions.” It adds that it opened some parking spots in 2023 outside of peak periods.

At this time, the government is not committing to any compensation.

With files from Raynaldo Suarez.