City halts Stephen Avenue construction plans amid business pushback
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The Stephen Avenue Revitalization Project, slated to begin construction July 14 immediately following the Calgary Stampede, will now be delayed as the city reviews how to reduce disruption for businesses. Construction on the project, which was set to be completed by the end of 2026, will be postponed at least until the fall.
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The original plan involved an overhaul of underground infrastructure, including a century-old water main beneath 8th Avenue, as well as updated surfaces and landscaping. Work was set to begin between Centre Street and 1st Street S.E., eventually extending block-by-block in 15-month phases.
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'We've been here for 31 years, and business is already slow. With this project the city is doing, they're gonna kill us. I don't think we could survive through this construction,' said Faouzi Salem, owner of Falafel King on Stephen Avenue.
Salem said he had not received any information about the project until the July 14 start date was set and was doubtful about the city's plan to maintain customer access, which involved temporary fencing and three-metre-wide access paths.
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'The City of Calgary has to come up with a solution to protect the businesses, to at least take care of us, because we're going to lose a lot of revenue,' Salem said.
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The City of Calgary released a statement about the delay on their website earlier today.
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'We have continued to hear from some business owners that they remain concerned about how construction will impact their business operations. In response, we will be delaying construction while we continue to explore options that would help further reduce business impacts during construction,' the statement read.
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The delay comes just over a week after a group of over 25 business-owners in the area publicly warned they were prepared to seek legal action against the city.
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