ATLANTA — The City of Atlanta is offering grants to businesses affected by the ongoing construction on Cascade Road.
Construction has dragged on for years along Cascade Road, with detours on the busy corridor steering customers away from businesses.
The construction has been criticized for its slow progress and poor design, which have contributed to delays.
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Trinket Lewis owns MoreLyfe Juice. She opened her store in 2022 before the detours began.
“I had a great first year. So for me to have a great first year and then to see this slow death happen, it’s been hard,” she told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims.
She says at times, Georgia Power has given her an hour to pay her bill and she’s had to lay off staff. Last year, the city offered forgivable loans to business owners, but she says what they need are grants.
“We’re already in debt. And so while we appreciated it, I didn’t want to take on another loan to be more in debt,” Lewis said.
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On Wednesday, half a dozen business owners met with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Invest Atlanta.
A spokesman for the mayor’s office says the city and Invest Atlanta, the economic development authority, have a grant proposal on the table.
He says the city will work to promote a community celebration when the construction is done, which is expected at the end of August.
“They offered a grant, technical support. They offered really working with us. Because one the road’s open, how do we get people back in the community?” Lewis asked.
The business owners plan to meet with the mayor and Invest Atlanta again soon. The mayor’s spokesman declined to release details about the grant proposal until all parties can come to an agreement.
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