Cameron Rd roadworks and Tauranga CBD parking issues blamed as First Ave business closesPosted by MMP News AuthorOn August 28, 2023
The owner of a 20-year-old business closing its doors 18 months after moving to the Tauranga CBD says roadworks and parking issues have left it “sinking into a black hole”.
Other businesses on First Ave blame the same issues for lower customer numbers, with one cafe owner saying it is out of reserves and “running on dry” after months of construction disruption.
They are the latest in a series of businesses to raise concerns since construction started in April 2021 on the major council-led project to update aging pipes and utilities, and improve travel options along Cameron Rd.
Tauranga City Council says it and its contractors are trying to reduce the impacts of the project as much as possible, and it is “committed to ensuring a variety of parking options are available for city centre workers and visitors”.
Kaysi Fredericks told the Bay of Plenty Times she startedherfamily variety store Kaysams in her garage 20 years ago, moving to town when it grew too big to run online.
But after 18 months in First Ave, she said the roadworks on Cameron Rd and lack of CBD parking had forced her to close.
Fredericks said she used to bring in about $36,000 a month. “Now, I would be lucky to bring in $3000 a month.”
That only really covered rent and she had not been able to afford to pay herself wages for months.
