Cascade Road business owners who suffered financial losses because of yearslong city construction along the corridor might soon be able to seek financial relief.
Legislation introduced at Atlanta City Council on Monday would set aside funds for Cascade businesses after, they say, slow infrastructure upgrades clogged the roadway and reduced foot traffic to their stores.
Frustrated business owners in the southwest Atlanta neighborhood began speaking out last month about how the unfinished upgrades part of the Cascade Road Complete Streets project — first approved in 2021 — have caused a significant decline in customers.
A petition circulating online asking the city to establish a recovery fund of at least $8 million has garnered nearly 1,200 signatures.
Even former Atlanta mayor and U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young — a mentor and supporter of Mayor Andre Dickens — joined business owners in pressuring the city to prioritize finishing the project.
Atlanta City Council member Marci Collier Overstreet sponsored the legislation that would allow money from the Atlanta Recovery Fund — first established to help businesses impacted by last year’s water crisis — to be used in support of Cascade Road businesses.
“We need to use the money that’s left in the fund and give it to them,” she said.
It’s unclear how much money the city will dedicate to the initiative. But, if passed, impacted businesses will be able to apply for financial assistance through grants.
The city has also taken steps to speed up construction. Atlanta’s transportation department announced it would ramp work along Cascade Road to an “around-the-clock” work schedule.
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