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Businesses in Parkland say a road closure is causing a loss of customers, creating worry for the future

A section of Spanaway Loop Road in Parkland closed Oct. 14 and is set to last for three months. Businesses near the closure don't know if they will stay afloat.

PARKLAND, Wash. — A construction project that is expected to last three months has businesses in Parkland worried about the future.

The road closure started just over two weeks ago, and businesses said they have already taken a financial hit with fewer customers coming in.

The full road closure of Spanaway Loop Road, just a few blocks from a group of local businesses in a strip mall, is for a sewage infrastructure project.

Blue Steel Coffee Company said they have seen a 50% drop in business since the road closure and have had to cut inventory and employee hours.

"If we don't see help, we're likely not going to make it,” said Shara Vansomeren, an employee at Blue Steele Coffee Company.

The road is scheduled to be closed for three more months.

She doesn’t feel the county has communicated well about construction.

“They just recently opened 116th, but none of us knew about it,” Vansomeren said. “Somebody just happened to see the signs were down in that area.”

The owner of Apple Teriyaki, which is next door to the coffee shop, has seen the same drop in business.

"How are we going to make it until January?” said Joe Chi, the owner of Apple Terriyaki. “That's the biggest struggle for us."

Both businesses said they wish the county would give grants or extra help to businesses losing customers and money due to construction.

“We’re just hoping we can get some kind of help from the county so we can pay rent, pay our employees,” Chi said.

He said he could not plan ahead for the closure because he didn't know about it.

“We haven't been notified at all,” Chi said. “The only reason we found out was because they posted a huge construction sign.”

Other restaurant owners in the strip mall said they found out the same way.

“I wasn’t aware of the closure up until I started seeing the signs that there's a road closure,” said Bryan Uribe, La Perla Del Mar 2 owner.

Uribe said he saw half the customers than normal this past weekend, which is usually their busiest time. He's already seen impacts and is concerned.

“Less traffic, less work, less money for all of us,” Uribe said.

He said when people see construction is down the road and that the road ends, they turn around before getting to his business.

“They see the signs and they are like, ‘Oh, Spanaway Loop is closed’ and they go ‘Oh, I can’t go down there,’ so they turn around and find other restaurants,” Uribe said.

These businesses hope the community and the county can support them through construction.

“We've been around for a long time,” Vansomeren said. “We want to stay around for a long time, but we're really struggling, and hoping that we can do it.”

Pierce County said it began sharing information in May about the closure through a mailed postcard to residents and businesses in the area, the project webpage, the project email list, and multiple social media posts via Facebook and Nextdoor. 

The county said since the project has moved forward they have been keeping the public updated through the webpage, email and social media, in addition to the signage posted around the work area weeks before the closure.

The county said it is helping businesses by placing signs to notify the public that businesses are open during construction.

People who work in the area said those signs were put up earlier this week.

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