As Prudential Tower Rises, Nearby Small Businesses Falter

Linda Jumah, a young entrepreneur, was doing well with her shop, Luxe Boutique, which she opened along a strip of small businesses on Halsey Street two years ago.

Then construction began on a new office tower for financial services giant Prudential, across the street from Jumah’s business with its inventory of trendy women’s clothes and accessories. And that’s when business took a turn for the worse for Jumah and the other merchants nearby.

“If someone’s telling you this is their worst year, and they’ve been here 10 years, you know something’s going on,” said Jumah of one of her fellow Halsey businesspeople.

Jumah herself has said business has slowed to a trickle since construction began on the $440 million tower, a vital component of a city effort to revitalize the downtown.

The problem for Jumah and the merchants is apparent to anyone who tries to park on Halsey these days -- all the spaces are gone, fenced off on one side of the street to accommodate construction traffic. Nearby side streets, meanwhile,  require residency permits. Jumah and other merchants had to repeatedly request such permits for their own vehicles, she said.

“Customers have no place to park for at least three blocks,” Jumah said, adding that she is not opposed to the Prudential project -- she expects it will be good for business once it’s completed. The work is tentatively scheduled to be finished by the end of 2014.

Jumah, however, is unsure she’ll last that long if the parking situation isn’t addressed.

Councilman Darrin Sharif, who represents the Central Ward, said he has reached out to the small-business owners and it trying to coordinate a meeting with city officials and Prudential to alleviate their concerns.

“We want to put on the table the concerns of these people and the negative impact the construction has had on them,” said Sharif.

Bob DeFillippo, a Prudential spokesman, said in a recent published interview the company empathizes with owners.

"We know it’s a massive project," DeFillippo said. "We’re doing our best to get it done. We’re hoping the end of 2014, but there’s no way to be absolutely certain."

Sharif suggested Prudential could help the businesses financially to mitigate the impact of the loss of parking.