Gentrification and high density is always good Heidi. Get with your employer's program already!!

The City and the general contractor should be actively encouraging the construction workers to patronize these impacted businesses during their coffee and lunch breaks.

@2, maybe we should require the developers to visit the businesses they are about to plow under in the name if profitability?

Do small businesses have some kind of unassailable right to always be in business even when financially untenable, and be protected from market forces? Did I miss something?

What businesses deserve government "protection" from closing, and which do not? On what basis, exactly? Race seems to be the main suggestion in this piece. Seems problematic.

Because the street is closed, I'm fine with compensating these businesses. We did it for Elliot's and Ivar's Acre's of Clams, we can do it for these small businesses.

The 23rd street is being fixed for a coming change. The people who own the land and buildings will likely not renew some leases in strategic locations. Then either sell, or lease to a "more desirable" business, i.e. can pay more.

Watch, in 2 years. Half of the business that are being affected by the re-work of 23rd ave won't be there.

Thrill Killer is part way correct ... in 2 years Midtown Center (post office site) where 2-3 of the businesses mentioned are located is on the market will probably be a construction project. Maybe the best way the city can help is to relocate them now.

I live on 23rd and it's misserable. A project that was billed as 6 months in 3 sections had turned into an 18 month/single, 1.5 mile clusterfuck. There is one narrow lane going south from Union without a place to pull over, let alone park. Several side streets are closed/limited for cross traffic. Several times they've closed the Union and Cherry intersections from Friday night to Sunday night so they could work the whole time. I spend less time in my own house because of this. What could a small business do, when the bad time they've been told to expect is 3 times longer?

It is just happenstance that blue collar working class businesses get screwed by major construction projects but fancy tourist places . . . the city most everything to reroute the problem or whatever works.

Mayor Murray is obviously isolated now that the City Council is on the side of the Small Businesses along 23rd Ave. The pressure needs to be kept on.

These business owners are encouraging people to hit social media, Share, Like, and Tag @MayorEdMurray. You can also call him, and give his office a piece of your mind: (206) 684-8821

Facebook: Death Of Central Area Small Businesses

"262 days since 23rd Ave manmade disaster started. 262 days of @MayorEdMurray's inaction. 262 days 23rdAve Small Businesses have had no relief." ~701 Coffee Twitter

Confused. I thought the prevailing view amongst typical Seattle progressives is that anybody that owns anything, a business, a piece of real estate, is filthy rich and greedy. A landlord charging the prevailing rent is greedy to one who can't afford it. Business owners that don't pay $15 an hour, don't offer paid maternity leave and paid sick leave should burn in hell for sleeping on massive piles of cash they are loath to share with their employees.

Therefore, these business owners are lying through their teeth. They have huge piles of cash to see themselves through this. How do I know this? From reading past articles in The Stranger. After all, unless you can pay $15 an hour, offer paid maternity/paternity leave, two weeks paid sick time, and health benefits for no cost to the employee....

They deserve to go down.

Walking and biking along the street, I've had no issues with business access (besides uneven surfaces, unswept gravel, and an occasional (but very proximate) detour). What is this, the 1950's? Are people really confusing cars for customers?

@13 - I imagine that most Seattle businesses serve customers that commute by car. Weird to suggest otherwise; or that the insane amount of blockages and ripped of streets wouldn't curtail others (perhaps those less mobile than you who might have trouble navigating uneven surfaces and detour routes; or those that commute by bus!) who would otherwise be foot traffic through the area.
@14 - Access to Uncle Ike's (and the availability of free parking) is much different than the access constraints (including lack of parking and walkable sidewalks) along other parts of 23rd. The comparison is unfair.