SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Fry Boulevard has been undergoing several changes over the last few months. The historic road is getting a new streetscape design.
Businesses in the area have had to deal with the construction which has caused some issues.
"A lot of businesses have gotten hurt," Marvin Kouza, the owner of Julie and Sammy's 33 Flavors, said. "I'm not the only one complaining or crying but I am patient. We made it through COVID, we made it through our first year, so we'll be okay."
Despite the construction, Kouza said he thinks the new developments are worthwhile.
"I am very excited that it happened to be right in the middle of the downtown development area," Kouza said. "We are excited to see it complete."
The construction is welcome news for longtime residents in the area.
"It's about time that they did something to this end of town," Patsy Grey, who has lived in the area since the 1970s said. "It's kind of been like a dead zone up."
The Landmark Cafe has been a staple of the West End but their owner said it's time for a change.
"Everyone knows when you grow out of town that's when it's time to redo the downtown and that's where we are at right now," Pamela Anderson, the owner of the cafe, said. "I'm excited about it."
One of the things she is excited about is the ability to bring in more business. They currently are open during the day and on Friday nights, but now she says she may be expanding to two nights a week.
More businesses are taking interest in the area. J's Kitchen, a Filipino restaurant, opened up in December of 2021.
"Now that the city is doing improvement and redevelopment in this area, it's a really great opportunity especially for me to grow my small business to a larger business," Joyce Aguilar, the owner of the restaurant said.
As the project nears an end, Aguilar is ready for it's completion.
"We hope to see a lot more traffic as the construction finishes," Aguilar said.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of March. There will be a grand opening ceremony at the end of April.
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