Calgary business says Marda Loop construction forced it to close

Another business is criticizing the City of Calgary for the ongoing construction in the southwest neighbourhood of Marda Loop.

Pet supply store Doodle Dogs says it is permanently closing its outlet in the area because of several years of business disruptions that have come along with the Marda Loop Main Street revitalization project.

In a social media post, the store owners say they cannot afford another month of business at the location.

“The construction absolutely killed our store,” reads the post. “The parking, the accessibility, the back parking lot for drivers.”

“You win city. We hope your sidewalks and underground lines are everything you hoped for, but we can no longer carry the costs of running a beautiful pet store in this community.”

The store says they are closed as of Tuesday after waiting for months and sinking thousands of dollars into the outlet to stay afloat.

“I know it’s been tough for them, it’s been tough for many other businesses,” says Bob Van Wegen with the Marda Loop Business Improvement Area (BIA). “I take their comment and face value and wish them all the best.”

In a statement to CityNews, the city says it received feedback from businesses regarding the project and developed this year’s schedule based on that. The city also says they provided businesses with a one-time grant and installed two temporary parking lots to help ease parking issues.

“The Marda Loop Main Street project is on track to finish this fall,” reads the statement. “We’ve completed most of the major work, with the remaining construction underway along 34 Avenue SW in localized, block-by-block segments to balance completing the work with maintaining access.”

The city is already facing a $75 million class action lawsuit over the project that was launched by businesses earlier this year.

A group of businesses allege the project that was supposed to originally be completed last summer has had catastrophic consequences on their livelihoods.

The businesses allege they have suffered extreme financial consequences as a result of the construction, which has caused a significant drop in customers and foot traffic, as well as numerous delays, closures, and restricted access to their businesses.

Work on the project started in 2023 and includes a redesign of public spaces with aims to prioritize pedestrian traffic and improve safety and accessibility.

Mayor calling for meeting with Marda Loop businesses, city administration

In the wake of Doodle Dogs’ closure announcement, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is calling for a meeting between Marda Loop business owners and the city in hopes of reaching a solution.

“Marda Loop is home to some of Calgary’s most passionate and hardworking entrepreneurs and right now, they’re telling us loud and clear that they have real concerns,” she said in a statement Wednesday morning. “I recently met one of those business owners, Leslie Echino of Annabelle’s Kitchen, when I brought Stephen Avenue businesses together with City Administration to collaborate on construction challenges there.”

Gondek says the conversations between the city and businesses on Stephen Avenue were successful, and she wants similar meetings to happen with those impacted by the Marda Loop construction.

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“While I worked hard during my term to ensure impacted businesses received support during this challenging period, I need to work on addressing immediate concerns,” she said. “These businesses are the heartbeat of their community — and vital economic contributors to our city — and they deserve to be heard.”

The mayor is once again calling for Calgarians to support the community by shopping in the area and dining at its restaurants.

“Let’s remind these entrepreneurs why they chose to build their dreams in this city,” she said.