Orlando businesses impacted by ongoing road repairs in Ivanhoe Village

Orlando businesses impacted by ongoing road work

The city of Orlando is preparing for continued growth as more people move to the area, but the expansion may cost some businesses.

ORLANDO, Fla. - The city of Orlando is preparing for continued growth as more people move to the area, but the expansion may cost some businesses.

In the Ivanhoe neighborhood, many business owners say they are struggling due to limited parking and street access.

"The Hammered Lamb" says it survived the pandemic, but ongoing road repairs are proving to be an even tougher challenge. The popular Orlando restaurant is being forced to partially close on its slowest days, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as it waits for the construction to wrap up.

The city of Orlando says the road repairs are critical to prevent future flooding and that it has been working with businesses to mitigate the impact.

"We were losing more than we were bringing in," said Jason Lambert, owner of The Hammered Lamb. A staple in Orlando for more than 12 years, the restaurant is now struggling as construction in Ivanhoe Village disrupts daily operations.

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"Due to a year of construction in Ivanhoe Village, we are being forced to close down on our slowest days, which are Tuesday and Wednesday," Lambert said.

Longtime customers say the constant road closures make it difficult to support the restaurant.

"It's very hard to get in the area altogether. It's very frustrating," one customer said.

The construction project, which began a year ago, is part of the city's effort to replace aging sanitary sewer lines. In a statement, the city said it "is continuing to work with the Ivanhoe Main Street District and nearby businesses to help with additional parking opportunities during various roadway projects occurring in the area."

The work, expected to take about 15 months, is necessary to keep up with growth and prevent flooding. Sewer repairs are anticipated to be completed by early November.

"We are all about the growth…none of us are upset about that," Lambert said. "But they are upset about what this means for their bottom line."

"We have had construction before, but never this long and never this much confusion and shutting down parking spots…so it is going to put many of us out of business," Lambert added.

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