A small street in downtown Guelph is seeing some big changes – and they aren’t over yet.

Wilson Street has been under construction since August, with crews working to rebuild the infrastructure under the roadway and redo things at surface level.

The project was supposed to be done by the end of October. Delays pushed work into November, and a grand reopening event is now planned for Saturday.

It can’t come soon enough for Robyn Loree. She says her business, Millennium Clothing, saw a significant drop in sales this fall, with fewer drivers and pedestrians venturing onto Wilson.

“It will take a certain amount of time for people to get back in the habit of coming downtown,” she says.

Coun. Dan Gibson says he understands why businesses like Loree’s may be frustrated, although he hopes the effort to help make Wilson and the downtown core more of a destination will pay off for them in the long run.

“Infrastructure renewal hurts us all, but hopefully the beautification of the space and the new amenities … will be a welcome reward,” he says.

Once the 200-metre-long Wilson Street reopens, it won’t be long until a big parking lot fronting the street closes. A parking garage with nearly 500 spaces will be built on the site. Eight of the spaces will contain receptacles for electric vehicles to charge.

Loree says the city provided good parking alternatives during the construction on Wilson, and hopes they’ll do so again with the parking lot out of commission – although she says she hasn’t heard anything about that.

She says she’s concerned that the construction project will create a sort of parking “chaos” in the area, particularly with the changes on Wilson eliminating a handful of on-street parking spaces.

“We really don’t know. We don’t have any information about that, but we’re dreading it for sure,” she says.

Next door at Apple Hair Salon, owner Iside Dalln says she’s looking forward to seeing Wilson reopened with new sidewalks, landscaping and other features, but is also concerned about the short-term loss of parking.

 “As wonderful as parking spaces are, and as much as we really need them here … it’s going to be tough for two years, having no lot at all,” she says.

Gibson says he hopes the parking garage will help with economic development by enticing companies to the area who may otherwise stay away due to difficult finding parking spaces.

With reporting by Stu Gooden