Construction ‘scares off customers’ at Las Aves business complex in Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - If you visit Las Aves Business Complex in Santa Barbara, you’ll notice a lot more noise than usual.
Tenants across from the scenic bird refuge say the ongoing construction and mess has caused frayed nerves and frustration.
“It’s not fun to be listening to the noise and to concentrate," said client Karina Woolley of La Playa Pilates.
Navigating broken pathways forced business owners to scramble their schedules resulting in less business.
“We’ve had to cancel clients we’ve had to move clients," said owner Amanda Leone of Leone Salon.
“Our business has dropped about 20 to 30 percent since his construction," said owner Mandy Wright of La Playa Pilates.
For Leone, working at the business complex was a dream come true until now.
“So disappointed … built it from the ground up and just watched somebody ruin it," said Leone.
According to mgmtpartners.com, a Los Angeles based investor called the Runyon Group plans to transform the complex into a new shopping center and rename it, “The Post Montecito.”
Wright is also dealing with customers canceling appointments.
"A lot of our clients have health concerns … and being around a lot of dust … and you know basically this is a construction zone," said Wright.
As construction continues, Wright’s main concern is helping to maintain the health and safety of her clients.
“The empathy and the regard for us as business owners has been … zero," said Wright.
“They drilled through gas lines, water lines. now they are jackhammering … and they haven’t warned us about any of this," said Leone.
We reached out to the Runyon Group, and are waiting to hear back.
Wright and Leone say they're not sure what the future has in store, but they won’t be their doors won't be open at this complex much longer.
“We’re gonna have to leave ... we can’t stay here anymore," said Leone.
The website states, "The Post will have two full-service restaurants and two smaller food-and-beverage outlets and beyond that, they’ll shift away from the services that currently dominate Las Aves and toward retail, particularly apparel. The Post will have an eclectic mix of merchants, but be completely geared to the community of Santa Barbara and Montecito."
Current tenants at Las Aves complex include: Loul Dental Studio, Aesthetics Montecito, Points of Health, Beautiful You, and several other medical and office tenants.
The complex is located at 1805 East Cabrillo Blvd.
