MCDONOUGH, Ga. — A room full of city leaders and business owners gathered at City Hall in McDonough Monday night to discuss problems in the city’s historic downtown district.
“A lot of businesses down on the square are struggling right now, a variety of things are going on,” said Neil Daniel.
Daniel owns Kirby G’s Diner, and he provided the council with a list of concerns from customers and other business owners. The problems included parking, smoking, traffic noise, trash pickup, panhandling, traffic noise and safety.
“Yes, it stinks. Our whole alleyway stinks,” Macon Street Taco’s Owner Katy Bell told Channel 2’s Courtney Francisco.
Bell said the cost of trash pickup increased, yet business owners saw no new benefit or more trash cans.
Others, like Jason Elkady, asked police for more patrols.
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“People don’t feel safe enough because there’s not enough lighting in the community at night in certain areas,” said Elkady.
The discussion came on the heels of a workshop meeting scheduled to discuss new smoking and noise ordinances downtown.
“A smoking ban could put Southern Roots out of business for good,” said Danielle Southern.
Right now, you can stop in for a cigar in the square or take the kids for ice cream.
“It’s always been family-friendly,” said Barbara Fitterer. “Our customers like to walk around the square as they wait for a table, and, you know, nobody really likes smoke in their face.”
Her family owns Pasta Max Café.
David Valentine owns a pizza shop called Crust & Craft, and he leases to a hookah lounge on the corner.
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“For a ban, it just seems like that’s limited thinking,” said Valentine. “I think there just needs to be another option.”
Most owners suggested designated smoking areas around the square.
“We don’t want to put anybody out of business,” said Fitterer. “There just has to be some type of compromise for everyone.
The American Heart Association’s Regional Advocacy Director Peter Pimentel was at the meeting. He told the crowd that 12 other Georgia counties and cities have smoking bans that did not impact businesses negatively or positively.
“Health effects of second-hand smoke are incredibly dangerous as well,” said Pimentel.
Some business owners expressed concerns with semi-trucks passing, drowning out dinner conversations. Others said loud music from bars is chasing away customers at coffee shops during the day.
Owners said they will be back at City Hall on Tuesday night to listen in on the council’s workshop session to discuss the ordinances.
“The city of McDonough really needs to think about what they’re doing to chip away at the entertainment district we’ve all worked so hard to build over the years,” said Valentine.
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