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ST. CLAIR SHORES — With construction looming along the Nautical Mile, business owners are understandably worried about its impact.
Along Jefferson Avenue, from Nine Mile Road to 10 Mile Road, the construction will add another sewer pipe underground. The goal of the sewer project is to stop combined sewer overflows from discharging into Lake St. Clair. The events occur when combined sewer systems become overwhelmed with rainwater and sewage, and the untreated water flows into nearby lakes and rivers.
As it stands, the section of Jefferson Avenue from Nine Mile to 10 Mile only has one pipe, whereas the surrounding areas on Jefferson have two.
Joe VanderMarliere, an owner of Baffin Brewing Co. at 10 Mile and Jefferson, said they’re preparing for the construction right now. From what he’s heard, he expects Jefferson to go down to one lane when the construction reaches him next spring. Mayor Kip Walby stated in an email that Jefferson will be down to one lane, but that it won’t happen until May or June 2026.
“I’m just going to try my best to make as much money as I can this year to kind of curb the blow of reduced sales next year,” VanderMarliere said.
He said he has an entrance to the parking lot off of 10 Mile, which works well.
“I know that we’re going to have reduced foot traffic, so I’m just thinking of kind of creative ways to curb the blow when it does happen,” VanderMarliere said.
Currently, the staff is telling customers to keep coming in. He also has plans to increase distribution outside of the restaurant.
Though the construction has not yet reached him, he is worried.
“It definitely does deter people from coming down that way. Obviously, no one likes traffic,” VanderMarliere said. “And when you’re reducing lanes, people kind of avoid the area altogether.”
He called the situation very concerning.
“Obviously, when you’re running a business, you want as many people in as possible or at least people in the area. Foot traffic results in increased sales,” VanderMarliere said. “So knowing that it’s just going to be reduced just from people generally avoiding it is very concerning.”
He said he’s been telling staff and others who ask that what’s happening is outside of the control of local business owners.
“So we just got to kind of concentrate on what’s within our control and go from there,” VanderMarliere said.
He said that he did not receive a lot of details beforehand, but he heard about it and has received letters from the city.
“I don’t know if that’s just due to the fact that I’m more north on Jefferson,” VanderMarliere said.
Fishbones, on the Nautical Mile, was right in the middle of the construction at press time.
Owner Nico Gatzaros said the experience has been interesting.
“People are still coming to me, they’re coming to us, right?” Gatzaros said. “And they’re going to us no matter what.”
He said they have to find different ways to get to the restaurant.
“It’s not completely terrible, and we really do appreciate everybody’s support during not only the construction but the hard times in the restaurant industry in general, and the community’s been awesome supporting us. We love that and we love them for it,” Gatzaros said.
Gatzaros said they knew it was coming, and they were given a lot of heads up.
“We know that in the long run it’s going to be a grand slam for Lake St. Clair, and that’s why they’re doing this,” Gatzaros said.
He said they’re looking forward to the project finishing up and business on the Nautical Mile getting better. He suggests customers leave a little bit early to get to their destinations.
“If people just give it five extra minutes to navigate the mile, that’d be great, and it’s nothing really — nothing like what you would expect on a highway or anything like that,” Gatzaros said. “This is very localized, and it’s quick to maneuver. We want people to realize that so they’re not afraid to come down to the area.”
