The city of Grand Rapids is putting a major road construction project on hold after businesses and neighbors along Wealthy Street pushed back on plans to remove parking and add bike lanes.

About 30 businesses banded together to voice their concerns late last year when the city proposed removing parking on the north side of Wealthy Street between Carlton Avenue and Lake Drive.

"We need to not just pause it, but either change the plan and make sure it changes so the area has places to park, or else people aren't gonna have anywhere to go to visit these places," Pita House General Manager Fadi Shatara said.

Shatara runs the Middle Eastern restaurant that has been in Eastown for three decades. He said the community understands the push for more sustainable infrastructure but worries about how changes could impact access during an already difficult economic time.

"If you're going to eliminate half the street parking, I feel like it's going to be even worse for everyone in the area," Shatara said. "Everyone's going to struggle. People tell us if they can't find parking, they're just not going to go there."

Other businesses felt the same way. The New Yorker Menswear's Albert Koussan pointed to existing challenges like delivery trucks blocking traffic. He said any reduction in space could make things worse.

"That bike lane that they want to create is going to cause a lot of problems more than making it easier for people," Koussan said. "If there was any substitution for that and they were able to create more parking spots for the people that live in this area and have that bike lane, everybody would be happy."

Once the iconic Old Kent Bank building at 111 Lyon prepares for residents, the neighborhood has seen significant changes over the years.

Now, the city says it is gathering more data and continuing community engagement before the next step.

"The reconstruction of Wealthy Street is planned with multiple phases to help manage impacts to the local community," a city spokesperson said. "The first phase is expected in 2027 and includes the intersection of Lake Drive and Wealthy Street and extends to the east City limits near Woodmere."

This initial phase will include water main work, reconstruction of the brick street, Americans with Disabilities Act compliant sidewalks, bulb outs to improve visibility of pedestrians and shorten cross walks, and on street bike lanes that connect to existing bike lanes in East Grand Rapids and on Lake Drive.

The City anticipates bidding the first phase in the Fall of 2026 for construction in 2027.

For the remaining stretch between Fuller and Lake Drive, the city committed to additional time for community engagement, data gathering, considerations of adjustments to the design, and review of construction sequencing and timing. A final schedule for that work will not be available until the additional design work is completed and shared with the community.

For people who frequent the area, it is a relief.

"I'm glad that they were wanting to pause to hear community voices," resident Evan-Tarence Lauchie' said. "I hope that they listen and that there's a collaborative solution that we can come up with that won't negatively affect the businesses, especially the restaurants in the already struggling time that they're allowed to have their customers get here."

For the businesses, it is a step in the right direction.

"So far, it's postponed. we're hoping for it to be canceled," Koussan said. "Hopefully it stays forever on pause," Shatara said.

The city's decision marks a significant change from the original timeline. Grand Rapids had announced its larger road projects for 2026 at the end of March, and Wealthy Street was absent from that list after the city announced last year that work was supposed to start in 2026 and go through 2028.

The original plans included removing parking and introducing bike lanes for several blocks in Eastown. After pushback from the community, much of that work appears to be off the table for now.