Residents and businesses living and operating at the Quay say pile driving for the RiverSky project has become a problem.
David Lang and his wife, longtime residents of 1045 Quayside Dr., likened the noise to Chinese water torture.
“It’s very annoying. It’s just like a pounding headache,” he said. “The steady bang, bang. It gets to you after a while. We end up keeping our windows and doors closed most of the time because the noise is too much, so you don’t get the fresh air that you would normally get.”
Lang added the couple has, on a few occasions, been woken up by the racket. The city’s construction noise bylaw states “permitted hours” are anytime between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, with Sundays and other holidays excluded.
“We’re retired, so we can get out of here at any time, go for a walk. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people in our building who are elderly or who don’t have a vehicle,” noted Lang.
The owner of Angelina’s Restaurant, which directly faces the construction site, said business has definitely taken a hit. Eric Missouri told the Record that sales on Saturdays are about $500 less than they are on Sundays, the off-day for pile driving.
“That’s the busy time,” he said in regards to the weekend, when people are out and about at the Quay. “I would have loved for (Bosa Properties) to give us a weekend break.”
Missouri added the pile driving has also “killed” his patio.
“Six days a week, we pretty much have no patio. We lost quite a bit of sales there. Most of the time, (people) will grab their plate and run back inside as soon as they start the pile driving,” he explained.
The restaurant owner said he understands it’s all part of the construction timeline, and Bosa can’t accommodate everybody. He said the company has been easy to talk to when issues are raised.
“You call them, they call you right back, and they come here and try to resolve whatever concern we have. There’s only so much they can do,” said Missouri.
Andrew Wong, owner of Wild Rice at River Market, echoed Missouri’s sentiments. While the noise can’t be heard in his restaurant when the doors are closed, he said it is “noticeable.”
He said he has seen people move from the patio, but couldn’t 100 per cent attribute that to the pile driving, noting it could have been the hot weather.
“If you’re actually having a lunch meeting or just trying to catch up with an old friend, there’s the constant, every two seconds, boom. Maybe you carry through with that lunch because you’re already there, and you’ve paid for parking, and you’ve ordered. Then you realize this is happening. I think it makes you second guess doing that again,” he said, adding he personally wouldn’t let it affect his decision about going into a restaurant.
Staff at the Paddlewheeler Pub, meanwhile, said the noise hasn’t had an impact on patio traffic.
“I’ve heard the odd comment,” said Brooke Mitchell, one of the bartenders. “But it’s not really affected us at all. I’m quite surprised.”
Last month, the Inn at the Quay told the Record it was receiving up to 10 negative comments a day from guests. As a result, the hotel has had to dole out a “fair amount” of compensation.
In an emailed statement, Bosa apologized for the disruption and said it was working hard to complete the pile driving, which is expected to wrap up next month.
