For a two-year period before the University broke ground on the Life Sciences Building on Meeting Street, administrators negotiated with Via Via IV about purchasing its lot. But after those negotiations failed, construction of the LiSci - which is now separated from the pizzeria and Italian restaurant by about six feet - went ahead, and Via Via managers say construction-related disruptions have hurt their business.
Mohamed Eid, a manager and cashier at Via Via, said the restaurant and the University have a running dispute over the tight space.
"We don't have anything against the building," Eid said. However, Eid is upset about the loss of business he claims is due to the ongoing construction.
"It's part of an urban environment to have close neighbors," said Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning and senior advisor to the president.
Construction for the LiSci began in fall 2003. If the process goes according to schedule, the building should open this summer in time for the 2006-2007 school year.
Discussions with Via Via about buying its property in order for the University to extend the LiSci began in 2000. The discussions continued until 2002, when Spies says it became clear to the administrators that no agreement could be reached.
Before building on Via Via's lot, the University needed an agreement from both the owner of the property and the owner of Via Via, Mohammed Badr, according to Spies.
"Normally it only takes two sides to reach an agreement. But in this case it took three sides, so it was more complicated," Spies said.
Aly Moustafa, manager of the Via Via II restaurant in Newport, said that Via Via IV did not want to sell its land to the University.
"We never came to any agreement," Moustafa said.
"It wasn't a question of fault," Spies said, referring to the failure to reach an arrangement with Via Via. Rather, a settlement was never achieved because the University's interests did not coincide with Via Via's, he said.
Still, Spies said the LiSci could have been larger if the University was able to buy the land. "It could have given us much more flexibility in the design," he said. Spies also noted that Meeting Street is a difficult construction site because very little space exists between the new building and the street, and the Biomedical Center also sits close by.
However, Via Via is more focused on the effect the construction has had on its business. According to Moustafa, Via Via has lost customers because of the ongoing construction.
"We are sad because we have lost business," Eid said. "Sometimes we get the day off because it's slow," he added.
Moustafa said the construction has also created a variety of nuisances, including noise and a lot of dust. These factors have exacerbated the slump in Via Via's business.
"As long as the street is not back to its normal condition, people don't bother coming in," Moustafa said.
Even though construction on the LiSci will only last for a few more months, Moustafa maintained that until Meeting Street is completely back to normal, business will not pick up again. "The impact of the project won't be over," Moustafa said. Once this happens, Moustafa is confident that business will resume.
However, Spies said "the most important thing is that the building is almost near completion."
Carey Degenaro '08, an occasional patron of Via Via, said she is optimistic about the restaurant being able to re-invigorate its business after construction ends.
"Maybe having the Life Sciences Building will increase the number of people eating there because of more traffic," Degenaro said.
However, Billy Moua '08 said that, in his opinion, Via Via should have moved elsewhere if it wanted to maintain business. For his part, Moua said he "prefers other places" for Italian food and pizza.
Cassie Owens '09, a student who lives in Andrews Hall near Meeting Street, said that while she encourages the University to attain as much land as possible, she still supports Via Via.
"I can't be down on a mom and pop business that wants to keep their business," Owens said. "I've read too many novels about the plight of the every man," said the comparative literature concentrator.
