As the economy remains stagnant and many businesses seem to be moving away from major cities, downtown Hayward seems to be losing business and attractiveness.

A once vibrant commercial district, the city’s downtown area is seemingly deteriorating as local business owners are experiencing a financial downturn that business owners say is making it hard to attract people to do business in cities like Hayward.

Foothill Blvd. between City Center Drive and D Street, a route many CSU East Bay students take to school every day, is evidence of the downturn.

With 20 out of 62, nearly a third, of storefronts along the five block strip sitting vacant, the former bustling business center looks like a ghost town, many owners said.

Debbie Southern of Downtown Consignments on A Street said she has “most definitely” seen decreased business lately.

“We’re all losing business,” she said, but still doesn’t place the blame entirely on nationwide economic woes.

The economic climate is part of the problem, but ongoing road construction projects also play a role, obstructing foot traffic and making the area unattractive to shoppers, she said.

“The landlords are not giving anybody a break with this economy, and they should, given the construction issues,” Southern said.

Other business owners in the area expressed similar concerns.

“It’s only going to get worse,” said Charlie Schwing, proprietor of Cyclepath.

Schwing said there are multiple factors driving businesses out of the neighborhood.

“Certainly it’s the economy, but city officials don’t make it easy for businesses to come to Hayward,” he said.

According to Greg Jones, former Hayward city manager from 2007 to 2010 and present co-owner of a neighborhood realty office, one problem businesses face is that buildings in the neighborhood are old and prospective owners do not have the capital to pay for necessary renovations.

He acknowledged that there is currently a “perception that City Hall is difficult to work with.”

There is some basis for this because no business people are currently serving as elected officials for the city, noted former councilwoman Anna May, Jones’ wife and co-owner of Realty World.

The roadwork and traffic issues, though, are not the root of the problem, said Jones.

“From a long-term macro perspective, looking at it, it’s temporary,” he said.

Some don’t blame the roadwork, however, but do perceive the domino effect.

“We haven’t noticed decreased foot traffic,” said Alexis Ferguson, a shift leader at Copy Pacific, “but we have noticed our neighbors closing down, and that does affect us.”

Jones acknowledged that this domino effect is real to some extent, citing examples such as people’s fears of increased crime in neighborhoods with more vacant buildings, but said these fears are often exaggerated and are certainly the case in downtown Hayward.

While business in the area has been generally declining since the 1960s when Southland Mall opened and has gotten worse since the economic crash, Jones and May said they are optimistic about the centrally located neighborhood’s future.

“Frankly, if we had the money, we would be investing in downtown, more than just this business,” May said. “A lot of people right now just don’t have the money.”