. >> reporter: marios postal chases in the heart of west portal. while shaken by the tragedy just around the corner from his business but he is among those asking for a pause in the proposed changes to the center section. >> to take a step back, take a deep breath, let's discuss it. the things that we are doing for our community will be long-lasting . >> there are three issues here. the issue of public safety, the issue of beautifying and making the area more welcoming, and then there is the issue of the impact to small businesses. >> reporter: lisa moore owns siren boutique. she is not convinced the plan will necessarily improve safety . and then there is the timeline. >> while we care deeply about public safety , and of course, employees, customers, my kids who live and work in this neighborhood, also, we feel that this proposal was basically introduced to us after it was decided that it would already happen, and now we are hearing that we have 10 days to talk about it. >> we take merchant needs very seriously. that's one of the reasons why in or