It’s less a “we don’t have money” and more a “this is super complex and the grey areas are massive”.
Like how do you determine lost revenue vs increase in competitors, more online ratings leading to a drop in sales, failure to adopt digital improvements. Different kinds of businesses are hurt more by construction due to their relationship to customers. What if sales grow significantly after construction (ex. Renewals that improve pedestrian experiences). What if a store had 5 years of declining sales, then close 1 year into construction. Do we blame construction or the trend line? If you lease a space in the midst of a 5 year project (like SPR right now), do you qualify for assistance?
Would love to see more done for businesses. But the can of worms it opens is tricky.