It’s well-known in Austin that several long-time and popular downtown businesses are faced with acquisition due to the jail and justice center project — do doubt a difficult and frustrating experience for any business owner, to say the least. Putting years of time, money and love into a business only to involuntarily be forced out surely makes them feel like they’ve been backed into a corner.

But as the process moves slowly and not-quite-surely ahead, offers are being made and accepted by a few businesses who choose to either relocate or close for good.

Playing the acquisition game is a hard one — do you wait for a higher offer, hire an attorney, move into the court system? Do you take an offer and hope for the best? No one wants to be in the shoes of those who own Steve’s Pizza, Anytime Fitness, Culligan’s and the other properties right now.

Hopefully, reasonable and respectable offers will made to these people who want to keep businesses in Austin and remain viable downtown before the wrecking ball begins to swing at the end of the year.