Big River Pizza, which started as a mobile wood-fired pizza shop and opened its brick-and-mortar pizzeria in Lowertown in 2015, is closing this month.

Owner Steve Lott has chosen not to renew the restaurant’s lease, saying in a social media post that “the current political and policy landscape in St. Paul has made it increasingly difficult to ensure the safety of our employees.”

The pizzeria’s last day is expected to be June 29, though “possibly beyond.”

Lott said in the post that he “won’t be elaborating further on the local political landscape at this time.” In response to an interview request, he replied via email with a few lines from the Grateful Dead song “Terrapin Station.” (“The storyteller makes no choice, soon you will not hear his voice / His job is to shed light, and not to master / Since the end is never told, we pay the teller off in gold / In hopes he will come back, but he cannot be bought or sold”)

In a previous conversation with the Pioneer Press, he had expressed concerns over apparent increases in burglaries, drug use and gun presence in Lowertown. Light-rail stations and homeless service centers that have been added to the neighborhood contribute to these challenges, he said in February.

“I think elected officials have good intentions,” Lott said at the time. “But some of the policies have negatively impacted the business community.”

In closing, Big River Pizza joins a string of other restaurants in and around the area, including Saint Dinette in Lowertown and the Apostle Supper Club across from the Xcel Energy Center, whose owners have cited changing demographics as reasons for shutting down.

However, from new restaurants and event centers to commercial leasing successes, there appears to be new life ahead for some downtown and Lowertown spots. Specifically on the pizza scene, Prince Coal-Fired Pizza is set to open next month on Robert Street. Plus, the Palace Pub is now open next to the Palace Theater, and after announcing a closure, Dark Horse in Lowertown is set to reopen next month.

Big River Pizza is located within the Lofts at Farmer’s Market, an apartment building that is now privately owned but was originally developed by the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority in 2012. Of an approximately $304,000 buildout for Big River Pizza in 2015, $180,000 came from the city, per Pioneer Press reporting.

“Thank you for your unwavering support, your patronage, and for making our human experience in St. Paul so memorable,” Lott wrote in the pizzeria’s farewell post. “We will truly miss you all.”