Developers of an unfinished five-story building in downtown Ogden — where construction was halted when inspectors found unsafe lumber and structural problems — are tearing the building down, a city official said.
The project’s general contractor, Makers Line, went out of business earlier this year, leaving the Ogden building and dozens of other projects unfinished and in limbo.
Developer Summa Terra Ventures applied for a demolition permit Tuesday, according to Ogden city spokesperson Mike McBride. The permit will likely be reviewed Wednesday, and major demolition will start next week. Contractors have already started to salvage equipment and building components that can be reused, such as windows.
Union Walk, as the project was called in planning documents and Summa Terra’s website, was meant to be an urban apartment building with retail space on the ground floor. It faced hurdles and scrutiny at nearly every step. The city greenlit the developer’s plan for a five-story structure, which is a story higher than what is usually allowed in that zone, McBride said.
The city then ordered construction to halt in March after an inspection found lumber that wasn’t treated and didn’t meet fire code. Summa Terra Ventures blamed Makers Line at the time, according to the Standard-Examiner. A second inspection found bigger structural issues, McBride said, inducing bowing in places “where bowing shouldn’t be happening.”
“It was a massive public safety concern for the city,” McBride said.
Summa Terra CEO Mike Watson did not respond to a request to comment for this article; he has previously declined to comment on questions about Makers Line and Union Walk.
The city issued an amended notice and order to stop work. After Summa Terra tried, and failed, to appeal the order, McBride said the city gave the developer two options: Fix the issues, or level the building. Either course of action needed to happen “right away,” McBride said.
Summa Terra chose to demolish, McBride said. They have found a new contractor to handle demolition. “They’re going to raze the building completely, to the foundation,” McBride said.
Summa Terra still owns the property, McBride said, and it’s not yet clear what will happen next with the site.
“The hope for that space is that it’s developed, but in a proper way,” McBride said. But developers will have to start anew with permit applications, contractors and design plans.
Union Walk is also the subject of at least two lawsuits. A judge ordered $64,028.76 be paid to Bear River Heating and Air Conditioning last month for labor and equipment provided to the project. The order was given to Union Station LLC, an entity registered to the same agent as Summa Terra Ventures, Aubrey Palmer. Palmer is the founder and COO of Summa Terra Ventures, according to the company’s website.
The judgment was a default, made because Union Station did not respond to legal filings. An attorney for Union Station is not listed in court documents; the attorney for Makers Line has not responded to numerous requests to comment, including for this story.
Bingham Plumbing & Mechanical LLC is also suing Makers Line and Union Station for more than $100,000 for labor for which it has allegedly not been paid.
No recent demolition permits have been filed for incomplete Makers Line projects in Salt Lake City, according to city records.
Shannon Sollitt is a Report for America corps member covering business accountability and sustainability for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by clicking here.
