October 2024 | Vol. 10 Iss. 10
FREE
REDWOOD DRIVE IN SITE TO BE SOLD TO DEVELOPER By Tom Haraldsen | t.haraldsen@mycityjournals.com
I
t didn’t come as much of a surprise, but still, for many residents of West Valley City, the news was a disappointment. The city council, acting on a recommendation from its Planning Commission, voted to rezone the 26-acre site of the Redwood Drive In Theatre from general commercial to medium density residential at its Sept. 17 meeting. The decision, along with two other approvals from the council including a development agreement, paves the way for demolition of the theaters and termination of the city’s swap meet at that site. Edge Homes, which is purchasing the property from DeAnza Land and Leisure Corp out of Los Angeles, can now build 300 for-sale housing units on the site. That plan calls for three-story condos (40 units), two-story townhouses (244 units) and 15 single-family homes. The rezone application was recommended for approval in June by planning commissioners. DeAnza informed the city it has operated eight drive-in theaters and three The West Valley City Council heard from residents angered and concerned over plans to demolish the Redwood indoor theaters in Utah in the past, with only Drive In Theatre and eliminate the weekend swap meets. (Tom Haraldsen/City Journals) the Redwood still in operation. The company wants to get out of the business completely and has been working to sell the property, An online petition on change.org received the issue. over 22,000 signatures in opposition to the Only one spoke in favor of the request— which it can now do to Edge Homes. Opponents of the rezone, centered al- rezoning. And before the Sept. 17 council Steve Maddox, the owner of Edge Homes. most entirely around vendors and supporters meeting, hundreds of people held a peace- He said his company has been working to unof the swap meet, began taking action imme- ful protest in front of city hall to draw atten- derstand the community’s needs and pledged diately. A new nonprofit called the Redwood tion to their pleas for keeping the swap meet to remain committed to the city’s objectives. Road Chamber of Commerce was formed to alive. Many of them later sat in at the meet- Then it was the public’s turn, and the next gather ideas for an alternative way to save the ing, holding signs for their cause, and over 39 speakers (the council limited comments swap meet (see separate story in this edition). three dozen spoke during a public hearing on to 40 people total) were a combination of
KeyBank is happy to celebrate one year of serving the West Valley City community. We invite you to come and discover what KeyBank can do for you. KeyBank West Valley City 2807 South 5600 West West Valley City, UT 84120
Branch Hours: Monday – Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
©2024 KeyCorp. All rights reserved. KeyBank Member FDIC. 240702-2672332_03
remembrances of the swap meet and its history, pleas for denial of the rezoning request, and personal stories on the importance of the swap meet culture to the community. Doris Marquez spoke of her father who as a vendor supported a family of seven, allowing his children to pursue higher education. Humberto Sanchez, vice president of the Redwood Road Chamber of Commerce, presented a counterproposal to the current rezoning plan and said the current Redwood site is vital to the community’s history and culture. State Rep. Brett Garner from West Valley City said some residents have concerns about higher-value homes and said there’s a need for better density in the Edge proposal. And Christian Gutierrez Carbajal, who spoke on behalf of the vendors, shared their sentiment that rezoning would mean not just a loss of the swap meet, but possible displacement of many of the vendors who might leave the city because of their loss of jobs and income. It was then council’s turn to discuss the issue. Councilmember Tom Huynh spoke first, saying he was concerned about the Edge Homes proposal and how it would displace the swap meet site, and asked if the city could work with vendors to find a new location where the meet could continue. He asked if City Manager Ifo Pili could help those business owners. He also suggested an underutilized parking lot near the Maverik Center Continued page 4