Salt Lake City, Utah — One of the most well-known ski cities in the United States is Salt Lake City due to its accessibility to the mountains.
However, its reputation for great accessibility has attracted many to the area in recent years, which means it’s dealing with many issues that other major cities face. In one area in particular, a couple of issues are coming to a head at once.
Sugar House is a part of the city that has a distinctly Northeastern vibe. With its many trees, walking areas, and narrow streets, it’s a beautiful part of Salt Lake to explore on foot. That pleasantness has led to significant development in recent years, particularly in the form of large, soulless apartment buildings with expensive rental prices.
To make matters worse, the Salt Lake City government has been working on road developments across the area for years, making walking around tricky (if even possible) and driving a pain in the… temple garments. As construction continues, more people are speaking out about the impact on businesses.
Bruges Belgian Bistro, a small Utah waffle house chain with a location in Sugar House, detailed their concerns in an Instagram reel. In the video, they note how business is down due to the road construction and how construction crews have created multiple problems for the dining outlet. They also cited the $3,000 check SLC gave to the business as insufficient.
Various other businesses in town shared their support in the comments section of the post:
- Hopkins Brewing Co.: “Great post. We are hurting over here! Sugar House needs some love. 🍻”
- Sugarhouse Coffee: “We love you and feel this so much 😢”
- Vertical Diner SLC: “We had construction for 2 years – SLC even blocked out front door and customers had to use the fire access for 4 months. They had no side walk for 12 months and basically broke federal ADA laws. Well [it] forced us to break them because of the removal of this access! Seems like we need to discuss a legal solution as a group. We will contact you directly. Wishing you well Pierre!”
Salt Lake City argues that it has made significant efforts to support these businesses, and road construction is necessary to maintain street safety. They’re aiming to complete most of the road construction by the end of this year.
As someone who used to live in Sugar House, it doesn’t appear that the city thought this out. More needs to be done to help save small businesses in this area, or else Sugarhouse will be no different than any other gentrified cityscape in modern America.
Image/Video Credits: Bruges Belgian Bistro, ABC 4 Utah
