A prominent eyesore seen by thousands of commuters every day from nearby I-15 is finally going to be razed.
Libra Warehouse and Storage, owner of the so-called Bennett building and seven surrounding acres, has hired Barlow-Nielsen Associates of Salt Lake to turn the property into a retail store and office complex.Glenn McKay, project developer, said work will likely begin this year.
The Bennett building - named for its former owners, Sen. Bob Bennett's family - is on the corner of 300 West and Utopia Avenue, but the area is anything but a utopia.
The structure is the central feature of a blight-infested neighborhood at 300 West and 2100 South. It formerly housed Bennett Paint and Glass Co. and today is riddled with broken windows and sheets of asbestos hanging from gaping holes.
At one time the Environmental Protection Agency considered declaring it a Superfund site because of hazardous waste left behind by the paint company. It was spared that distinction, however, though City Councilman Doug Moffatt estimates cleanup costs associated with asbestos and the land's chemical-tainted soil could approach $1 million.
"It's one of the prime pieces of property not just in South Salt Lake but probably the state, just because of its access to the freeway and its visibility," said Moffatt. "We could turn an eyesore into something that would produce some healthy tax revenues."
McKay noted the presence two blocks south of an R.C. Willey furniture store and plans for the land kitty-corner to the northwest for construction of a Home Depot outlet.
"We're looking at generally some mixed use, and that corner (2100 South and 300 West) is probably not a bad place for a restaurant," he said, adding the company will seek municipal tax breaks to build the project.
Under such a scenario, the city would grant a tax-increment setup in which the developers, rather than paying property taxes, would funnel that money back into the project for a certain number of years.
"I think it would be an open topic," said Jonnalyne Walker, community and economic development director. "I know that the council's taken the position they would look at alternatives."
"It's my understanding they've got about half the project potentially leased," she added.
"The citizens of South Salt Lake have had enough," said Moffatt. "They want to see something done because it's such a bad image for us. It's become a landmark, but it's a negative landmark."
The building, abandoned for the better part of a decade, was last in the news during Utah's 1992 U.S. Senate campaign when Bennett, a Republican, defeated former Rep. Wayne Owens.
Salt Lake County Commissioner Randy Horiuchi and former South Salt Lake Mayor Jim Davis - both Democrats - held a press conference blaming Bennett for the problem.
Bennett Paint and Glass was defunct at the time, and defenders of the soon-to-be senator said he held just 1 percent of the company.
Libra bought the property from Zions Bank in the early 1990s.