Why Sugar House businesses see 'a light at the end of the tunnel'

SALT LAKE CITY — Sugar House Station is buzzing on a warm Wednesday evening.

Some diners are milling around the food hall's options inside, while others enjoy its outdoor seating as the sun dips beneath the apartment skyline across the street. It's electric, given that construction crews are working underneath the surface of 2100 South around a nearby corner, less than a block away.

Not every evening is as busy as this, says James Roberts, who cofounded the business. Bringing in customers on Sundays through Tuesdays can be challenging, which is a common market trend, but overall sales are "on target" for what he and his business partners expected since opening their Highland Drive location this year.

"I would say I'm pleased with our opening numbers. ... We're increasing in sales every week, so it's getting busier," he tells KSL.com.

This is the hope many Sugar House businesses have as they anxiously await the end of construction that has lasted for nearly two-and-a-half years. They're optimistic about what the Salt Lake City neighborhood will look like after the 2100 South project concludes, and they're already planning a way to celebrate when it happens later this year.

When the closures end

Sugar House businesses aren't the only ones that have endured the struggles of construction tied to the Funding Our Future bond. The bond also paid for overhauls to other roads in need of repair, such as 200 South, 900 South and 300 West in the downtown, Central Ninth and Ballpark areas, which led to similar struggles for businesses looking to attract customers willing to endure the construction.

Roberts also co-owns the Cotton Bottom Inn in Holladay, along with Ty and Duncan Burrell, who own Beer Bar and Bar-X downtown. Duncan Burrell told KSL.com last year that there were "difficult" times when crews ripped open 200 South to replace a gas line underneath and completely redid the road in a project similar to the one in Sugar House. Business has improved since the project's end, the brothers relayed to Roberts.

"Once they reopened the road, they recovered pretty well," he said.

Related:

'It's like COVID': Sugar House businesses feel construction sting once again this summer

Construction has returned to the heart of the Sugar House business district, and business owners say they're feeling the impacts of it.

Salt Lake City has seen growth along 900 South, as well. The 9th and 9th district averaged 770 pedestrians and 400 cyclists per day along the 9-Line Trail in May, while the Central Ninth component of the trail attracted 660 pedestrians and 530 cyclists, according to city transportation data.

Sugar House businesses struggling with active construction are split on what happens once the 2100 South project wraps up. Noe Vandamme, retail operations manager for Bruges Belgian Bistro, says the local business charm people remember before construction might be gone.

Others believe the changes will benefit the Sugar House Business District once they're complete. The issue both sides are dealing with is trying to hold on long enough to see people return once the 2100 South project wraps up.

"I do like what they've done with Highland Drive. There's bike lanes now. The medians are a little frustrating, but they serve a purpose, and it's going to keep the flow of traffic safer to walk around Sugar House. ... I think it's going to look good on (2100 South)," said Chad Hopkins, owner of Hopkins Brewing Company.

A 'light at the end of the tunnel'

The city anticipates completing its 2100 South project by this fall, but businesses have heard it could end by the end of August. Either way, they're already planning for a big celebration to commemorate the end of a busy few years.

Details are still being sorted out, but Sugar House businesses have discussions about a big block party with music and other events sometime around late September or early October. It may also include deals at neighborhood businesses and a prize system for people who visit multiple stores in the area, creating a fun way to welcome people back to the area.

"We do see a light at the end of the tunnel," said Rick Seven, marketing director for Salt Lake Brewing Company, which owns Corner Brew Pub Sugar House. "We just think we've got to push through a couple more months, and then it's hopefully all start going downhill."

Future construction

Yet, growth at this point is "inevitable," especially in Sugar House, Seven said. Thus, construction won't end with the 2100 South project.

Corner Brew Pub Sugar House is located across the street from an abandoned Wells Fargo building that will be torn down for a new mixed-use development, even if it's not quite as tall as initially proposed. Utah Transit Authority is still planning to extend its S-Line deeper into Sugar House, as well, while a new proposal would put a hotel next to the northwest corner of Sugar House Park.

It's unclear if Salt Lake City will ask for another major bond, like the 2018 Funding Our Future bond. However, if and when it does, the impacted businesses say the city should take steps to protect small businesses.

Having rebuilds of Highland Drive and 2100 South run consecutively was not ideal, said Pierre Vandamme, who owns Bruges Belgian Bistro. It forced him to go "very deep" into personal savings, while others weren't so lucky. He's aware that drastic downtown plans could impact his primary location near Pioneer Park as they're carried out over the next few years, while Pioneer Park also changes.

He'd like to see projects done in stages to allow for more "breathing room" between projects. If not, he'd like to see greater business support from the city, whether that's financially or in ways to limit impacts on business locations.

"They can get creative," Noe Vandamme adds.

While painful to others in the area, Roberts says he liked that the city bundled projects together, which helped condense the full project timeline. The Sugar House project combined needed infrastructure and road repairs in the area.

Whatever the case might be, many agree that they just don't want to see full road closures in the future.

"There's nothing wrong with growth. We like the fact there are going to be more people in the area, and we like the fact that public transportation is working to be more efficient and better," Seven said. "The one thing that just won't be tolerated anymore is a complete shutdown of a street."

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