Woodmen building standing where road will go

QUESTION: I was wondering what the deal is with the newly built, and very much vacant, little group of retail stores on the southeast corner of Academy and Woodmen. It used to be where the NAPA auto parts was located. Is the rent too expensive to attract any tenants? Or is it maybe too hard to get back out onto Academy or Woodmen that is scaring tenants away? Someone spent a lot of money to build these stores only to have them sit vacant.
- Ron

ANSWER: The building is directly in the path of the $30 million Woodmen Road project. There will be an overpass at Woodmen Road and Academy Boulevard, and Woodmen will be widened to six lanes between Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 24.

This building and the gas station on the northwest corner will be purchased by the city because the curve on Woodmen Road has to be be taken out, according to project manager Robin Kidder.

A Utah money-lending agency, Check City had leased the empty NAPA building and, unaware of what might be coming, started a $219,000 renovation project, which it abandoned when alerted by the city of the proposed overpass and road project.
At that time the environmental assessment had not been completed and, Kidder said, the city can’t purchase property until that report, which could change everything, is completed.

“We can’t presuppose a road layout,” Kidder said.